Abstract: A self-propelled musical toy rolling ball which plays musical tunes and sound effects. The ball may also include decorative images on its surface which may generally correspond to the musical tune or sound effects played by the ball. The electronics of the ball, once energized, operate to propel the ball and simultaneously activate an integrated circuit sound effects chip which plays first sound sequence, typically a musical tune. When the ball bumps into a wall or other object, the propulsion mechanism, typically a drive motor which may be transmissivly connected to a central axis shaft, is disengaged and the circuit then plays a second sound sequence, typically a randomly selected pre-programmed sound effect from one of a plurality of different sounds. Thereafter, the propelling mechanism is again activated and the ball resumes playing the musical tune.

Abstract: A doll with an eyeblink mechanism includes an eye with a reciprocatable eyelid, a drive providing intermittent slow rotary motion, and a torsion spring for accumulating such rotary motion, as necessary, and converting each predetermined quantity of such rotary motion into intermittent, relatively rapid reciprocating motion of the eyelid to blink the eye. A safety mechanism precludes overwinding of the torsion spring, e.g., when movement of the eyelid is physically blocked.

Abstract: This invention relates to talking dolls of the type having internal prerecorded speech mechanisms. More particularly, the present invention relates to talking dolls of the type having internal prerecorded speech mechanisms, wherein the doll's educational speech is activated by pressing on certain parts of the doll's body and head region. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to talking dolls of the type having internal prerecorded speech mechanisms, wherein the doll's educational speech can be programmed by the user to play phrases in a desired sequence. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to talking dolls of the type having internal prerecorded speech mechanisms, wherein the doll's educational speech is programmed to advance with the child user and to educate the child user as to the names and functions of the different body parts.

Abstract: A doll, apparently capable of learning through a combination of human speech and touch interaction, includes a speech generator for generating upon actuation the currently indexed sound in a predetermined sequence of sounds. The sequence of sounds evidences a stepwise learning process defined by a plurality of learning steps, each step being composed in turn of a predetermined subsequence of wrong sounds followed by correct sounds. A speech detector detects human speech when energized and, in response thereto, indexes the subsequence of sounds to the next sound within the current step and actuates the speech generator and, at the end of each step, indexes the sequence of sounds to the first sound of the next step and causes the speech generator to request the selected touch. A touch detector detects a selected touch when energized and, in response thereto, actuates the speech generator.

Abstract: A rotatable caddy includes a stationary frame and a generally cylindrical carrier rotatably disposed in the frame and defining longitudinally-extending compartments on the periphery thereof for the storage of elongate articles therein, such as crayons. A knob is provided for rotating the carrier about its longitudinal axis relative to the frame, and another knob is provided for discharging from a selected compartment any elongate article therein. A passageway is provided for feeding an elongate article into an empty one of the compartments without disassembly of the caddy and for releasably maintaining the elongate articles fed into the compartments in their respective compartments during rotation of the carrier relative to the frame. An anti-jamming mechanism is preferably also provided for relocating an elongated article only partially received in a compartment aligned with the feed means from that compartment and into a storage location as the carrier rotates.