Early 1960s Mechanical Dolls

Thumbelina

• Ideal Toy Companies manufactured the Thumbelina line of mechanical dolls. In the early 1960s, Thumbelina dolls had a metal key or a wooden or plastic knob inserted in the back that, when wound, would cause the doll to wriggle like a baby. In l967, smaller Newborn Thumbelina dolls were introduced, which had pull-strings rather than keys or knobs. There were several versions, including African-American dolls, and the clothing varied with each model. Some versions of Newborn Thumbelina were issued in limited quantities. In 1968, Toddler Thumbelinas were introduced.

Baby First Step

• Mattel introduced Baby First Step in 1965. The doll walked and danced in place. Over the years, variations of the doll included talking models. You can date a Baby First Step by examining her outfit and hairstyle. Earlier models had a light pink dress and a blond, asymmetrical haircut. The 1967 model had a ribbon or headband in its hair and wore a pink dress with large daises.

Chatty Cathy

• Mattel produced Chatty Cathy from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s. Cathy could speak one of 11 phrases when you pulled the string in her back. In 1963, Cathy was updated to include 18 phrases. The original Chatty Cathy had blond hair and blue eyes. Versions with brunette and red hair as well as different types of clothing were released in 1962 and 1963.

Tatters

• Tatters was a 1964 Mattel talking doll. When the string in its back was pulled, it spoke 11 phrases. Tatters was dressed in patched clothing with a safety pin holding its jacket together. Other Mattel talking dolls included Talking Baby Scarlett, Biff the Bear, Drowsy Doll and characters from Warner Brothers cartoons, such as Porky the Pig, Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. Mattel used the same pull-string talking technology for all of the models.