Not so much. “What does it do to imagination?” she asked. Riley has no problem making up her own adventures. Wouldn’t this toy ultimately stifle Riley’s creativity and supplant free play?

That explains the booming industry in talking electronic toys that claim to help kids learn language. The study focused on roughly two-dozen children between the ages of 10 and 16 months old.

Now, those Talking Friends Superstars – you know, Talking Tom and Talking Ginger, and the like – have a plush toy that can interact with apps or with other plush toys from the collection.

This holiday season, new toys are hitting the market that are smarter than ever: toys that talk with kids, connect to the cloud, even employ artificial intelligence. Mattel’s new “Hello Barbie ...

“I look dead but I talk ... toys, Micro Machines had detailed paint jobs, shiny wheels, and even tiny headlights that would turn on with the press of a button. To maintain interest, Galoob ...

Talking toys have been around for a while. The animatronic bear Teddy Ruxpin debuted in September 1985. He moved his mouth, opened his eyes and told stories that were played from an audiotape cassette ...