In the 1970s, Eve Plumb and Maureen McCormick played sisters for five seasons on The Brady Bunch. After the classic ABC series ended in 1974, the actresses also reunited for multiple TV specials, movies, and spinoffs. But years before they were Brady sisters, the two former child stars appeared together in a TV commercial for Mattel’s Chatty Cathy doll.
In her book Happiness Included, Plumb, 68, recalled crossing paths with her future sitcom sibling for the 1966 commercial shoot. Noting that early in her career she did commercials for “Mattel’s talking dolls Chatty Cathy, Chatty Baby and Charmin’ Chatty,” Plumb wrote, “In one of their doll commercials, my future Brady Bunchsister Maureen McCormick and I are at an outdoor tea party with our dolls.”
McCormick, who played eldest sister Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch, was the clear star of the commercial. She was front and center in the ad as Plumb was seen smiling and playing with her doll in a quick shot.
Both actresses have the commercial spot listed on their IMDb pages, with Plumb credited as Girl #3 and McCormick as Girl #1.
After Cathy
After shooting the iconic 1966 ad, Plumb would go on to peddle Talkin’ Barbie’s new British best friend, Stacey, but McCormick scored a bigger role as the official voice of the Chatty Cathy doll, according to The Seattle Times.
In a 2026 interview with the Pop Culture Preservation Society, Plumb revealed that acting just became a part of her “life” after a neighbor who was a talent agent suggested she give it a try at age six.
“It’s so funny because I think that when you look back at your childhood, you’re like, people ask you what was it like. It was, you’re like, well, it was like what was happening. It was just my life,” she said. “So, that was just the part of our life where I would go to auditions, and I would get the job. It was difficult if I didn’t ever get a job. That was upsetting because it seemed to me as like, well, this is what happens. I go in, I get the job. I never had a feeling of I beat somebody out for it. It’s just that this is what happens.”
Plumb also confirmed that while she appeared in a lot of doll commercials, she didn’t usually get to take home the toys. “No…. I think they gave me the Baby Secret, but I don’t remember having it and loving it,” she shared. “I had a Raggedy Ann doll. I had my Barbies. I had Troll Dolls.”
In her book, Plumb also reflected on a 1968 commercial she did for Glad sandwich bags. In the spot, she frantically runs up to a woman cast as her mother and says, “I hate school! My sandwiches are so stale, nobody will trade with me!”
Plumb recalled that she “winced” when she rewatched the ad recently. “I was usually cast as the obedient, courteous, and kind little girl,” she wrote in Happiness Included. “Not this time. I’m flame-throwing at my distressed mother, like Rhoda in The Bad Seed.”
This story was originally published by Parade on May 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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