# Weird things that once you notice them are everywhere **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 15, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235 "2015-07-15T14:18:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/1 "2015-07-15T14:18:54Z")
My son is about to turn a year old and people keep giving him things with buttons and lights that talk. (Some of them are good toys. Some of them mysteriously wind up at Grandma’s.). The weird thing is, none of them have a male voice. NONE. Last time I was at Target I went down the whole aisle checking and every single toy that talks is a woman. Even if that doesn’t really make sense for the toy (there was a puppy that came in “boy” and “girl” for some reason, but both of them had lady voices. It’s weird that I can’t buy my little boy a toy that has man who talks to him! So what other weird things did you notice and think “hey that’s funny” but then realize are everywhere? ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/2 "2015-07-15T14:22:17Z")
Are they actual recorded female voices? Or is it just that such toys all have crappy speakers that don’t do low frequencies? ---
**Author:** ![LogTrig210](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@LogTrig210](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LogTrig210)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/3 "2015-07-15T14:25:23Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > My son is about to turn a year old and people keep giving him things with buttons and lights that talk. (Some of them are good toys. Some of them mysteriously wind up at Grandma’s.). The weird thing is, none of them have a male voice. NONE. Last time I was at Target I went down the whole aisle checking and every single toy that talks is a woman. Even if that doesn’t really make sense for the toy (there was a puppy that came in “boy” and “girl” for some reason, but both of them had lady voices. > > It’s weird that I can’t buy my little boy a toy that has man who talks to him! > > So what other weird things did you notice and think “hey that’s funny” but then realize are everywhere? I was at this random guy’s house who offered to show me his lifelong toy collection. I’m like ok…suure. Then his toys moved and talked with a sinister voice. I then walked out of the house… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/4 "2015-07-15T14:28:46Z")
What about a [“See and Say”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkbs4z6iu8U)? They use a male voice. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/5 "2015-07-15T19:50:55Z")
Is it possible that this is just the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/6 "2015-07-15T20:03:42Z")
I remember a stuffed talking Eeyore at Target a few years back that definitely had a male voice. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/7 "2015-07-15T20:18:20Z")
I think you’ll find that almost anything that: A. Sings and B. Is made by Fisher-Price uses _the same woman’s voice_!! :eek: I assume she is in an insane asylum somewhere constantly singing "♫_La comida, it’s the kitchen!♫_ ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/8 "2015-07-15T20:52:09Z")
[This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5_Q3JKOM8w) doll has a male voice. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/9 "2015-07-16T06:23:49Z")
Gawd… This was a “thing” back when machines first started to talk. Since the machines were, in essence, servants, the PC crowd accused them of sexism. Yes, really. The explanation was that it was easier and cheaper to make higher-pitch voices than lower-pitched voices. I would expect toys to use the cheapest technology. Do talking GPS units still use “feminine” voices? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/10 "2015-07-16T06:29:15Z")
The explanation I have heard for this is that female voices are easier to understand, and are liked better by a wide range of ages and sexes. I forgot where but it implied this was the result of actual study and focus groups, nearly any prerecorded or machine generated voice will be female by default due to this. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/11 "2015-07-16T12:43:13Z")
What about Speak & Spell? It used a mans voice. Very authoritarian. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/12 "2015-07-16T14:25:58Z")
Try to imagine Teddy Ruxpin with Harvey Fierstein’s voice… ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/13 "2015-07-16T18:59:05Z")
Look, you haven’t lived until you’ve walked into a pitch black bedroom and heard from a corner an absurdly high pitched female voice “… come and PLAY with me!” ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/14 "2015-07-16T19:23:51Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Look, you haven’t lived until you’ve walked into a pitch black bedroom and heard from a corner an absurdly high pitched female voice “… come and PLAY with me!” …or been driving after dropping the kids at daycare and hear a male voice from the backseat say, “Goodbye” as the Speak and Spell goes into auto-shutoff. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/15 "2015-07-16T22:05:41Z")
Back when stand-alone GPS devices were all the rage, somebody made one with replaceable voices. You could download different voice sets done by various actors or impersonators. I never had one, but I always wanted to get a Mr. T voice set. Can you imagine driving along & suddenly it shouts “I pity da foo who don’t turn lef in 100 feet!!!” “GO Back foo!! You missed da turn!!” etc. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/16 "2015-07-16T23:26:00Z")
I swear: my Chrysler van’s GPS voice is Susan Sarandon. And she sounds HURT when I disobey a direction. I’m sorry, Su…GPS. I’ll try harder. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/17 "2015-07-17T02:44:56Z")
Sean Connery ( or a reasonable facsimile) tells me where to go on my GPS. I figure if I have to have a man tell me where to go, it might as well be Sean Connery! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/18 "2015-07-17T13:20:00Z")
When my mom got her first GPS I changed it to “Australian man” and she never did figure out how to change it back. Used to crack me up. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/19 "2015-07-17T16:36:36Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > When my mom got her first GPS I changed it to “Australian man” and she never did figure out how to change it back. Used to crack me up. Why would she ever want to? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235/20 "2015-07-17T19:49:54Z")
If you want bossy, go Aussie. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-things-that-once-you-notice-them-are-everywhere/725235.md?page=2)