The Talking Mother Goose

The Talking Mother Goose was an animated character toy created by Alchemy II and Worlds of Wonder, in 1986. An interesting notion about this incarnation is that Mother Goose is a goose, not a human as usually portrayed.

How Mother Goose Worked

Like most Worlds of Wonder toys, like Teddy and Mickey, Mother Goose used specially-coded cassettes and 4 "C" batteries to operate. Mother Goose moved her eyes, beak, and unlike most of the toys, Mother Goose was able to move her head from side-to-side. Only the early first version moves her head.

Mother Goose: The Storyteller of Fairy Tales

Worlds of Wonder's Mother Goose has one difference between the legend and this version, in that she doesn't tell nursery rhymes. The stories she tells are fairy tales, in fact, Worlds of Wonder didn't touch nursery rhymes until a year later. Mother Goose not only tells and sings the stories, but also interacts with the characters.

Available Books & Tapes

There were nineteen books made for Mother Goose by herself. With the addition of Hector, one of her fairy-tale cassettes operated him as well.
* The Ugly Duckling - operates Hector
* The Tortoise & the Hare
* Peter & the Wolf
* The Princess and the Pea
* The Frog Prince
* Jack and the Beanstalk
* The Little Red Hen
* Rumpelstiltskin
* Little Red Riding Hood
* The Emperor's New Clothes
* Cinderella
* The Sleeping Beauty
* Rapunzel
* The Shoemaker and the Elves
* Beauty and the Beast
* Goldilocks and the Three Bears
* Hansel and Gretel
* The Golden Touch
* The Grasshopper and the Ant

"Collector" Outfits

Worlds of Wonder made two specially-themed books and tapes that came with a bonnet and collar for Mother Goose to wear.
* Birthday Surprise - operates Hector
* Lullabies

Hector

Although Hector had been introduced in The Ugly Duckling, he himself wasn't created as an animated toy until 1987. Hector used 4 "AA" batteries and a double ended patch cord to work with Mother Goose. As with Grubby in the Teddy Ruxpin line and Goofy in the Talking Mickey Mouse line, he couldn't function alone. With Hector, Worlds of Wonder finally came into the world of nursery rhymes, with Hector being the main character and Mother Goose being the supporting narrator. Seven Sets were made for Hector, a first for an attachment character. They were:

* The Three Little Kittens
* Little Bo Peep
* Hickory Dickory Dock
* Little Boy Blue
* Hey Diddle Diddle
* Mistress Mary
* Little Miss Muffet