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)

Best answer: 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]

Best answer: 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]

Best answer: 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

Best answer: 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

Best answer: 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]

Best answer: 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, 2013