Chatty Cathy

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Chatty Cathy was a doll manufactured by the toy company Mattel starting in 1959. The doll appeared in stores and on television commercials beginning in 1960.

Revolutionary for its time^[1], 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. The doll said phrases such as, "I love you", "Tell me a story", "Will you play with me?", and "Please take me with you". Seven more phrases were added to the doll's repertoire in 1963 for a total of 18 phrases.

Originally, Chatty Cathy had blonde hair and blue eyes. Brunette and auburn-haired versions of the doll were introduced in 1962 and 1963 respectively; an African American version of the doll with brown skin tones was produced those same years. In 1960, two outfits were available for the doll: one included a blue dress with a white eyelet overblouse, panties, crinoline, blue shoes and white socks, and the other included a red sunsuit with a red pinafore, and overskirt of white voile, red shoes and white socks. Other accessories accompanying the doll were a story/comic book, shoehorn, and paper wrist tag that was also a numbered warranty card. The doll and its accompanying accessories were advertised at less than $20.

Chatty Cathy was on the market for six years and was the second most popular doll of the 1960s after Barbie (also made by Mattel). After the success of Chatty Cathy, Mattel introduced Chatty Baby in 1962 and Tiny Chatty Baby, Tiny Chatty Brother and Charmin' Chatty in 1963. The last doll to have the word chatty in its name in the '60s was Singin' Chatty in 1965.

Chatty Cathy, Chatty Baby and Tiny Chatty Baby were redesigned and reissued by Mattel in 1970. These dolls were completely different in appearance from the earlier Chatty dolls. Maureen McCormick, who had appeared in Chatty Cathy television commercials with her future The Brady Bunch co-star Eve Plumb in the '60s, provided the voice of the new Chatty Cathy, which was on the market for two years.

In 1984, Mattel introduced Chatty Patty, which also had a different look from the other Chatty dolls. Mattel released special editions of Chatty Cathy in 1998 and 2001. These dolls were made to resemble the 1960s version of Chatty Cathy. They were sold only at specialty doll and toy stores and priced starting at $99.

In 1962, Mattel purchased the Dee & Cee Toy Company of Canada, which produced a Canadian version of the Chatty dolls. (By 1964 the company was known as Mattel Canada.) The dolls were made from the original American molds, but there was a notable difference in the materials: the vinyl used on the Canadian doll had a glossier look, its eyebrows were higher on its forehead, and a different type of eye was used in the doll. These differences account for the higher prices of some Canadian Chattys among collectors. Some of the doll's phrases were different, reflecting cultural differences between Canada and the United States. These differences also made the doll suitable for export to other English-speaking countries.

Mattel also bought the Rosebud doll company in England in 1966 and made a British Chatty Cathy that was on the market into the 1970s. These dolls were made from completely different molds and do not resemble any of the dolls made by Mattel in North America.

Similar pull-string talking mechanisms were used in all other Mattel talking dolls and toys of the 1960s and 1970s. These included favorites like talking Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Mrs. Beasley, Drowsy, Herman Munster, Dr. Seuss characters, and all the See 'n Say toys. When Mattel introduced Baby First Step ("the world's first walking doll") in 1965 and the doll sold well, a talking version was later released. Other Mattel dolls which "learned to talk" were the Baby Tender Love line (1970), which eventually included Talking Baby Tender Love, and the Baby Beans line (1971), which spawned a Talking Baby Beans. Barbie and her several friends and relatives appeared in pull-string talking versions in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Chatty Cathy was the inspiration for the The Twilight Zone "Living Doll" episode originally broadcast November 1, 1963. June Foray, who had been the voice of the original Chatty Cathy, provided the voice for Talky Tina, the episode's evil doll. One of her phrases was, "My name is Talky Tina, and I'm going to kill you."