Abstract: A gift item which is illustrated in the form of a stuffed teddy bear houses a control system which incorporates a re-programmable solid state analog memory device which is used to record a message. In the illustrated embodiment, a write switch is housed in the teddy bear's ear, and while it is being squeezed, a microphone in the main control system will record a spoken message into the non-volatile analog memory. The recording will take place as long as the two-contact switch is squeezed, and will stop upon release of the switch or expiration of the memory capacity of the memory device, which is about 20 seconds. The message is played back by momentary compression of another two-contact switch placed in the bear's paw, which would typically be done by a child. Replacement of a prior message with a subsequent one can be done at will by closing the write switch again as was done initially.