Episode 23: Before Chatty Cathy, Edison Gave Us the Ultimate Creepy Doll
Description
Before Chatty Cathy made us flinch, the Wizard of Menlo Park not only perfected the lightbulb, he also gave us a creepy humanoid with a nightmarish shrill. Have you ever heard of Thomas Edison’s talking dolls?
Credit:
For this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Paul Israel, the director and general editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers at Rutgers University and Patrick Feaster, a three-time Grammy nominee and specialist in the history, culture, and preservation of early sound media, including Edison’s recordings.
Sources:
Origins of Sound Recording: Edison's Path to the Phonograph; Feaster, Patrick; Thomas Edison National Historic Park; Retrieved September 2018.
Edison Talking Doll Recordings, 1888-1890; National Park Service; Retrieved September 2018.
Edison: A Life of Invention; Israel, Paul; John Wiley & Sons; February 11, 2000.
Thomas Edison’s Greatest Inventions; Bellis, Mary; ThoughtCo.; September 24, 2018.
Thomas Edison’s Creepiest Invention: The Talking Doll; Hartzman, Mark; Weird Historian; May 10, 2017.
Listen to the creepy voices of Thomas Edison’s talking dolls; Starr, Michelle; C/NET; May 5, 2015.
Hear Edison Talking Doll Sound Recordings; Thomas Edison National Historic Park; Retrieved September 2018.
United States
