diff --git a/scipy-stubs/datasets/_download_all.pyi b/scipy-stubs/datasets/_download_all.pyi
index bde6e799..c82de2f2 100644
--- a/scipy-stubs/datasets/_download_all.pyi
+++ b/scipy-stubs/datasets/_download_all.pyi
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 from os import PathLike
 
 def download_all(path: str | PathLike[str] | None = None) -> None: ...
-def main() -> None: ...
+def main() -> None: ...  # undocumented
diff --git a/scipy-stubs/datasets/_fetchers.pyi b/scipy-stubs/datasets/_fetchers.pyi
index 2b85158d..ec8cdf36 100644
--- a/scipy-stubs/datasets/_fetchers.pyi
+++ b/scipy-stubs/datasets/_fetchers.pyi
@@ -1,16 +1,21 @@
-from typing import Final, Literal, TypeAlias, overload
+from typing import Final, Literal as L, overload
 from typing_extensions import LiteralString
 
-import numpy as np
+from ._typing import AscentDataset, CanFetch, ECGDataset, Face2Dataset, Face3Dataset
 
-# TODO: stub `pooch` (this should be a `pooch.code.Pooch`)
-_DataFetcher: TypeAlias = object
-data_fetcher: Final[_DataFetcher]
+###
 
-def fetch_data(dataset_name: LiteralString, data_fetcher: _DataFetcher = ...) -> LiteralString: ...
-def ascent() -> np.ndarray[tuple[Literal[512], Literal[512]], np.dtype[np.uint8]]: ...
-def electrocardiogram() -> np.ndarray[tuple[Literal[108_000]], np.dtype[np.float64]]: ...
+data_fetcher: Final[CanFetch | None] = ...  # undocumented
+
+def fetch_data(
+    dataset_name: L["ascent.dat", "ecg.dat", "face.dat"],
+    data_fetcher: CanFetch | None = None,
+) -> LiteralString: ...  # undocumented
+
+#
+def ascent() -> AscentDataset: ...
+def electrocardiogram() -> ECGDataset: ...
 @overload
-def face(gray: Literal[False] = False) -> np.ndarray[tuple[Literal[768], Literal[1_024], Literal[3]], np.dtype[np.uint8]]: ...
+def face(gray: L[True, 1]) -> Face2Dataset: ...
 @overload
-def face(gray: Literal[True]) -> np.ndarray[tuple[Literal[768], Literal[1_024]], np.dtype[np.uint8]]: ...
+def face(gray: L[False, 0] = False) -> Face3Dataset: ...
diff --git a/scipy-stubs/datasets/_registry.pyi b/scipy-stubs/datasets/_registry.pyi
index 177f68ad..041535e6 100644
--- a/scipy-stubs/datasets/_registry.pyi
+++ b/scipy-stubs/datasets/_registry.pyi
@@ -1,6 +1,14 @@
-from typing import Final
+from typing import Final, Literal as L, TypedDict, type_check_only
 from typing_extensions import LiteralString
 
-registry: Final[dict[LiteralString, LiteralString]]
-registry_urls: Final[dict[LiteralString, LiteralString]]
-method_files_map: Final[dict[LiteralString, list[LiteralString]]]
+@type_check_only
+class _MethodRegistry(TypedDict):
+    ascent: list[L["ascent.dat"]]
+    electrocardiogram: list[L["ecg.dat"]]
+    face: list[L["face.dat"]]
+
+_DataRegistry = TypedDict("_DataRegistry", {"ascent.dat": LiteralString, "ecg.dat": LiteralString, "face.dat": LiteralString})
+
+registry: Final[_DataRegistry] = ...
+registry_urls: Final[_DataRegistry] = ...
+method_files_map: Final[_MethodRegistry] = ...
diff --git a/scipy-stubs/datasets/_typing.pyi b/scipy-stubs/datasets/_typing.pyi
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..11b99931
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scipy-stubs/datasets/_typing.pyi
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+from collections.abc import Callable
+from typing import Literal as L, Protocol, TypeAlias, overload, type_check_only
+from typing_extensions import LiteralString
+
+import numpy as np
+import optype.numpy as onp
+
+__all__ = "AscentDataset", "CanFetch", "Dataset", "ECGDataset", "Face2Dataset", "Face3Dataset", "Fetcher"
+
+@type_check_only
+class CanFetch(Protocol):
+    def fetch(self, dataset_name: LiteralString, /) -> LiteralString: ...
+
+AscentDataset: TypeAlias = onp.Array[tuple[L[512], L[512]], np.uint8]
+ECGDataset: TypeAlias = onp.Array[tuple[L[108_000]], np.float64]
+Face2Dataset: TypeAlias = onp.Array[tuple[L[768], L[1_024]], np.uint8]
+Face3Dataset: TypeAlias = onp.Array[tuple[L[768], L[1_024], L[3]], np.uint8]
+_FaceDataset: TypeAlias = Face2Dataset | Face3Dataset
+Dataset: TypeAlias = AscentDataset | ECGDataset | _FaceDataset
+
+_AscentFetcher: TypeAlias = Callable[[], AscentDataset]
+_ECGFetcher: TypeAlias = Callable[[], ECGDataset]
+
+@type_check_only
+class _FaceFetcher(Protocol):
+    @overload
+    def __call__(self, /, gray: L[True, 1]) -> Face2Dataset: ...
+    @overload
+    def __call__(self, /, gray: L[False, 0] = False) -> Face3Dataset: ...
+
+Fetcher: TypeAlias = _AscentFetcher | _ECGFetcher | _FaceFetcher
diff --git a/scipy-stubs/datasets/_utils.pyi b/scipy-stubs/datasets/_utils.pyi
index eb15ee20..3b7d9cbe 100644
--- a/scipy-stubs/datasets/_utils.pyi
+++ b/scipy-stubs/datasets/_utils.pyi
@@ -1,12 +1,4 @@
-from collections.abc import Callable
-from typing import TypeAlias
-from typing_extensions import TypeVar
+from ._typing import Fetcher
 
-import numpy as np
-
-_ShapeT = TypeVar("_ShapeT", bound=tuple[int, ...], default=tuple[int] | tuple[int, int] | tuple[int, int, int])
-_DT = TypeVar("_DT", bound=np.dtype[np.generic], default=np.dtype[np.float64] | np.dtype[np.uint8])
-
-_AnyDataset: TypeAlias = Callable[[], np.ndarray[_ShapeT, _DT]]
-
-def clear_cache(datasets: list[_AnyDataset] | tuple[_AnyDataset, ...] | None = None) -> None: ...
+# NOTE: the implementation explcitily checks for `list` and `tuple` types
+def clear_cache(datasets: Fetcher | list[Fetcher] | tuple[Fetcher, ...] | None = None) -> None: ...