Edison's Phonograph Doll is a children's toy

doll A doll is a model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and wood are foun ...

developed by the Edison Phonograph Toy Manufacturing Company (founded by William W. Jacques and Lowell Briggs in 1887) introduced in 1890. The original doll was invented by

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...

in 1877. The 22-inch doll featured a miniature removable phonograph that played a single nursery rhyme. Although 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. In 2015, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in collaboration with the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

, 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 The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

website.

Gallery

File:Twinkle, twinkle little star 1 (1888).ogg, ''Twinkle, twinkle little star'' (1888) File:Hickory Dickory (1889).oga, ''Hickory Dickory'' (1889) File:Twinkle, twinkle little star 2 (1890).ogg, ''Twinkle, twinkle little star'' (1890) File:There was a little girl (1890).ogg, ''There was a little girl'' (1890) File:Twinkle, twinkle little star 3 (1890).ogg, ''Twinkle, twinkle little star'' (1891) File:LIttle Jack Horner (1890).oga, ''Little Jack Horner'' (1890) File:Now I lay me down to sleep (1890).ogg, ''Now I lay me down to sleep'' (1890) File:Jack and Jill (1890).ogg, ''Jack and Jill'' (1890)

References

Products introduced in 1890 Doll brands Thomas Edison 1890s toys United States National Recording Registry recordings {{Doll-stub