Edison Talking Doll, 1889-1890
Add to SetSummary
Thomas Edison's 1878 patent for a "phonographic" doll resulted in the production of about 100 "talking" dolls between 1889 and 1890. This doll "talked" by means of a scaled-down phonograph inside its body, which played nursery rhymes like "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Only made for a short time, the doll's mechanism was unreliable and the recorded voices scared children.
Thomas Edison's 1878 patent for a "phonographic" doll resulted in the production of about 100 "talking" dolls between 1889 and 1890. This doll "talked" by means of a scaled-down phonograph inside its body, which played nursery rhymes like "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Only made for a short time, the doll's mechanism was unreliable and the recorded voices scared children.
Artifact
Talking doll
Date Made
1889-1890
Keywords
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
32.46.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Biscuit (Porcelain, material)
Cardboard
Cloth
Composition (Material)
Glass (Material)
Leather
Metal
Paint (Coating)
Paper (Fiber product)
Silk (Textile)
Tin (Metal)
Wood (Plant Material)
Color
Multicolored
Dimensions
Height: 13.75 in (doll)
Width: 6 in (doll)
Length: 3.25 in (doll)
Inscriptions
on back of neck: 224 / 12 on back of metal torso: EDISON PHONOGRAPH TOY MANUFACTURING CO. / NEW YORK / .... (listing of patent dates follows) printed on paper label on product package: EDISON'S TALKING DOLL / MADE BY / THE EDISON PHONOGRAPH TOY M'F'G CO. / NEW YORK / TALKING NO. / PATENTS: (lists patent dates ranging from 2/10/1878 to 7/9/1889) STYLE / OTHER PATENTS APPLIED FOR
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