A zoo key is a large novelty key used to activate talking storybooks at American

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes. The term ''zoological g ...

s. These were used by various zoos, largely in the latter half of the 20th century, as part of a system which played audio recordings describing exhibits. The keys were typically made from brightly colored plastic in the shape of animals, although some zoos issued the keys in non-animal shapes. The first generation of keys were in the shape of an

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...

, with the trunk being the

blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historic ...

of the key. This was commonly known as "Trunkey the Elephant" (sometimes spelled Trunky). At the Cleveland Zoo, it was called "Packey". Installations included zoos in Portland (see Packy), San Francisco, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, New Orleans, and New York.

Children's Fairyland

The system was invented and patented by

Bruce Sedley The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...

(1925–2012), in response to a request from William Penn Mott of the

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, Park Department. Originally known as "Talking Storybooks", (and implemented with a different shaped key), the first version of the system was installed at

Children's Fairyland Children's Fairyland, U.S.A. is an amusement park, located in Oakland, California, on the shores of Lake Merritt. It was one of the earliest "themed" amusement parks in the United States. Fairyland includes of play sets, small rides, and animal ...

in 1958. Predating the Talking Storybooks, Children's Fairyland had a similar system based on coin-operated record players, which would frequently break down. Sedley devised a more reliable implementation using the more modern magnetic tape system, with the audio program recorded on a tape loop. The concept was based on message repeater devices Sedley was using in his recording studio. The first units produced used Sedley's voice; later production switched to using celebrity voices. As of April 2018, the system is still in use there, with new "Magic Keys" available for purchase at $3. A version of the Talking Storybook system is still being produced as of 2020, manufactured by The Talking Storybook Company, in

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a pop ...

. Sedley later went on to invent a magnetic door key, an early version of room keys commonly used in hotels.

San Francisco

The

San Francisco Zoo The San Francisco Zoo is a zoo located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, California, between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway. The SF Zoo is a public institution, managed by the non-profit San Francisco Zoologi ...

was one of the first customers, installing 40 units in 1959. It was at this point that the "Talking Storybook" name was first used. The storyboxes played the "All the animals at the zoo are jumping up and down for you" jingle. This tune was also used by other zoos, as in a TV commercial for the Philadelphia Zoo.

Philadelphia

The system was installed at the

Philadelphia Zoo The Philadelphia Zoo, located in the Centennial District of Philadelphia on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, is the first true zoo in the United States. It was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 21, 1859, but its openin ...

circa 1959 and was prominently featured in a TV commercial of the era.Sources differ on the installation date. ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' states 1960, but the YouTube video shows the system and claims to be from the 1950s. This original installation was removed in 2007; it was brought back by popular demand in 2020 as part of the "Creatures of Habitat" exhibit which features life-size lego animal sculptures and 20 newly installed storyboxes, which offer audio in both English and Spanish. Keys are available for sale, but heirloom keys from the original system will also work. The new system encompasses some environment-friendly features; the storybooks are solar powered, and the new keys are made from recycled plastic. The new keys are available in lion, bear, and gorilla shapes.

Cleveland

The

Cleveland Zoo The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo aka Cleveland Zoological Park is a zoo in Cleveland, Ohio. The Zoo is divided into several areas: Australian Adventure; African Savanna; Northern Wilderness Trek, The Primate, Cat & Aquatics Building, Waterfowl Lake, ...

had the original system installed from 1959 to 1980. The scripts for the audio recordings were written by Fletcher Reynolds, the director of the zoo. According to various sources, recordings were either done by professional voice actors in Hollywood or by local television performer,

Linn Sheldon Linn Sheldon (September 20, 1919 – April 23, 2006) was a Cleveland, Ohio-based American children's television host and actor, best known for his character "Barnaby," which was seen in Cleveland for over 30 years. Biography Born Linn Richard ...

. The system was re-installed in 2017, named ZooKey, with sponsorship from

KeyBank KeyBank, the primary subsidiary of KeyCorp, is a regional bank headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and is the only major bank based in Cleveland. KeyBank is one of the largest banks in the United States. Key's customer base spans retail, small b ...

, as part of the

Cleveland Metroparks Cleveland Metroparks is an extensive system of nature preserves in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. Eighteen reservations, which largely encircle the city of Cleveland, follow along the shore of Lake Erie and the rivers and creeks that flow through the ...

' 100th anniversary. The installation includes over two dozen stations.

Sacramento

The

Sacramento Zoo The Sacramento Zoo is a zoo located in William Land Park in Sacramento, California. It opened on June 2, 1927, with 40 animals. At that time, it occupied , which remained the case until the early 1960s when the zoo expanded to its current . , the ...

issues keys in multiple colors and animal shapes. As of 2011, keys were available as orange tigers, gold giraffes, and yellow lions.

Other locations

* Audubon Zoo New Orleans * Belle Isle Children's Zoo and Aquarium *

Cincinnati Zoo The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is the sixth oldest zoo in the United States, founded in 1873 and officially opening in 1875. It is located in the Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. It originally began with in the middle of the c ...

Como Park Zoo The Como Park Zoo and Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (or just Como Zoo and Conservatory) are located in Como Park at 1225 Estabrook Drive, Saint Paul, Minnesota. The park, zoo and conservatory are owned by the City of Saint Paul and are a divisio ...

* Crandon Park Zoo *

Detroit Zoo The Detroit Zoo is a zoo located in Royal Oak, Michigan, spanning 125 acres and housing more than 2,000 animals and more than 245 different species. It was the first U.S. zoo to feature bar-less habitats, and is regarded to be an international ...

Fort Worth Zoo The Fort Worth Zoo is a zoo in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, that was founded in 1909 with one lion, two bear cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a peacock and a few rabbits. The zoo now is home to 7,000 native and exotic animals and has been nam ...

Indianapolis Zoo The Indianapolis Zoo is a non-profit zoo, public aquarium, and botanical garden in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Incorporated in 1944, the Indianapolis Zoological Society established the first zoo at George Washington Park in 1964. The c ...

Louisville Zoo The Louisville Zoological Gardens, commonly known as the Louisville Zoo, is a zoo in Louisville, Kentucky, situated in the city's Poplar Level neighborhood. Founded in 1969, the "State Zoo of Kentucky" currently exhibits over 1,700 animals in na ...

Oakland Zoo The Oakland Zoo is a zoo located in the Grass Valley neighborhood of Oakland, California, United States. Established on June 6, 1922, it is managed by the Conservation Society of California, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the ...

* Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo *

Oregon Zoo The Oregon Zoo, originally the Portland Zoo and later the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon, approximately southwest of downtown Portland. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi Ri ...

* Portland Zoo *

Potawatomi Zoo The Potawatomi Zoo is a zoological park located in South Bend, Indiana, United States. The Zoo is nestled in Potawatomi Park between the St. Joseph River and the Grand Trunk railroad in the east side neighborhood of River Park. Founded in 1921, ...

Reid Park Zoo The Reid Park Zoo, founded in 1967, is a city-owned and operated non-profit zoo located within Reid Park in Tucson, Arizona. The zoo features more than 500 animals. It was unofficially established in 1965 by Gene Reid, the parks and recreation d ...

* San Diego Safari Park * Toledo Zoo & Aquarium *

Turtle Back Zoo Turtle Back Zoo is a zoo in West Orange, New Jersey. Situated on in the South Mountain Reservation, it is part of the South Mountain Recreation Complex, which is managed as part of the Essex County Park System, the oldest county park system in ...

* Woodland Park Zoo Seattle, Wa. *

Zoo Miami The Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens, also known as Zoo Miami, is a zoological park and garden near Miami and is the largest zoo in Florida. Originally established in 1948 at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Zoo Miami relocated in 1980 as Miami ...

*Storyland (Fresno, California) *Deer Forest (Coloma, Michigan; permanently closed)

System longevity

Keys were sold with the intent that children would hold on to them and bring them back on subsequent visits to the zoo. This has continued to be true over the many years that the system has been in use. There are 50-year-old keys which still work in modern-day storybook devices. Children's Fairyland executive director C.J. Hirschfield noted, "I constantly hear from 30-, 40- and 50-somethings, 'I still have my key!' And I always reply, 'And it still works!

Keys as memorabilia

Old keys have become collectable, with typical keys being worth anywhere from a few dollars to $225 for highly prized and rare examples. One notable collector, Mark Lyons, got his first key at the Detroit Zoo during a grade school field trip. The advent of

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led to him collecting the keys and he estimates he has 350–400 keys from various zoos.