Can kids toys be switched to different languages?

October 13, 2014 1:37 AM

Do electric kids toys come with all languages, and are then switched to a particular language when they leave the factory?
posted by devnull to Grab Bag (4 answers total)

I'm not sure whether mass-produced toys use the same voice chips I've messed about with in my projects, but the cheapo ones I've seen typically only support one or two pieces of audio, with a total duration of a minute or two. Addressing multiple sounds via some sort of index is (I think) possible with some of the fancier chips out there, although some of those require external memory, which is bound to drive the price up.

So on the basis of that, I don't think it's likely a manufacturer would go to the trouble of making language switchable without a compelling reason. It's easy enough to order a different chip for each target language.
posted by pipeski at 2:27 AM on October 13, 2014

Even for non-talking toys, there is some localization to do: packaging, instruction leaflets etc. It would make sense to do everything at once for consistency, so I doubt the factory records the voice messages in advance.
posted by Dr Dracator at 2:55 AM on October 13, 2014

Depends on the toy. If the box has wording or directions in multiple languages it will likely have a switch to change the language.

We have a talking Corelle doll that can switch to a bunch of languages and some V-tech toys that switch.
posted by MadMadam at 7:58 AM on October 13, 2014

@MadMadam: Thanks. I am focused on whether the internals of the toys have all languages already programmed, rather than the toys which have a physical switch on the front.
posted by devnull at 2:21 AM on October 14, 2014