The Internet of Things has delivered us many interesting innovations, from refrigerators that tweet, home appliances you can control with a smartphone, and driverless cars. Now, even toys are getting more connected!

Have you heard about Hello Barbie? According to reports, it is a Wi-Fi-connected doll that will be able to communicate with kids thanks to the technology from ToyTalk, Inc. The doll will be able to analyze a child’s speech and respond accordingly.

If you’re an ’80’s kid, the concept behind Hello Barbie isn’t all that new, as millennials had their own version of a talking toy — Teddy Ruxpin. Though from two vastly different eras, both of these toys can talk. So we’ve decided to compare their manufacturing, features and pricing.

Teddy Ruxpin vs. Hello Barbie

Maker and design

Teddy Ruxpin was created by Ken Forsse with later assistance by Larry Larsen and John Davies. The first version was designed by RKS Design and manufactured by Worlds of Wonder back in 1985. Over the years, Teddy Ruxpin was manufactured by various companies, including Playskool, Yes! Entertainment and BackPack Toys. The first version, manufactured by WOW, used cassette tapes and was the largest model of the teddy bear. But with the changing of manufacturers, cassette tapes were traded in for cartridges, then back to cassette tapes, and then the toys got smaller.

Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by Mattel, Inc. The doll first launched in March 1959. Ruth Handler, an American businesswoman, was credited for the creation of Barbie, which was inspired by Bild Lilli, a German doll. Barbie was named after Handler’s daughter, Barbara. Barbie has seen a major transformation over the years. The size of her breasts and waistline have changed and her eyes now look forward instead of appearing in a sideways glance. She has also been given a very interesting life story, from where she studied, to her pets, to her profession. She is designed as a go-getter and won’t let anything stop her from achieving what she wants in life.

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What they do

Teddy Ruxpin is a story-telling animatronics toy, which means its mouth and eyes move as it tells stories. He tells tales of his adventures, which helps kids learn about how to take care of themselves, how to deal with people, music and rhythm, colors, lullabies and other things that would keep a child entertained. Other related toys include Grubby, which connects to Teddy via a cable and allows the two toys to engage in pre-recorded conversations. Teddy doesn’t allow for spontaneous or natural conversation, as it only uses recorded stories and responses.

Hello Barbie, as stated earlier, uses a technology that allows it to respond to a child accordingly. It also uses pre-recorded messages or responses, but it also learns the child’s speech so it can communicate with the child properly, such as learning child-specific lingo.

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Price and availability

Teddy Ruxpin is no longer in production, but you can still get one on Amazon or eBay with prices starting at $99. Teddy Ruxpin manufactured by WOW can go for more, especially if it comes with the original cassette tapes. For the Hello Barbie, the doll will sell for $75 and is slated for a fall 2015 release.

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Which toy reigns supreme?

If you base it on technology, the Hello Barbie is the obvious winner, as it able to engage in an actual conversation with humans. But it does come with its own set of problems. There are privacy concerns with the fact that Hello Barbie will be recording its conversations with the child. Some parents may worry that the recordings could be sold to advertisers, exploiting the privacy of kids.

If you show a young child a Teddy Ruxpin today, you would surely get mixed reactions. Some would still be fascinated by a talking teddy bear; others would be bored because it only tells stories; while others may be freaked out by its moving mouth and eyes. Kids these days are presented with advanced electronics, from the Smart TV they have at home to their mobile devices that let them do pretty much what they want, so getting excited by a talking teddy bear is not to be expected.

In a YouTube series called “Kids React,” by Fine Brothers Entertainment, one episode shows kids reacting to a Teddy Ruxpin, and it’s quite funny. Some were bored, others fascinated and others just saw the toy as evil. But one kid nailed why Teddy Ruxpin was so popular.

“People back in the day probably thought this was fun,” Sydney, age 7, said in the video. “‘Let’s give our kids a toy that talks, and it will read stories for them so we don’t.'”

I would imagine this is why Hello Barbie would become a popular toy. It will give kids hours of entertainment and parents hours of peace as they don’t have to deal with the thousands of questions their kids have for them.

photo credit: Creepy ‘Hello Barbie’ Doll Will Spy on Your Kids via photopin (license)