Name: Chatty Baby and Tiny Chatty Baby
When DeeBeeGee’s Virtual Black Doll Museum began as a class project in the fall of 2020, because of the doll’s rarity, the original 1962 Black Chatty Cathy was one of the first installations. This installation features two other members of the original Black Chatty Cathy family.
Names: Chatty Baby and Tiny Chatty Baby
Made by: Mattel
Hair, Eyes, and Mouths: Short, choppy, rooted black hair; light-brown sleep eyes with attached upper eyelashes, open mouths with two upper acrylic resin teeth
Chatty Baby
Year Introduced: 1962
Material: Rigid plastic, acrylic resin, synthetic hair, paint
Height: 18 inches
Marks: (Within a raised square in the center of the back) CHATTY CATHY® / ©1960 / CHATTY BABY ™ / ©1961 / BY MATTEL, INC. / U.S. PAT. 3,017,187 / OTHER U.S. & / FOREIGN PATS. PEND
Clothes: Chatty Baby wears a sleeveless red smock with ties at the top of the shoulders and a white panty-and-slip set underneath. The doll’s name is printed in cursive on the pocket. The slip set is tagged and reads Chatty Baby™ / ©1962 MATTEL, INC. Black patent-leather shoes replace the doll’s original red cloth booties and attached white socks.
Other: Chatty Baby and the other Chatty Cathy family of dolls have a ring on their backs connected to a string. When pulled, the string activates a small phonograph record and needle inside the doll to play one of its pre-recorded phrases that can be heard through the speaker grill on the doll’s torso. Chatty Baby’s infantile phrases included “Cookie all gone” and “Doggie bow-wow.” Most Chatty Cathy and family dolls are mute when found today.
Tiny Chatty Baby
Year Introduced: 1963
Material: Rigid plastic head, body, and legs; vinyl arms, acrylic resin, paint, and synthetic hair
Height: 15 inches
Marks: (Within a raised square in the center of the back) TINY CHATTY BABY ™ / TINY CHATTY BROTHER™ / ©1962 MATTEL, INC. / HAWTHORNE, CALIF., USA / U.S. PAT. 3,017, 167 / OTHER U.S. AND FOREIGN / PATENTS PENDING / PATENTED IN CANADA 1962
Clothes: The aqua cotton romper has an attached white bib with the doll’s name in aqua cursive letters on the bib. The bib is lace-trimmed. White lace trims the lower half of the romper above blue and white horizontal striped fabric. White vinyl baby doll shoes replace the doll’s original aqua cloth booties with attached white socks. The romper is tagged and reads, Tiny Chatty Baby / JAPAN / ©1962 BY MATTEL
Other: Some of Tiny Chatty Baby’s phrases include, “Baby sleepy,” “I love you Mommie,” and “Hi Mama.” A Black version of Tiny Chatty Brother was never produced. Some collectors redress Black Tiny Chatty Baby dolls (a girl) in Tiny Chatty Brother’s clothing to create a Black version of the doll. See the Tiny Chatty dolls produced by Mattel here.
Gallery
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