Secret Life of Toys
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Children's television |
| Founded | March 5, 1994 |
| Headquarters | Monheim , Germany |
Area served | United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Arabic-speaking regions, South Africa, Israel, Brunei, Germany, Japan, Poland, Bahrain, Australia |
| Products | Television series |
Secret Life of Toys is a children's television series from 1994, inspired by the 1986 holiday special The Christmas Toy. It was broadcast between March and May 1994, comprising thirteen episodes of 30 minutes each, with every episode containing two separate 15-minute narratives. The production took place in Monheim, Germany, and the show made its U.S. debut on The Disney Channel on March 5, 1994. Internationally, it was shown on the BBC in the United Kingdom, Family Channel, Vrak, and TVO across Canada, Spacetoon in Arabic-speaking regions, Top TV in South Africa, The Kids' Channel in Israel, RTB in Brunei, American Forces Network in both Germany and Japan, TVP1 in Poland, Channel 55 in Bahrain, and ABC TV within Australia. While previously accessible via Netflix, Hulu, and Kidoodle.TV, as of July 2025 it is available for streaming on the Yippee TV service.
Plot
The narrative centers on Rugby Tiger and his companions as they adjust to a new playroom shared with children Penny and Simon. The toys adhere to a strict set of rules prohibiting any human discovery of their ability to move and speak. Whenever these guidelines are breached, the toys collaborate to resolve the situation.
Principal characters
- Rugby Tiger (Dave Goelz): a lively tiger plush toy created by Larry DiFiori and constructed by Rollie Krewson.
- Mew (Nigel Plaskitt): a catnip mouse toy owned by the household cat and a close friend of Rugby; designed by Larry DiFiori and built by Joann Green.
- Balthazar (Jerry Nelson): an elderly bear plush who serves as a paternal figure and protector of the toys' secret; crafted by Larry DiFiori and assembled by Joann Green.
- Raisin (Louise Gold): a rag doll with a tomboy personality.
- Hortense (Louise Gold): a timid rocking horse.
- Ditz (Dave Goelz): a clown plush toy designed by Larry DiFiori and constructed by Marian Keating.
Supporting characters
- Bratty Rat (Jerry Nelson) is a cunning rat toy acquired from a thrift store.
- Bunny Lamp (Mike Quinn) controls lighting within the toy room and alerts toys when people are nearby.
- Bleep (Rob Mills) is a toy robot who occasionally experiences speech freezes; designed by Larry DiFiori and built by Tom Newby and Norman Tempia.
- Cruiser (Brian Henson) operates as a taxi driver charging "A dollar on the drop, and ten cents for any additional miles." He was designed by Larry DiFiori and constructed by Tom Newby and Norman Tempia.
- Datz (Jerry Nelson) is a paper bag puppet resembling his sibling Ditz.
- Dinkybeard (Jerry Nelson) is a wooden pirate figure designed and built by Paul Andrejco.
- Daffodil (Louise Gold) is an elderly princess doll from another household; she is uniquely acquainted with the attic where she lived alone until discovered by Penny and Simon.
- Eggie (Mike Quinn) is a simple-minded egg-shaped toy who believes eggs possess superior intelligence.
- Humble Gary (Mike Quinn) is a modest stuffed tiger.
External links
- Articles with short description
- 1994 American television series debuts
- 1994 American television series endings
- 1990s American children's television series
- 1994 British television series debuts
- 1994 British television series endings
- 1990s British children's television series
- American television shows featuring puppetry
- British television shows featuring puppetry
- BBC children's television shows
- Disney Channel original programming
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming
- Television series by The Jim Henson Company
- Television series about sentient toys