Edison's Phonograph Doll - Misplaced Pages

Children's toy doll

Edison's Phonograph Doll is a children's toy doll developed by the Edison Phonograph Toy Manufacturing Company (founded by William W. Jacques and Lowell Briggs in 1887) and introduced in 1890. The original doll was invented by Thomas Edison in 1877. The 22-inch doll featured a miniature removable phonograph that played a single nursery rhyme. Even though it had spent several years in experimentation and development, the Edison Talking Doll was a sales failure and was only marketed for a few short weeks in early 1890. A handle had to be cranked each time for it to play. Also, the ring-shaped wax records wore out quickly and were prone to cracking and warping. Additionally, many children (and some adults) reportedly found the dolls and recordings frightening. Edison referred to the dolls as his "little monsters".

In 2015, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in collaboration with the Library of Congress, developed a three-dimensional optical scanning system called IRENE-3D, which allowed surviving discs to be scanned and the audio to be reproduced. As of April 2015, eight recordings had been digitized and may be heard at the National Park Service website.

Gallery

Twinkle, twinkle little star (1888)
Hickory Dickory (1889)
Twinkle, twinkle little star (1890)
There was a little girl (1890)
Twinkle, twinkle little star (1891)
Little Jack Horner (1890)
Now I lay me down to sleep (1890)
Jack and Jill (1890)

References

^ Dawson, Victoria (June 1, 2015). "The Epic Failure of Thomas Edison's Talking Doll". Smithsonian. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
Starr, Michelle. "Listen to the creepy voices of Thomas Edison's talking dolls". CNET. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
"Hear Edison Talking Doll Sound Recordings - Thomas Edison National Historical Park". www.nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 7 June 2017.

v t e Thomas Edison
Discoveries and inventions	List of Edison patents Carbon microphone Edison's Phonograph Doll Edison screw Etheric force Kinetoscope Phonograph Phonomotor Quadruplex telegraph Tasimeter
Advancements	Consolidated Edison Edison–Lalande cell Fluoroscopy Incandescent light bulb Movie camera Nickel–iron battery Thermionic emission Ticker tape
Ventures	Thomas A. Edison, Inc. Edison and Swan Electric Light Company Edison Gower-Bell Telephone Company of Europe Edison Illuminating Company Edison Machine Works Edison Manufacturing Company Edison Ore-Milling Company Edison Portland Cement Company Edison Records Edison Storage Battery Company Edison Studios General Electric Motion Picture Patents Company Mine Safety Appliances Oriental Telephone Company
Monuments	Birthplace Black Maria Depot Museum Memorial Tower and Museum National Historical Park State Park Storage Battery Company Building General Electric Research Laboratory Winter Estates
Family	Charles Edison (son) Theodore Miller Edison (son)
Films	Young Tom Edison (1940) Edison, the Man (1940) "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" (1998) The Current War (2017) Tesla (2020)
Literature	The Future Eve (1886) Edison's Conquest of Mars (1898) Tales from the Bully Pulpit (2004)
Productions	The Execution of Mary Stuart (1895) The Kiss (1896) Frankenstein (1910) A Night of Terror (1911) Kidnapped (1917)
Terms	Edisonade Edisonian approach
Related	Thomas Edison in popular culture War of the currents Pearl Street Station Edison Museum Thomas Edison House Edison Hotel Telephonoscope Statue of Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison silver dollar

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