My Friend Cayla, Hologram Barbie, and other Doll Bytes

Imagine my surprise this evening when I turned on Handel on the Law on my car radio, and heard the host talking about a doll called My Friend Cayla.  The doll is an interactive talking doll that actually gathers information from its owner, sometimes personal information, that can be passed on, well, anywhere.


Here is her description retrieved  from Amazon.com:




18" tall

Says several sentences

Bluetooth enabled

Comes with brush and comb.

Works with ipad or tablet.

New (7) from $74.31 & FREE shipping.

Here, also is a customer review about this totally interactive doll by Genesis Toys:

 She kind of reminds me of Siri for Apple devices but in the form of a doll that can really interact with someone rather than just answer a question here and there. She is not always 100% perfect but I think that is more of a communication mis-understanding of what my daughter is asking. I haven't had a problem with anything I have asked yet.

To set up My Friend Cayla you do need to pair her with your Android or Apple device (tablet or a smartphone) just like you'd pair a bluetooth headset or speaker. Most of Cayla's conversational features can be used while she is offline but other features like asking specific questions and such do require a WiFi connection. (Amazon- Kuchelmass, 2017).

The doll's website shows she is available internationally with the appropriate App.  According to Handle, the doll is being banned in Germany because of a law there that forbids information gathering devices, which this doll apparently is.    The lawyer and host of the radio show seems to be advocating that the doll be banned in the US because it could violate a child's privacy. 


According to Matthew Humphries of PC Reviews, "As the BBC reports, under German telecoms law the Cayla doll is classified as a "concealed transmitting device." Coupled with the very strict privacy laws in the country, the doll is basically illegal, hence the push to destroy them." (Humphries).


Apparently, the doll is the subject of an FTC complaint based on the fact that an insecure Bluetooth connection makes her easy to be hacked. Actually, all internet based toys have this issue.  I know that Barbie dolls and others are being developed to work with Bluetooth as well.


Exploding Evo has called her an "espionage device."


Now, I'm intrigued, and I want to buy it!! Not sure if I'll talk to her, though!

My Friend Kayla, public domain image

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Hologram Barbie:


This fall, for about $149, Barbie makes her appearance as a Hologram. According to Ad Week,
"The latest innovation in Barbie might please geeky parents just as much as kids. Last weekend at the New York Toy Fair, Mattel unveiled Hello Barbie Hologram, a more lively—if less tactile—version of 2015’s Hello Barbie doll."


Here is a video link, debuted at Toyfair 2017:  http://eventnewz.com/mattel-revealed-an-interactive-hologram-barbie-at-toy-fair-2017/


SuperNaturals Tonka 80s Public domain


I remember an acquaintance in California telling me about a convention he attended where a hologram of an antique doll was on display.  Of course, there was "Jem and the Holograms", and I have a 80s action figure with a hologram face; they were called "Supernaturals." . I can't wait to see this device, a box which features Barbie talking, dancing, and interacting as a hologram.

Jem, Public Domain

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Did you know there was a newspaper called Le Petit Parisien--think The doll with the same name, a French Bisque, by Jules Nicholas Steiner, c. 1893.  For a great article, go to DollReference.com or to my old site on About.com Doll Collecting.

The Newspaper, Public Domain

Steiner's Le Petit Parisien, c. Victoria and Albert Museum

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The Star Trek rerun tonight featured Louise Sorel, very young, as an android called Rayna Kapec.  Her creator, was called Mr. Flint from Mesopotamia 3084 B.C., who takes on all sorts of famous people, including Leonardo and Brahms.   He created androids that were perfect to keep them company.  He was constantly trying to create an immortal, perfect Android woman. The episode from the third season of the show is "Requiem for Methuselah."  Without giving away the ending, there are shades of   N. Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Garden" in this episode. 


Louise Sorel as Rayna, Public Domain