Talking dolls before integrated circuits

December 31, 2012 7:50 PM

Talking Tina, how do you talk? I'm watching the Twilight Zone marathon with Talking Tina. Given the technology available in 1963, how would such a toy work? The general talking part, not the evil inanimate object part.
posted by chengjih to technology (7 answers total)

The talking dolls used the same technology as See and Say. Basically a plastic record with a turntable run by a spring.
posted by xingcat at 7:56 PM on December 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

Chatty Cathy spoke one of eleven phrases at random when the "chatty ring" protruding from its upper back was pulled. The ring was attached to a string connected to a simple low-fidelity phonograph record in the doll's abdomen. The record was driven by a metal coil wound by pulling the toy's string.

Here's a television commercial.
posted by Pudhoho at 8:00 PM on December 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

This guy repairs Mrs. Beasley dolls & welcomes queries.
posted by headnsouth at 8:13 PM on December 31, 2012

"guy" = "woman"
posted by headnsouth at 8:20 PM on December 31, 2012

Google up some Youtube videos on "Bag Of Laughs", there are a couple of tear-down videos where they take them apart and show the simple record/needle/speaker guts inside which is quite similar to talking doll guts.
posted by zengargoyle at 8:20 PM on December 31, 2012

Talking dolls have been around since 1890. Edison came up with a four pound creep factory that sounds like something to give Talking Tina a run for her money.
posted by Jilder at 10:09 PM on December 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

We had "Robert the Robot, mechanical man" in the late 50's early 60's. Eventually (perhaps inevitably) he was dissected and as mentioned above, a little phonograph record inside.
posted by Fortnight Bender at 2:09 AM on January 1