If you’ve ever felt like children’s toys simply weren’t unnervingly creepy enough, you’ll be glad to know that Mattel are about to roll out their new “smart-doll”, which they’ve dubbed Hello Barbie. It’s like Barbie crossed with 2001: A Space Odyssey, remember how well that turned out?
As Stereogum reports, Hello Barbie comes installed with a microphone and WiFi connectivity, so the doll can actually process verbal information and hold a “conversation” with its owner. Essentially, it’s like a dumbed down version of Siri on your iPhone.
As the New York Times, who recently covered the doll and the R&D process that went into making it, note, it’s basically the next logical step for the toy industry. Pull-strings and microchips are cute, but sentient dolls and action figures are the future.
So just how sentient is Hello Barbie? Well, despite the dystopian implications behind its infernal creation, it all sounds pretty impressive. When you prompt Hello Barbie for her full name, she replies “Barbara Millicent Roberts.”
You can even get all existential with Barbie and ask her if she believes in God, to which she’ll reply, “I think a person’s beliefs are very personal to them.” According to the New York Times, the doll will even be able to remember information it’s given.
However, what really piqued our interest was the fact that the new Barbie will be able to ask kids what kind of music they like, with nearly 200 possible responses ready to go. Taylor Swift? “She is one of my super favorites right now!” Barbie would reply.
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My Bloody Valentine? “They are so emo.” Yes, according to the New York Times, when prodded about her feelings towards the late ’80s / early ’90s shoegaze legends, Barbie felt that they were a little too into screaming vocals for her taste. Maybe she confused them for Bullet For My Valentine?
With 200 possible responses, we’re genuinely interested in hearing Barbie’s opinion on every single artist in our iTunes library, though we’re not sure how accurate her summations will be. According to IsThisBandEmo.com, My Bloody Valentine are in fact not emo.
