The Chatter Telephone is a pull toy for toddlers 12 to 36 months of age. Introduced in 1961 by the

Fisher-Price Fisher-Price is an American company that produces educational toys for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, headquartered in East Aurora, New York. The company was founded in 1930 during the Great Depression by Herman Fisher, Irving Price, Helen S ...

company as the "Talk Back Phone" for infants and children, which was updated to the name Chatter Telephone in 1962, is a roll along pull toy. It has a smiling face, and when the toy is pulled, it makes a chattering sound and the eyes move up and down. The toy has a

rotary dial A rotary dial is a component of a telephone or a telephone switchboard that implements a signaling technology in telecommunications known as pulse dialing. It is used when initiating a telephone call to transmit the destination telephone number ...

that rings a bell, and was conceived as a way to teach children how to dial a phone. The original version was made of wood, with a

polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging (plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including ...

receiver and cord. In 2000, Fisher-Price changed the

for a push-button version with lights in an effort to modernize the toy, but consumers complained and the rotary version returned to the market the following year. The Chatter Telephone was designed by Ernest Thornell, whose daughter Tina would drag around a metal phone while playing. This gave him the idea of adding wheels, which with a bent axle permitted the movement of eyes, adding to the "whimsical" nature, that Herman Fisher desired of all Fisher-Price toys (from phone conversation with Ernie Thornell and recollections of Herm Fisher by John Smith). From its introduction through the 1970s, the Chatter Telephone was Fisher-Price's best selling product. It has been cited as one of the company's offerings that helped save Fisher Price in the 1990s following a failed attempt to market toys for older children in the late 1980s, and enjoys continuing popularity. It is available both as an authentic reproduction and in a modern form.

In popular culture

* In 1985, Fisher-Price offered to donate a Chatter Telephone, Rock A Stack, and Activity Center to

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...

for Senator Jake Garn to play with while on the

STS-51-D STS-51-D was the 16th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the fourth flight of Space Shuttle ''Discovery''. The launch of STS-51-D from Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, on April 12, 1985, was delayed by 55 minutes, after a boat st ...

space shuttle mission. This offer was rejected as NASA felt there was insufficient time to test the toys for safety. * In the 1999 movie, '' The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland'',

Elmo Elmo is a red Muppet monster character on the long-running PBS/ HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. A furry red monster who has a falsetto voice and illeism, he hosts the last full five-minute segment (fifteen minutes prior ...

owns a chatter telephone. * In 2003, the Chatter Telephone was listed as one of the 100 most memorable toys of the 20th century by the Toy Industry Association. * In 2005, the Chatter Telephone was chosen as one of

Dr. Toy Stevanne Auerbach (September 22, 1938 - October 19, 2022), also known as Dr. Toy, was an American educator, child development expert, writer and toyologist. She was best known for being an expert on as well as an advocate of toys, play and the ...

's Best Classic Toys. * Chatter Telephone appears in the 2010 animated film ''

Toy Story 3 ''Toy Story 3'' is a 2010 American computer-animated film, computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the third installment in the Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' series and t ...

'' as a supporting character, helping Woody save his friends from Lotso. He is voiced by

Teddy Newton Teddy Newton (born March 3, 1964) is an artist at Pixar Animation Studios. He has worked as a storyboard artist for ''2 Stupid Dogs'', ''The Iron Giant'', and '' Dexter's Laboratory''. Newton co-wrote ''Jack-Jack Attack'' as well as did the voic ...

and speaks with a

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

style, and a Brooklyn accent. * The Chatter Telephone influenced a real-life art car created by Howard Davis for his telecommunications company. * A Chatter Telephone appears on the cover of American rock band Thee Oh Sees' 2011 album Castlemania. * A Chatter Telephone appears in the 2017 animated film ''

The Boss Baby ''The Boss Baby'' is a 2017 American computer-animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Loosely based on the 2010 picture book of the same name by Marla Frazee, it was directed by Tom McGrath ...

''. He also appears in the sequel '' The Boss Baby: Family Business''.

References

External links

The official site of Fisher-Price for Chatter Telephone
{{Fisher-Price Brands Traditional toys Wooden toys Fisher-Price Products introduced in 1961 1960s toys 1970s toys 1980s toys 1990s toys 2000s toys 2010s toys Toy Story characters