Hello Barbie is a new doll by Mattel that was introduced at the New York toy fair. It’s a doll that children can actually have a conversation with. It exhibits this by responding to “Welcome to New York, Barbie” with “I love New York! Don’t you? Tell me what’s your favorite part of the about the city? The food, fashion, or the sights?”
The doll uses WiFi to record responses into a ‘cloud’ where they are stored for future reference. It will remember and learn overtime so there can be an actual conversation. Hello Barbie was made to catch up with the new technology era. Games and apps exploded while Barbie sales have dropped, so the doll was made to bring back interest.
Parents and other advocates are concerned about the privacy invasion, even nicknaming it “eavesdropping Barbie.” Mattel and ToyTalk, however, is saying privacy security has been their top priority. Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is holding a petition to stop the doll from dropping.
Children confide to their toys, so parents are concerned that people will be hearing these thoughts.
Hello Barbie, as creepy as the doll is, is scheduled to drop in the fall, before the holidays.
