Talk 'n Play
| Type | Interactive read along |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Michael Freeman |
| Company |
Child Guidance (1984-1985) Hasbro (1986-) |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 1985–1992 |
| Slogan | The Interactive Tape Playing and Recording System That Grows With Your Child |
| Official website | |
Talk 'n Play was an American interactive desktop toy book reader with a built in microphone and action buttons that was sold from 1983 to 1992. It appears to work like a 4-track tape player, where both side of the tape are used at once, utilizing the two sets of right/left audio to have the 4 "interactive" mono audio segments. It was invented and Patented by Michael J. Freeman Ph.D. and licensed for use by the Children's Television Workshop (owners of Sesame Street) and the Walt Disney Company. Similar to the 2-XL robot, it adapted 4 channels of audio (and recordings from the child) to produce interactivity, but the voices were done by Sesame Street and Disney characters under License.
History
First manufactured by CBS Toys under the brand name Child Guidance in 1984 as Electronic Talk 'n Play. It was later produced by Hasbro under the brand name Playskool in 1986 as Talk 'n Play.[1] A smaller "portable" unit was also released under the Playskool brand name. Other non related items have been released from Hasbro bearing the mark Talk 'n Play.
Book/Cassette tape sets
- An Adventure With Mother Goose
- The Reading Robot: A First Reading Program - No. 54620
- Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street? (included with new Talk 'n Play units)
- Lovable, Furry Old Grover in Please Don't Push the Red Button
- A Silly Sesame Street Story: The Three Little Pigs
- Big Bird's Alphabet Book
- Let's Play School
- Bert and Ernie's Band
- The Muppets: Opening Day at Peppermint Park
- Fraggle Rock: The Great Fraggle Travel Race
- In Search of the Planet Cobalt
- Animal Rock Band
- Mickey Mouse Circle M for Math
- The Computer Apprentice
- Cookie Monster Cookies for Sale
- The Haunted House Mystery
- It's a Hello Kitty World
- Alvin and The Chipmunks in Concert
- The Amazing Facts Game Show
- Goofy's Sports Coaching Tips
- The Monster Lover's Club
- Puzzles and Games
- Blast Off!
- Inspector Gadget and the Weather Station Caper
- Jokes, Riddles, Gags, and Giggles
- Terry the Triceratops
See also
- 2-XL, a toy "robot" which used cassettes for similar "interactivity"