Randi Reader
Here is some great info on Randi Reader in the 1968 Sears Christmas Wishbook:
She was sold only from 1967-1969. Randi is designed so that her eyes only move back and forth when she is holding her book - or basically when her arms are held up at "eye level". The rest of the time, when her arms are in other positions, she says one of 15 phrases with appropriate pauses in between to allow a child to answer. Looks like she was sold in '67 and '68. The book she holds is made of yellow plastic and then there is also a companion book for the little girl to read with her. It has a picture of Randi Reader on the front and has the nursery rhymes that she reads on the inside. How much she may have cost when first marketed. We were optimistic that Randi would work when we got her once we cleaned all the battery contacts. Unfortunately, she did not work. This doll was not meant to be disassembled. To get to her mechanism the hard plastic body had to be cracked. This was accomplished by using razor blades and dremel tool to split the seam. The dremel tool had to be used sparingly because the cut would fuse back together at even the slowest settings. Once the exposed seams were cut the thicker areas around the arm holes, leg holes, and neck had to be wedged and cracked apart using a screwdriver blade. I need a picture of the right side because that is where the control wire resides - the mechanism is visible. Patent US3495351 |
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