Fisher-Price's Chatter Telephone Now Makes Real Phone Calls

Can you really put a price on childhood nostalgia? Actually, you can—it will set you back $60.

The Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone first launched 60 years ago as a talking pull toy for toddlers and is still on the market today for $7. But now, a limited-edition $60 version—celebrating the anniversary—comes equipped with Bluetooth to connect to a smartphone and is meant for adult use. But everyone should know the agony and the ecstasy of dialing a rotary phone.

The agony: Attempting a fast dial and getting your index finger stuck in the wrong number hole. Now you have to start all over!

The ecstasy: Having a friend with all small digits in their phone number. As close to speed dialing as you could get.

A 30-second video leans heavily into the phone’s aged qualities and we’re here for it. “The past has finally arrived,” begins the futuristic-looking ad. “Bulky design. Intuitive interface. Hands-on technology. Numbers. Colors. Eyes. Your first mobile phone is now a real mobile phone.”

The phone, available exclusively through Best Buy, was promoted “with prominent placements on their site,” a Mattel spokesperson tells Muse. “There was also an aggressive paid strategy—including broadcast buys across top NBA opener matchups last week—to unveil the new creative. There were strategic online media buys with YouTube and Google, a paid social campaign, and partnering with a curated list of influencers which we are promoting their posts with paid media on social.”

Mattel notes that the phone has already sold out, though Best Buy’s link denotes it as “coming soon.” Either way, Mattel tells Muse that producing more is “something we will continue to explore as we gauge interest.”

The Chatter Telephone with Bluetooth works just like the toy of yesteryear—wheels that roll with you, eyes that wobble, a rotary dial that works—with modern touches like speakerphone and the ability to complete a call as dialed. 

It comes with a USB cord, and a four-hour charge gives callers nine hours of talk time.

The idea for a modernized Chatter Telephone came through “the ‘Let’s Be Kids’ campaign,” according to the Mattel spokesperson. “Fisher-Price has been on a journey to invite grown-ups back into the world of childhood. So many people have a connection with the Chatter Telephone, and turning the toy into an actual working telephone for adults was a great way to bring ‘Let’s Be Kids’ to life.”

This isn’t the first time Fisher-Price has gone nostalgic on us. The company created the Laugh & Learn Puppy’s Mixtape and Laugh & Learn Busy Boombox. John Cusack not included. 

CREDITS

CLIENT
Fisher-Price
Jody Gavin, Sr. Manager, Brand Design
Kelly Biernat, Director, Brand Design

W+K PORTLAND

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