Chatty Cathy was a doll produced and manufactured by the Mattel Corporation in 1959, and first advertised on television in 1960. The doll spoke eleven phrases by pulling the string in the center of her upper back, which was very revolutionary for her time. Seven more random phrases were added in 1963, and she was the second most popular doll of the 1960's after the Barbie doll also made by Mattel. Chatty Cathy was on the market for six years, the original doll of the Chatty craze that continued on with Chatty Baby, Tiny Chatty Baby, Tiny Chatty Brother, Charmin Chatty, and last but not least Singin' Chatty. Chattys are well sought after by collectors around the world, and there are lots of resources full of information about the dollís history, value, where to find one, etc. on various websites dedicated to Chatty Cathy.

Here's some interesting Chatty Cathy trivia you may have not been aware of, Maureen McCormick and Eve Plumb of the Brady Bunch were in some of the original black and white TV commercials, and Maureen McCormick was the voice of the new Chatty Cathy dolls that were reissued in 1970. The original voice circa 1959 is June Foray, who also did the voice of Rocket J. Squirrel in the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. You can go online to find more little-known Chatty facts presented by the original Chatty Cathy Collectors Club at www.ttinet.com. Chattys had three hair colors including blonde, brunette, and redhead, and two eye colors, blue and brown; the most commonly seen doll has blonde hair, blue eyes, a soft face, and a cloth covered speaker. This version usually costs between $300-400, but unfortunately it may be mute. Dolls with flaws sell for much less. The African American versions are the most difficult to find, and the pig-tailed doll is the hardest to find of all Chattys. Rare Chattys include mint dolls, Black dolls, Canadian dolls, and Chattys with no marks that often for over $1000. Mint Chattys still in their original box can sell for $600-900.

Chatty Cathy was the first talking doll to capture the hearts of an entire generation of little girls, and then went on to capture more as the doll was reissued twice in 1969 and again in 1998 and 1999 for collectors. To find more general information about the dolls, including doll profiles, characteristics, care guides, prices, how to become a collector, buy/sell/trade Chattys etc., visit any one of the following great sites: www.chattycathydolls.com, www.chatty-cathy.net, or www.chattycathytalks.com, all good online sources for beautiful Chatty Cathy dolls and vintage accessories, and anything else you need. Now after reading all this, you wish you would have kept that Chatty Cathy doll you had when you were little. Whatever happened to it anyway?

One of the most successful literary franchises for children is the Nancy Drew series. The amateur detective has solved many mysteries and crimes, delighting her legions of fans. In addition to the books, various Nancy Drew games have introduced the character to ongoing generations. The books were written by different authors, the first ever novel appearing in 1930.

Lots of children and young teenagers identify with the plucky heroine and they like to imagine themselves in her world of finding clues and bringing crooks to justice. The well-known games manufacturer, Parker Brothers, introduced the first board game based on the sleuth in 1957. This pioneer Nancy Drew game proved very popular and the entire family could settle down to play together. It was called the Nancy Drew Mystery Game and it comprised of a game board, dice, 40 mystery cards, and four metal cars. The locations used for the board were taken from various novels in the series.

The Specialty Board Games company developed Nancy Drew games, along the lines of a party game. They were inspired by the Nancy Drew: Girl Detective Series and the first of these was titled One Step Ahead. Families sitting round the table playing board games has received competition from the electronic age and the young detective has been kept up to date in a series of computer games.

The adventure computer games are marketed for children aged ten or more and involve Nancy trying to interview suspects and spot clues, which lead her to solving the crime. Some of these Nancy Drew games can be played online and some of them are available for downloading. For anyone struggling, there is information on the Internet on walkthroughs and cheats.

PC games have been developed by Her Interactive and titles include Secrets Can Kill, Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake, and Danger by Design. In 2007, the Majesco Entertainment Company created a game for Nintendo DS, called Nancy Drew and the Deadly Secret of Olde World Park. Nancy Drew Games have also been developed as DVDs, so anyone without access to a computer can still play. All that is needed is a DVD player and a remote control. One of these is called Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor. It is set in an English mansion from the 14th century.

When all the books have been read and re-read, it's good for fans to be able to re-live the tales once more in the form of games. They are a lot of fun and they teach young minds the art of deduction!

Search online today for Nancy Drew games and other toys connected to the Nancy Drew franchise.