Growing up in the 80’s, having a Teddy Ruxpin was a big deal for both boys and girls. Teddy was an animatronic plush doll that you would pop an audio cassette into his back and his eyes and mouth moved while the tape played. While Teddy was meant to help kids read-along in the books that were included with the tape sets, you could still put any cassette in him and it would play back, including music tapes. I like to believe that it was our generation’s first boombox for children. 

Cereal Killer is reminiscent of growing up in the 80’s – from Teddy Ruxpin to the bowl of colored sugary cereal (before everything turned to whole grain) to Underoos underwear to Saturday Morning Cartoons (which sadly ended in 2015). Not knowing when we were putting it together, but Cereal Killer represents a generation of the past, experiences that kids today won’t understand. They revived the Teddy Ruxpin line in 2016, but rather than audio cassettes, you use a digital tablet.

“Cereal Killer” featuring Robin Hamer, photography by imagenix. Art Direction by Ellen Kwan.