Misplaced Pages

#224775

56-459: 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 1960s was "Singin' Chatty" in 1965. Mattel trademarked the name "chatty" in the 1960s, and the boxes for Mattel talking dolls such as Drowsy, Baby Cheryl, and Tatters each had the tag-line "A Chatty Doll by Mattel". Like Barbie , Chatty Cathy

112-417: A Little Lonely received negative reviews from music critics, though McCormick's vocals did receive some praise. In a retrospective interview with Entertainment Weekly , McCormick said that she was disappointed by the recording process for the album, and would have preferred to write at least one of her own songs. In 1997, she portrayed country singer Barbara Mandrell in the television biopic Get to

168-501: A Season One dream of Darrin's as one of his witch children named Little Endora, and then in a Season Two Halloween episode as Endora herself transformed into a little girl. She also played guest roles on I Dream of Jeannie , Honey West , The Farmer's Daughter and My Three Sons . In 1970, she lent her voice to a redesigned Chatty Cathy doll. McCormick attended Taft High School in Woodland Hills . McCormick played

224-517: A Snickers, Marcia appears as McCormick once again. Following the cancellation of The Brady Bunch , McCormick spent years addicted to cocaine and quaaludes , which impeded her career. McCormick later stated that she sometimes traded sex for drugs during her early 20s. She flubbed an audition with Steven Spielberg for a part in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), arriving for the audition under

280-537: A balcony in front of her husband. She and her husband were at first wary of medication, but McCormick was treated with antidepressant medication such as Prozac beginning in the 1990s. McCormick also said that she was helped by her friendships with former Brady Bunch cast members. She continued to appear sporadically in films and television projects, having a minor role as a police officer in Return to Horror High (1987), and again reprising her Marcia Brady role for

336-419: A date with a Chatty Cathy doll. I expect you have a little string on your chest, you know, that I pull out and have to snap back. Except I wouldn't pull it out and snap it back - you would. Agh! Agh! Agh! Agh!" The character Gabby Gabby in the 2019 film Toy Story 4 was inspired by Chatty Cathy and "Talky Tina", according to director Josh Cooley . The "Corey's Remix" episode of That '80s Show features

392-534: A fictional Michael Moore list the fates of several "girl toys" that faded into obscurity, ending with Chatty Cathy, whose tongue is cut out by the mafia after witnessing a mob crime. A GEICO commercial from 2007 parodied the Chatty Cathy commercial with the dolls saying phrases about their car insurance rates. In 2007 and 2010, Hallmark released the Chatty Cathy keepsake ornament. A live-action film adaptation produced by Mattel Films and Aggregate Films

448-542: A murderous talking doll named "Talky Tina" modeled after Chatty Cathy and voiced by June Foray , the original voice of Chatty Cathy. The doll used to portray Talky Tina was produced by the Vogue Doll Company between 1959 and 1961 and marketed under the name "Brikette". The term "Chatty Cathy" can be used to refer to a particularly talkative person. In the 1987 movie Planes, Trains & Automobiles , Steve Martin scolds John Candy , saying "It's like going on

504-455: A pink and white striped dress with a white pinafore called "Pink Peppermint Stick", which was available until 1964. Also in 1961, six extra outfits were made separately available, with names like "Party Dress", "Nursery School Dress", "Sleepytime Pajamas", "Playtime Shorts set", and "Party Coat". The outfits "Sunday Visit Dress" and "Sunny Day Capri Short set" came out in 1963. In 1962, Mattel licensed its proprietary voice mechanism and licensed

560-463: A pop recording titled Chris Knight and Maureen McCormick , which carried both duets and solo tracks. McCormick's second solo single "Little Bird", backed with "Just a Singin' Alone", had mild chart success in the western United States (reaching Top 5 at KCPX in Salt Lake City ). McCormick later performed "Little Bird" on American Bandstand , where host Dick Clark encouraged her to follow

616-474: A production of Grease . McCormick released her debut studio album, When You Get a Little Lonely , on April 4, 1995, as an audio CD and cassette . The album was later made available as a digital download . The album was released under Phantom Hill Records, a record label owned by her brother. McCormick promoted it with live performances in Palmdale, California , and CD signings. When You Get

SECTION 10

#1732783652225

672-605: A record that allowed the doll to call out game moves when its string was pulled. Because you never knew what phrase the doll would say, Charmin' Chatty could call out a move, and using the specially designed game board... she could win the game herself! The game titles were, "Chatty at the Fair/Chatty Skate 'N Slide" and "Chatty Animal Round-up/Chatty Animal Friends". Charmin' Chatty was included in World Book Encyclopedia ' s doll section, representing

728-531: A scene in which Katie Howard demands that her brother Corey apologize for having cut the string from her Chatty Cathy doll when they were kids, thus making it just plain "Cathy". The How I Met Your Mother episode titled "Spoiler Alert" shows Ted dating a very talkative woman named Cathy. CW’s Arrow's “Lost Souls” episode has Felicity Smoak referring to Oliver Queen/Green Arrow as a “Chatty Cathy” for talking/texting her mother more than she would have liked. The 2007 Robot Chicken "Moesha Poppins" episode has

784-432: A series of interventions , stints in rehab, and experimental therapies. She was treated by psychologist Eugene Landy , and later claimed that his brand of psychopharmacology , for which he eventually lost his medical license, worsened her addictions because he prescribed her so many medications. She began to get sober after marrying, but she still suffered from depression and paranoia , and once threatened to jump from

840-478: A singing career. McCormick released another single in 1973, "Love's in the Roses", backed with "Harmonize". In 2015, archive footage of McCormick as Marcia was used for an American TV commercial advertising Snickers chocolate bars. The commercial, which debuted during Super Bowl XLIX , features action film star Danny Trejo as young Marcia who (in the context of being hungry) is not acting like herself. After eating

896-424: A slot in the left side of the doll. The basic doll came with 5 double-sided "chatty records" with 12 phrases on each side of the record. Thus, with 10 sides total, the doll was able to speak 120 different phrases. By comparison, the original version of Chatty Cathy introduced in 1960 spoke only 11 phrases (that doll's repertoire was expanded to 18 phrases in 1963). Initially, the records were made of black vinyl which

952-463: A special letter from Ruth Handler. The special reproduction editions were sold exclusively in JCPenney stores (later in specialty doll and toy stores) and priced starting at $ 98.99. The models came in three well-known outfits. One of the three models had brown eyes. All the original 1998 models had blonde bob hairstyles. Mattel also sold a “Holiday” Chatty Cathy in a holiday themed cartoon box with

1008-579: A spin-off reality series called Outsiders Inn , in which she opened a bed and breakfast in Newport, Tennessee . In 2008, McCormick became a spokesperson for Children International . In March 2009, McCormick appeared on Comedy Central 's roast of Larry the Cable Guy . In 2015, McCormick appeared in the Australian version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! , where she lasted 42 days and

1064-644: A sporadic romance with her Brady Bunch co-star Barry Williams during the original series' run. McCormick also voiced Marcia in the first season of the ABC Saturday morning cartoon The Brady Kids from 1972 to 1973. She recorded four albums with the Brady Bunch cast and toured with them as well. In 1972, she released her first solo single with the songs "Truckin' Back to You" and "Teeny Weeny Bit (Too Long)". The following year, McCormick recorded an album with her Brady Bunch co-star Christopher Knight ,

1120-562: A stubbier 18 inch model. The popularity of Chatty Cathy led to many pull-string talking dolls flooding the toy industry. The same basic 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's Baby First Step ("the world's first walking doll") sold well upon its introduction in 1965,

1176-611: A talking version was released the following year. 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. Many dolls from the Barbie line were sold in pull-string talking versions in the late 1960s and early 1970s. " Living Doll ", a 1963 episode of The Twilight Zone , features

SECTION 20

#1732783652225

1232-556: A teacher. She has three older brothers: Michael, Dennis and Kevin. She is of Irish and German descent, and was raised in a Catholic family. At age six, she won the Baby Miss San Fernando Valley beauty pageant . In 1964, she first appeared on national U.S. television, in Mattel commercials for Barbie and Chatty Cathy dolls. Through the later 1960s McCormick appeared in two episodes of Bewitched —-in

1288-518: A total of 18 phrases. Cartoon voice actress June Foray , known for the voice of Rocket "Rocky" J. Squirrel in the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon series and other well-known cartoon characters from the 1940s to the mid-2000s, recorded the phrases for the 1960s version of Chatty Cathy. In 1960, two outfits were available for the Chatty Cathy doll. One was a blue dress with a white eyelet overblouse, panties , crinoline , blue shoes and white socks ;

1344-421: A tree ornament on the wrist and a newly designed holiday dress. The holiday model, the only one from 1998/99 with long curled brown hair and brown “pinwheel” type eyes, plays some original phrases as well as holiday themed ones. All 1998/99 Chatty Cathys sold out immediately, most purchased by avid collectors, re-sellers and fans of the original dolls. In 1965, Mattel licensed its proprietary voice box/mechanism to

1400-594: A variety of different roles and productions such as Wendy Darling in Peter Pan and Betty Rizzo in Grease . McCormick also had a brief career as a recording artist, releasing four studio albums with the Brady Bunch cast as well as touring with them. Her only release as a solo artist to date is a country music album, When You Get a Little Lonely (1995). Despite professional success on The Brady Bunch and its spin-offs, McCormick struggled in her personal life in

1456-458: The 1960 version of Chatty Cathy with go-to-sleep "lifelike decal eyes", along with the most memorable outfits, cartoon box with a Chatty Cathy story book, wrist tag, and shoehorn all faithfully reproduced. The 1998 models spoke the original eleven 1960s phrases in the original June Foray voice (see above); the special package included a numbered certificate of authenticity, a wrist tag with a picture of Chatty Cathy creators Ruth and Elliot Handler, and

1512-425: The 1960s, provided the voice of the new Chatty Cathy doll, which was sold for two years. All three new dolls had painted eyes, not the go-to-sleep version. In 1984, Mattel introduced Chatty Patty, which also had a different look from the other Chatty dolls; it too had painted eyes. Mattel Classics released special reproduction editions of Chatty Cathy from 1998 to 2001. These special reproductions were made to resemble

1568-601: The 1970s and 1980s, such as Happy Days , Donny & Marie , The Love Boat (as Lori Markham in S6 E11 "A Christmas Presence" 1982), Vega$ , The Streets of San Francisco and Fantasy Island , along with supporting roles in The Idolmaker and B movies such as A Vacation in Hell (1979) and Skatetown, U.S.A. (1979). McCormick later claimed she failed to get a role as a prostitute or heroin dealer for

1624-775: The 2019 television series A Very Brady Renovation on HGTV . In 2020, she was named a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics International. In 2021, McCormick paired up with contractor/decorator Dan Vickery in HGTV's new series Frozen in Time , a home remodeling series. Kaley Cuoco portrayed Maureen McCormick in Growing Up Brady (2000). McCormick's character Marcia Brady has been portrayed by Christine Taylor in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) and its sequel A Very Brady Sequel and by Autumn Reeser in

1680-600: The Australian version of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! , as well as guest spots on a wide range of television series. In 2008, McCormick published an autobiography , Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice , which debuted at number four on The New York Times bestseller list. McCormick was born on August 5, 1956, in the Encino section of Los Angeles , California, to Irene ( née Beckman) and Richard McCormick,

1736-510: The Chatty Cathy doll to the Dee & Cee Toy Company of Canada. Dee & Cee, known as Mattel Canada by 1964, produced several Canadian versions of the dolls. Though made from the original American molds , there was a notable difference in the Canadian dolls' materials: the vinyl had a slightly glossier look, the doll's eyebrows had a higher/thinner arch on the forehead, and a different type of eye

Chatty Cathy - Misplaced Pages Continue

1792-644: The Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story . In 2000, McCormick was the first actress to play Rebecca Crane on the soap opera Passions , but she was not put on contract. In 2003, McCormick appeared as herself on an episode of the sitcom Scrubs with references being made to her Marcia Brady character. In April 2007, McCormick appeared on Dr. Phil to discuss a family dispute, accusing her brother Kevin of both elder abuse and alienating their father from his other children to gain control of his finances. The same year, McCormick joined

1848-755: The Rosebud Doll Company in England, which made a British “Chatty Cathy”, speaking different phrases in a British accent (the doll does not say its name is Cathy). Sold until about 1970, the dolls were made from completely different molds and do not resemble any of the North American Mattel Chatty Cathys. According to Kathy Scott, the British dolls came in three models: sandy blonde with tight short curls, platinum blonde with long straight hair, or long straight brown hair on

1904-638: The cast of the fifth season of VH1 's reality show Celebrity Fit Club , hoping to lose 30 pounds (14 kg) she had gained since her mother died of cancer and needing to move her disabled brother into an assisted living facility . McCormick lost 34 pounds (15 kg) and, in June of that year, was the individual winner of the series. McCormick released her autobiography, Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice , on October 14, 2008. It debuted at number four on The New York Times bestseller list, where it stayed for three weeks. The book

1960-784: The doll came with a sailor outfit (a white jacket with a red sailor collar, jumper dress with a navy blue skirt, red knee socks, and blue-and-white saddle shoes). The doll, which wore eyeglass frames, was called "the educated doll". Eight different outfits were available separately for the doll; each came with a record with phrases related to that particular outfit. Among the different costume sets and themes for Charmin' Chatty were "Let's Play Together", "Let's Go Shopping", "Let's Play Nurse", "Let's Play Cinderella", "Let's Play Birthday Party", "Let's Play Pajama Party", and "Let's Play Tea Party". One outfit called "Let's Talk 'n Travel in Foreign Lands" came with 4 double-sided records and allowed

2016-483: The doll to speak in English and 6 other languages. Sometimes referred to as Charmin' Chatty's travel set, this is the most sought-after outfit by collectors. It included a navy blue coat, red straw hat, and blue shoes for the doll, plus a flight bag and stewardess hat for the child to wear (the idea being Charmin' Chatty was going on an around-the-world airplane trip and the child was the stewardess). Phrases included on

2072-519: The eldest daughter, Marcia , who had five siblings in The Brady Bunch , an American television sitcom about a blended family that aired from late 1969 to early 1974 on ABC , on Friday nights. She had a perky and popular personality. After its cancellation, the series was later rebroadcast in syndication for decades, as children's programming, gathering long-lasting, cross-generational popularity that led to spinoffs and movies. McCormick had

2128-460: The influence of cocaine and having not slept for three days. She developed a reputation in Hollywood for being unreliable, to the point that one producer threatened that she would never work as an actress again. She also dealt with bouts of depression and bulimia . Despite her struggles with addiction and depression, McCormick did appear in guest roles on numerous television series throughout

2184-531: The movie Midnight Express because she continued to be identified with her Brady Bunch role. She reprised her role as Marcia Brady on the short-lived series The Brady Bunch Hour from 1976 to 1977, and The Brady Brides in 1981, which was spun off from the movie The Brady Girls Get Married (1981). McCormick portrayed Wendy Darling in a touring stage production of Peter Pan , beginning in 1983. McCormick married Michael Cummings on March 16, 1985. Shortly after getting married, McCormick went through

2240-409: The other Chatty dolls had the go-to-sleep, "lifelike decal eyes". Although its mouth did not move (it was designed with lips slightly parted), the Chatty Cathy doll "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 phonograph record inside the cavity behind the doll's abdomen . The record

2296-402: The other was a red velvet headband, red sunsuit with a red pinafore with an overskirt of white voile , red shoes and white socks. Other accessories included a story and comic book, shoehorn , and a paper wrist tag that was also a numbered warranty card. The doll and its accompanying accessories were advertised at less than $ 20. In 1961, the red Chatty Cathy dress was discontinued, replaced by

Chatty Cathy - Misplaced Pages Continue

2352-518: The quintessential modern doll of the era. The doll was also featured on the cover of the December 7, 1963 Saturday Evening Post and a Little Golden Book was written about the doll. Maureen McCormick Maureen Denise McCormick (born August 5, 1956) is an American actress. She portrayed Marcia Brady on the ABC television sitcom The Brady Bunch , which ran from 1969 to 1974, and reprised

2408-569: The role in several of the numerous Brady Bunch spin-offs and films, including The Brady Kids , The Brady Bunch Hour , The Brady Brides and A Very Brady Christmas (1988). McCormick has appeared in The Amanda Show as Moody's mom in the Moody's Point segment. McCormick also appeared in The Idolmaker (1980) as well as a wide range of other supporting film roles. In the 1980s and 1990s, she ventured into stage acting, appearing in

2464-574: The television film A Very Brady Christmas (1988). McCormick gave birth to her daughter, Natalie Michelle, on May 19, 1989. When The Bradys , a revival of The Brady Bunch , was scheduled to begin production in 1990, McCormick was unavailable to return as Marcia because she was busy caring for her infant daughter, so Leah Ayres filled the role instead. In 1993, she played herself in the Herman's Head episode "When Hermy Met Maureen McCormick". In 1994, McCormick made her Broadway debut as Betty Rizzo in

2520-540: The travel set records were, "The Queen lives in Buckingham Palace ", " Garçon means boy in French", and "In German, Schule means school". Included in each set were props for the child to wear or use. One of the phrases on the record accompanying Charmin' Chatty's shopping outfit was, "Shall we buy a Barbie doll?" There were also four "Chatty Games" available, packaged in sets of two games each, which came with

2576-400: The word chatty in the 1960s, and some of the packaging for its talking toys carried the tag line, "A Chatty doll by Mattel" or "A Chatty toy by Mattel". Mattel dolls such as Drowsy, Baby Cheryl, and Tatters had the tag line on their boxes that said, "A Chatty Doll by Mattel." Charmin' Chatty spoke different phrases when a pullstring attached to a "chatty ring" protruding from its upper back

2632-439: The years following the original series' end. Addictions to cocaine and quaaludes , as well as bouts of depression and bulimia , all contributed to McCormick losing her reputation for reliability as an actress. Since the 2000s, she has appeared on several reality television series such as VH1 's Celebrity Fit Club , CMT 's Gone Country (which led to a short-lived spin-off series led by McCormick, Outsiders Inn ) and

2688-503: Was a fanciful depiction of a human, in this case a five-year-old Caucasian girl. Originally, Chatty Cathy had blonde hair in a short bobbed style 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 a brown skin tone was also produced in 1962-63. In 1963, Chatty Cathy's hair was re-styled into what Mattel called "long twin ponytails". Mattel catalogs stated that Chatty Cathy and all

2744-781: Was announced in January 2022. Charmin%27 Chatty Charmin' Chatty was a doll produced by the toy company Mattel in 1963 and 1964. The doll, introduced at the American Toy Fair in New York City in March 1963, belonged to a line of highly successful talking dolls introduced in 1960 ( Chatty Cathy was the first of these dolls). Other chatty dolls in the line (and the year they were introduced) were Chatty Baby (1962), Tiny Chatty Baby (1963), Tiny Chatty Brother (1963) and Singin' Chatty (1965). Mattel trademarked

2800-410: Was driven by a metal coil wound by pulling the toy's string. The voice unit was designed by Jack Ryan, Mattel's head of research and development. When it arrived on the market in 1960, the doll played eleven phrases, including "I love you", "I hurt myself!" and "Please take me with you". In 1963, seven more were added to the doll's repertoire, including "Let's play school" and "May I have a cookie?", for

2856-460: Was published by HarperCollins and was acquired by Director of Creative Development Lisa Sharkey. While promoting the book, McCormick was a guest on many news and talk shows such as Access Hollywood , The Howard Stern Show , Good Day L.A. , and Paula's Party . Also in 2008, she joined the cast of the CMT reality show Gone Country , where she competed for a recording contract. This led to

SECTION 50

#1732783652225

2912-425: Was pulled. The ring was 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. Charmin' Chatty was distinguished from Mattel's other talking dolls by having changeable records, all boxes for the doll, clothing and games have a symbol on them that says: "Changeable Record Doll." Three-inch records were inserted and removed from

2968-644: Was rumored to have sold a French-speaking Chatty Cathy, though the doll recording gives her name as "Carola". According to Chatty Cathy reseller Kathy Scott, alterations made to original Canadian Chattys make it difficult to identify which original Canadian Chatty Cathys are original French-speaking "Carola" Chatty dolls, if any. Chatty Cathy, as well as Chatty Baby and Tiny Chatty Baby, were redesigned and reissued by Mattel in 1970. The dolls were completely different in appearance to earlier Chatty dolls. Maureen McCormick , who had appeared in Chatty Cathy television commercials with future Brady Bunch co-star Eve Plumb in

3024-475: Was the last evictee before the finale. On August 30, 2016, McCormick was revealed as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 23 of Dancing with the Stars . She was partnered with professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev . McCormick and Chigvintsev were eliminated on the seventh week of competition and finished in 8th place. She joined with the other surviving main cast members of The Brady Bunch in

3080-542: Was used. 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. Dee & Cee's models had the same 11-18 phrases as the American Chatty Cathys. Dee & Cee

3136-419: Was vulnerable to warping and blistering, so they were quickly replaced by white nylon records. The titles of the records that came with the doll were: Get Acquainted Side 1 and Side 2, Poems/Proverbs, Scary/Animal Noises, Mother/Ridiculous, & Good/Famous. Charmin' Chatty's shoulder-length hair was available in blonde and auburn, and she had blue side glancing "life-like decal eyes." Standing 24 inches tall,

#224775