The Speak 'N Say

We bought Anna a See 'N Say for Christmas. It has gotten an upgrade since I was little - some for the good and some for the bad. Rather than the long string to pull which I'm guessing is some sort of safety hazard, there is a pull lever. The age is 18 months so it is understandable that Anna is not able to pull the lever at this point, but when I pull the lever it makes these horrible jumbled noises. I thought at first it was the batteries and then when fresh batteries didn't make a difference, I thought maybe we just bought a defective one. However, two of my friends that bought one for their children said the same thing - the word are undistinguishable. How disappointing.