IU Grad Launches Foreign Language Toy
An Indiana University graduate has developed an egg-shaped toy, known as The Chatter Egg, designed to expose children to foreign languages when they are learning to talk. The Chatter Egg speaks a phrase in English, and repeats it in a foreign language. Founder Mikaela Gilbert says The Chatter Egg is one of the few toys on the market that teaches kids a foreign language without a screen.
In an interview for The Innovators with Dr. K on Inside Indiana Business Television, Gilbert talked about the benefits of the toy.
"The specific innovation for the product is that it’s speaking both languages simultaneously. There are not a lot of products for children that are not screen based that teach them forging language at all. The ones that are available have a switch on the bottom and these speak both languages at the same time.”
The Chatter Egg is slated to launch online and in stores within the next few months.Gilbert says the toy industry is the potential market for the product. The product is aimed millennial parents a demographic she says represents 256,000 parents in the nation.
Gilbert says next steps for the company include a crowdfunding campaign and a focus on securing typical investment funding.