While shopping for her nephew, Nickie Bryar was taken aback when she heard her own voice coming from the next aisle.

A child had activated a Fisher Price game controller toy, triggering Bryar’s catchy tune: “Orange, purple, white and pink, green, red and blue. Woo-hoo!”

“I approached the kid and said, ‘That’s me!’” recalled Bryar, 52, a voice actor from Los Angeles. “He seemed really unimpressed.”

Bryar has worked on numerous projects, including video games and shows like “Family Guy.” However, she has also contributed her voice to various toys, such as a singing soccer ball, an infant walker themed around a stroller, and a “Shrek the Third” doll that mimics the film’s iconic burps and farts.

As a mother of two, she finds it fulfilling to aid children in learning shapes and colors, and considers being paid to sing and create silly sounds a delightful perk.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I still can’t believe this is my job,” Bryar expressed. “Knowing I play a small role in helping kids learn their shapes, colors, and seasons is incredibly rewarding.”

Experts in the toy industry highlight that talented voices like Bryar’s breathe life into toys. Despite the rise of AI, voice actors believe that machines have a long way to go before matching human vocal abilities.

“Understanding how to convey emotions through your voice—like smiling, excitement, or exasperation—is a uniquely human skill,” explained Joe Davis, a board member of the World-Voices Organization, which represents voice talent. “This adds a layer of complexity to voice acting that technology hasn’t yet achieved.”

A Job Filled with Joy

From Alphie the robot to Lily from LeapFrog, and even Furby’s little counterparts, Melissa Hutchison has been the voice behind all of them.

“About 70% of my work involves voicing children’s characters for these products,” noted Hutchison, 49, a voice actor living near Austin, Texas.

Hutchison estimates she’s voiced between 500 and 1,000 different toys.

“Whenever I visit Target, I make it a point to check the toy aisle and push all the buttons to hear my own voice,” she shared. “It’s truly exciting to contribute to a child’s early learning journey.”

Amy Rubinate, who voiced Lily’s brother, Tad, for LeapFrog, shares that her work with toys once helped her pay rent during the 2000s.

<p“I had a regular gig, going in twice a week for a few hours, plus additional sessions for updates or new toys,” she explained to YSL News, noting that her voice has brought to life everything from ducks to travel trailers. “If you can animate it, there’s a good chance I’ve voiced it.”

Now primarily focused on audiobook work, she reflects fondly on her days voicing toys, calling it a “joyful, sweet” time in her life.

<p“Many of those toys not only help kids learn language but also help them understand their emotions. That’s truly amazing,” she said. “I was excited to engage with these characters and bring joy to children, and I believe if you enjoy your work, the kids will feel that joy too.”

AI’s Growing Influence and the Future of Voice Acting

As artificial intelligence evolves, concerns arise about whether toy companies will continue collaborating with human voice actors.

Voice actors are already voicing their concerns about AI’s impact on employment. Earlier this year, SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 media professionals including voice actors, went on strike seeking protections against AI encroachments in video game voice work.

George Washington III, president of the World-Voices Organization, commented that while there hasn’t been a significant shift among toy makers towards AI yet, he anticipates increased pressure on them to reduce costs through this technology as it progresses.

“In the long run, AI poses a substantial threat,” he said.

Kevin Riley, a dialog director at LeapFrog, shared that the toy company has looked into the use of AI but hasn’t yet integrated it into their products.

However, he noted, “As this emerging technology advances, I foresee AI voice acting becoming the norm in the industry within a few years.” He implied that companies may opt for a blend of human and AI voices or possibly rely solely on AI.

When asked whether they would consider using AI for voice roles, toy industry giants Mattel and Hasbro did not respond.

According to Hutchison, a Texas-based voice actor, the industry has seen “significant changes” at present. She hasn’t yet noticed the shift towards AI in toy roles, but she has observed a decline in availability for specific roles that require technical jargon, with more of those roles now assigned to on-screen celebrities rather than traditional voice actors.

“We certainly are having to put in more effort to secure jobs and refine our skills, like mine involves voicing children,” she explained. “AI might attempt that, but they won’t perform it as effectively as a human. For instance, Brad Pitt can’t sound like a 10-year-old boy, giving me a unique advantage.”

Tim Friedlander, the president of the National Association of Voice Actors, anticipates that the impact of AI will become “more apparent” in the next five years as seasoned voice actors exit the field and entry-level roles are filled by AI. He pointed out that the toy industry might be one of the first sectors to experience this shift since many voice actors are not widely recognized.

“An artificial voice will always be inferior to a human voice,” Friedlander remarked. “However, for companies that focus strictly on profitability and cost-cutting, synthetic voices could significantly replace human jobs.”

Limitations of AI

Davis, a board member of the World-Voices Organization and the founder of a DIY platform for voice talent, believes that budget-friendly toy brands will adopt AI first, while well-known brands may hesitate to embrace artificial voices for quality reasons.

“Over time, this could become a marketing differentiator; brands could advertise that they hire real human voice actors rather than AI voice imitations,” he stated.

Alan Shires, a voice actor based in Georgia, concurs that AI will “gain a portion of the market.” Nevertheless, he sees toy voice acting as a sector that’s relatively resilient since it necessitates an emotional depth that AI has not yet achieved.

“AI has its limitations,” he commented. “Toys often require a lot of energetic expression; we tend to delve into a more intricate and emotional realm of voiceover that AI can’t quite reach yet, unlike standard monotonic narration or casual conversation where AI has begun to make inroads.”

Laila Berzins, a 41-year-old voice actor from California known for her work on a FurReal Friends toy and an upcoming Tonies audio play character, expressed that toy voices are often “high-energy” roles that truly benefit from a human element. She doubts that even if AI gets closer to matching human performance, that’s what people will prefer.

As the voice behind character Xiao from the popular video game Genshin Impact, Berzins shared that she’s been invited to conventions worldwide to connect with her fans. She believes that type of connection would be impossible with AI involvement.

“Creating a genuine emotional bond with your audience is distinct from just delivering a decent performance,” she stated. “I hope we can strike a balance between using AI as a supportive tool and ensuring it doesn’t replace the dedicated talent in our industry whose passion truly connects with others.”

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