Everybody’s Talkin’ Barbie!  | DOLLS magazine (2024)

By A. Glenn Mandeville

The big news in toys back in 1968 was the release of a talking Barbie! This had been on the drawing board for several years — Mattel’s 20-inch Chatty Cathy from the early ’60s could say several different phrases. But it was hard to adapt the talking mechanism — a miniature record player, complete with speaker — to fit inside Barbie’s 11.5-inch body.

A pull string activated the device, which spun the plastic record. Each phrase on the record could be as long as 2 seconds or as short as 1.6 seconds. The emphasis would be on the pronunciation of consonants and vowels. The actual phrases were carefully selected to be in keeping with the personality of Barbie, as well as mentioning current trends.

It’s important to remember that when the Barbie doll was first on the market, the target audience was 9 to 12 years old. Today the play line dolls are aimed at 3- to 6-year-olds. Vintage Barbie dolls, like those made from 1959 until 1972, were part of a high-quality and imaginative storyline that made Barbie, her family, and her friends more than just props to learn about the magic years of teendom, but actual friends living in the exciting yet turbulent 1960s.

Finding a voice for the talking Barbie wasn’t easy. Mattel auditioned dozens of voice artists and actresses, but the team assigned to create the voice of Barbie weren’t satisfied. Finally, a young woman who was part of the team and had worked with the demo records was chosen. Her name was Gwen Florea Duhaime, and with her voice, more than five million talking Barbie dolls were sold by 1971. Talking Barbie was issued not only in English but in Spanish, Japanese, and Swahili! Virtually every culture on the planet would have a Barbie that talked in their language. It was a real coup for Mattel’s management, who as usual had their finger on the pulse of the period.

The first dolls in 1968 had new arms and hands with undivided fingers. Barbie’s hairstyle was bangs with a side ponytail held by three ribbons. She came dressed in a top and shorts over a two-piece swimsuit. Such cute phrases as, “I love being a fashion model” and “I have a date tonight” told of a beautiful young woman’s beautiful life. Another phrase, “Stacey and I are having tea” would introduce Barbie’s British friend, Stacey, also a talking doll with a proper English accent. Stacey could say phrases such as “What’s playing at the cinema?”

The talking version of Barbie’s friend Christie, an African American beauty, said she too would like to be a fashion model. Race relations were important in the world of Barbie, and in 1968 Mattel also introduced Talking Julia, with the voice of actress Diahann Carroll. Another African American character, Talking Brad, was very popular but difficult to find.

One of Mattel’s early celebrity Barbie dolls, Truly Scrumptious from the movie “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” was released in both standard and talking forms. She was available late in 1968 but was primarily a 1969 release.

In 1969, Talking Barbie’s swimsuit would change to a knit fabric instead of vinyl, but with the same hairstyle. Absent in all versions in 1967 (to avoid media questions regarding his feelings on the Vietnam conflict), Ken returned in ’69 with a Talking Ken that said, among other things, “What are you doing next weekend?”

By 1970, Talking Barbie had her most famous hairstyle, a pulled-back style with a cluster of curls. A spit curl in the front softened the look. The talking dolls were now available in gift sets for stores such as Sears, J.C. Penney, and Montgomery Ward. Each of these sets included the basic Barbie in her swimsuit, but with exclusive outfits. These sets are highly collectible today.

Also available was Talking P.J., which used the older Midge mold. No mention was made of her relationship to Barbie, but later catalogs revealed that she was Barbie’s cousin.

The world of Talking Barbie is a fascinating one — why not join in the chat today!

Dolls shown are from the collection of Sherry and Ron Springsteen
Photos by Sherry and Ron Springsteen
Technical assistance by Richard Chapman

A. Glenn Mandevilleis the author of numerous books on dolls and doll collecting and writes his Curious Collector column for each issue of DOLLS magazine. Send your queries about vintage and modern dolls, with photos, toCurious Collector.

Everybody’s Talkin’ Barbie!  | DOLLS magazine (2024)

FAQs

How to respond to hi Barbie? ›

Most people respond by saying “Hi Barbie” back, or just a confused stare — if they have not watched the movie. While the movie has created this trend, it has also created another trend on TikTok and in conversations with other women that is the idea of looking into girlhood and everything that goes into being a woman.

Did Billie Eilish write a song for Barbie? ›

At Thursday's Palm Springs Film Awards, Billie Eilish accepted the Chairman's Award for "What Was I Made For?" — her celebrated contribution to the "Barbie" soundtrack. Eilish cowrote the song with her brother, Finneas O'Connell, after they watched an early film screening.

How old is Christie Barbie? ›

In 1968, Mattel created Christie. Christie had the same body as Barbie so that their clothes were interchangeable. But her face was a new design intended to highlight the facial features of a Black woman. Many consider Christie to be the first “Black Barbie.” Christie was part of a series of talking dolls.

Why is everyone dressing up for the Barbie movie? ›

"By dressing up," Liptak says, "you're able to bring that story to life a little bit." Plus, it's just fun. "It's a form of play, and it's a form of entertainment, and I think that… we sort of overlook the importance of play and to have fun and to relax and just enjoy ourselves," Liptak says.

What does it mean if someone calls me Barbie? ›

usually disparaging. : a conventionally attractive young woman typically perceived as lacking substance, character, or intelligence.

How do you respond to hello flirty? ›

Here are the best flirty answers to hey that will lead to a great conversation.
  1. Hey there yourself! How are you?
  2. What a pleasant surprise! How are things?
  3. Hello beautiful, how is it going [insert name]?
  4. Well hello there [insert wink emoji].
  5. I couldn't wait to send you a good morning text.

What is Billie Eilish's real name? ›

Billie Eilish (real name Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell) was born in Los Angeles on Dec. 18, 2001, and stands at a height of 5'4".

Was Billie Eilish homeschooled? ›

Why Billie Eilish Was Homeschooled 🎵 Homeschooling proved to be the best choice for Billie Eilish's parents when they discovered she had Tourette's syndrome and an auditory-processing disorder affecting her learning. Billie's father, Patrick, was inspired by the band Hanson, who were also homeschooled.

Why isn't the Barbie song in the Barbie movie? ›

The reason that “Barbie Girl” won't be in Barbie is more than just a licensing or rights issue though. Some of it has to do with the fact that Barbie's parent company Mattel sued the Aqua group for trademark infringement because of the song in 1997.

Who is Christie Barbie's boyfriend? ›

The Brad character was introduced as a boyfriend for the Christie character. Curtis (1975): This African American male character is virtually identical to Brad, and was available as only one version, 1975 Free Moving Curtis. Curtis was the boyfriend of the Free Moving Cara doll.

Who married Barbie? ›

Apparently, Barbie will never get married. According to the wishes of Barbie creator Ruth Handler, part of Barbie's appeal to young children was that she defied patriarchal norms, and would never walk down the aisle toward Ken or have children.

Who is Barbie real husband? ›

America Ferrera might've gone viral for her monologue in Greta Gerwig's 2023 Barbie blockbuster, but did you know her real-life husband Ryan Piers Williams made a cameo in the film too? He played her character's husband, appearing in one of the final scenes of the production.

Why girls are rejecting the new curvy Barbie? ›

Notably, when asked why they would not want to play with her, at least 25 percent of the girls said it was because curvy Barbie was fat, chubby, or "big." The tendency to idealize thin bodies and show negative attitudes toward fatter bodies has implications for how children treat each other.

Is Barbie getting less popular? ›

Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" movie may be smashing the box office, but the doll's sales are actually still falling for parent company Mattel. In the first six months of 2023, the Barbie brand made $459.6 million in global gross billings, a 23% decline from the same period in 2022.

Why does Barbie only wear pink? ›

While the original Barbie doll, meant as a high fashion toy, didn't have pink marketing, in the 70s, Mattel made a push to market the doll to young girls, instead of adolescent girls, and used pink as the main color for the doll's brand identity.

How to reply to Hey Babe text? ›

Answer with an equally sweet name like 'hey babe' or 'yes love' Its better to answer in a chirpy voice in order to mean it!

How to respond to hi boo? ›

Respond in a way that makes you most comfortable- call them “boo” back, laugh it off, or tell them “boo” isn't your thing. Either way, this could be an opportunity to make a new friend. “Hey boo, so nice to meet you!”

What does Hello Barbie do? ›

When a child uses Hello Barbie, ToyTalk makes all of that child's audio recordings available to the child's parents through their parent account. This enables parents to listen to their child's conversations with Hello Barbie to monitor them for any content that is of concern to them.

What do you reply to hi from stranger? ›

If you ever meet an unknown person who say 'hi' to you then you can say “Hi, sorry, but I don't know you. Do you know me?

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