Baby Alive

Last updated
Baby Alive
Baby Alive logo.png
Company Kenner Products
Hasbro
Availability1973–present
Featuresmovable mouth

Baby Alive is a baby doll brand made by Hasbro that eats, drinks, wets and in some cases messes and has a movable mouth. It was originally made and introduced by Kenner in 1973, and reintroduced by Hasbro in 2006.

Contents

History

1970s-1980s

The first Baby Alive doll was introduced by Kenner in 1973. It could be fed food packets mixed with water, and came with a bottle, diapers, and feeding spoon. The spoon would be inserted into its mouth, and a lever on its back pushed to have it chew the food. The food would move through the doll and end up in her diaper as plastic waste. The doll was intentionally designed to simulate the challenges of infant care. In the early 1980s, Baby Alive achieved popularity, selling up to 1 million dolls each year. [1]

1990s

In 1992, the first talking Baby Alive doll was produced. [1] It was fed in the same manner, but swallowed automatically without the need for a lever, and used a potty instead of a diaper. There were sensors located inside the doll to detect what stage the food was at, and trigger its voice to say "I have to go potty" or "All done now". These dolls did not sell well due to the loud gear noises and her "deep adult voice". It was later discontinued, and a non-speaking baby was released in 1995 with snacks and juice boxes, although these came in boxes and cans rather than packets that were mixed with water. They, as opposed to modern Baby Alive doll food and juice, had names such as Yummy Juice and Baby Cherries. It only came in two versions, Baby Alive and Baby All Gone. It appeared as a doll with blue eyes and messy curly blonde hair, not dissimilar to the modern doll, although the 1990s version seemed more traditional and less "cartoon-ey". Nowadays, Baby All Gone is fed bananas and yogurt instead of cherries, and the juice or milk is given from a bottle instead of a juice box, which saved on cardboard waste from empty boxes. A new, updated doll was introduced called Juice & Cookies Baby Alive who could be fed juice from a box, and cookies could actually be made, when a mix was put in a triangular mould, baked and removed with a scoop. The doll drank and chewed automatically.

Present

After The Kenner Company folded into Hasbro, Hasbro redesigned Baby Alive and in 2006 released a more realistic speaking doll, with additional accessories sold separately. [2]

Other media

In July 2021, Hasbro launched an animated series on YouTube based on the Baby Alive brand. The series consists of 20 episodes and centers on a seven-year-old girl named Charlie who cares for Baby Alive dolls. [3]

Influence and legacy

Time reporter Allie Townsend included Baby Alive in a list of the "100 most influential toys from 1923 to the present" remarking on the lifelike functions of the doll. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toilet humour</span> Type of off-colour humour dealing with defecation, urination and flatulence

Toilet humour, or potty or scatological humour, is a type of off-colour humour dealing with defecation, diarrhea, constipation, urination and flatulence, and to a lesser extent vomiting and other bodily functions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabbage Patch Kids</span> American doll brand

Cabbage Patch Kids are a line of cloth dolls with plastic heads first produced by Coleco Industries in 1982. They were inspired by the Little People soft sculptured dolls sold by Xavier Roberts as collectibles. The brand was renamed 'Cabbage Patch Kids' by Roger L. Schlaifer when he acquired the exclusive worldwide licensing rights in 1982.

The Mego Corporation is an American toy company that in its original iteration was first founded in 1954. Originally known as a purveyor of dime store toys, in 1971 the company shifted direction and became famous for producing licensed action figures, celebrity dolls, and the Micronauts toy line. For a time in the 1970s, their line of 8-inch-scale action figures with interchangeable bodies became the industry standard.

Kenner Products, known simply as Kenner, was an American toy company founded in 1946. Throughout its history, the Kenner brand produced several highly recognizable toys and merchandise lines including action figures like the original series of Star Wars, Jurassic Park and Batman as well as die cast models. The company was closed and merged by its corporate parent Hasbro in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blythe (doll)</span> Fashion doll line

Blythe is a fashion doll, about 28 cm (11 inch) tall, with an oversized head and large eyes that change color with the pull of a string. It was created in 1972 and was initially only sold for one year in the United States by toy company Kenner. In 2001, the Japanese toy company Takara began producing new editions of Blythe dolls. There is a network of hobbyists who customize the doll for resale and create clothing and shoes for Blythe. Enthusiasts share photographs of their work and other types of dolls on the Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pound Puppies</span> Toy line

Pound Puppies is a toy line that was created by Tonka in the 1980s. It later inspired an animated TV special, two animated TV series, and a feature film. Shipments of the toys over five years generated sales of $300 million in 35 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galoob</span> American toy company

Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc., was a toy company headquartered in South San Francisco, California. They are best known for creating Micro Machines, which accounted for 50% of its sales in 1989, and distributing the Game Genie in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glo Worm</span> Line of stuffed toys introduced in 1982

Glo Worm is a stuffed toy for young children, designed by Hasbro's Playskool division, and made in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Introduced in 1982, the plush, pajamaed worm body contained a battery-powered device that when squeezed would light up the toy's vinyl head from within, creating a soft glow.

Littlest Pet Shop is a toy franchise and cartoon series owned by Hasbro and currently under license with Basic Fun!. The original toy series was produced by Kenner in the early 1990s. An animated television series was made in 1995 by Sunbow Productions and Jean Chalopin Creativite et Developpement, based on the franchise.

<i>The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby</i> 2002 childrens novel by Dav Pilkey

The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby is an American children's novel by Dav Pilkey, created as a spin-off of Pilkey's Captain Underpants series. It was published on February 5, 2002. The plot of the book involves a baby named Billy who gains superpowers shortly after birth. Billy teams up with a super-powered dog, Diaper Dog, to fight Diaper Dog's former master, a sentient piece of feces named Deputy Dangerous.

Bernard Loomis was an American toy developer and marketer who introduced some of the world's most notable brands including Chatty Cathy, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Baby Alive, and Strawberry Shortcake, but perhaps his biggest marketing success was bringing a then-unknown film property called Star Wars to the toy shelves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sindy</span> Fashion doll made in the United Kingdom

Sindy is a British fashion doll created by Pedigree Dolls & Toys in 1963. A rival to Barbie, Sindy's look and range of fashions and accessories made her the best-selling toy in the United Kingdom in 1968 and 1970. After Marx Toys' unsuccessful attempt to introduce Sindy in the United States in the late 1970s, Hasbro bought the rights to Sindy and remodelled the doll to look more American. As a result, the doll's popularity declined; in addition Barbie manufacturer Mattel filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement, which was settled when Hasbro agreed to remodel Sindy's face. During the 1990s, Barbie's share of the doll market continued to grow while Sindy's diminished, which led to Sindy being delisted from major retailers in 1997. Hasbro returned the doll's licence to Pedigree, and the doll was relaunched in 1999, manufactured by Vivid Imaginations. Sindy's 40th anniversary in 2003 saw a new manufacturer, New Moons, and another relaunch and redesign. There were further relaunches in 2016 by Tesco and in 2021 by Kid Kreations.

Baby-led weaning is an approach to adding complementary foods to a baby's diet of breast milk or formula. BLW facilitates oral motor development and strongly focuses on the family meal, while maintaining eating as a positive, interactive experience. Baby-led weaning allows babies to control their solid food consumption by "self-feeding" from the start of their experience with food. The term weaning does not imply giving up breast milk or formula, but simply indicates the introduction of foods other than breast milk or formula.

Food Fighters was an action figure line released by Mattel in 1988. Proverbial for the concept of a food fight, the figures were all different types of anthropomorphic food dressed in military gear. Food Fighters consisted of ten figures, three vehicles, and an unproduced playset. The characters were divided into two armies: the protagonist Kitchen Commandos and the antagonist Refrigerator Rejects. Each figure was made of soft, rotocasted vinyl similar to a squeaky toy with hard plastic limbs. Each figure included a small hand weapon and removable backpack, resembling accessories from Hasbro's G.I. Joe line. The tagline on the figure' packaging read, "Combat At Its Kookiest!"

Zapf Creation is a toy company based near Coburg, Germany which specialises in the manufacture of multi-functional baby dolls. Its franchises have become very popular around the world; among its successful creations are Maggie Raggies, Baby Born, Baby Annabell, and Chou Chou.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strawberry Shortcake</span> Cartoon character

Strawberry Shortcake is a cartoon character used in greeting cards originally published by American Greetings. The line was later expanded to include dolls, posters, and other products featuring the character, as well as an extended cast of friends and pets. In addition, the franchise has spawned television specials, animated television series and films. The franchise is currently owned by the Canadian children's television company WildBrain through the holding company Shortcake IP Holdings LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flatsy doll</span> Flat dolls made by Ideal Toy Company

Flatsy Dolls are flat dolls that were made by Ideal Toy Company from 1969 through 1973. Designed by Hank Kramer, Flatsy Dolls were originally marketed to little girls. Like many vintage dolls, Flatsy dolls are now collectors items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ReaLemon</span> Juice

ReaLemon is an American brand of lemon juice that debuted in 1934, and is manufactured and marketed as of 2016 by Mott's, part of Keurig Dr Pepper. ReaLime is a brand of lime juice that debuted in 1944, is produced in the same manner as ReaLemon, and is also produced and marketed by Mott's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infant food safety</span>

Foodborne illness is any illness resulting from the food spoilage of contaminated food, pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food. Infant food safety is the identification of risky food handling practices and the prevention of illness in infants. Foodborne illness is a serious health issue, especially for babies and children. Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to foodborne illness because their immune systems are not developed enough to fight off foodborne bacterial infections. In fact, 800,000 illnesses affect children under the age of 10 in the U.S. each year. Therefore, extra care should be taken when handling and preparing their food.

References

  1. 1 2 "Baby Boom: Remembering the Baby Alive Toy Fad of the 1980s". www.mentalfloss.com. 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  2. Official website Hasbro
  3. "Hasbro bolsters Baby Alive brand with YouTube series". Mojo Nation. 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  4. Townsend, Allie (2011-02-16). "All-Time 100 Greatest Toys". Time . ISSN   0040-781X . Retrieved 2021-08-23.