Edison's Little Monsters

This week, we find out why some ideas are better left on the drawing board. Thomas Edison, the inventor behind the light bulb and phonograph, thought it would be a great idea to make dolls talk. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. What was supposed to be a groundbreaking toy turned into a nightmare, with dolls spewing scratchy, eerie nursery rhymes that left children and parents terrified. And you know if it creeped the Victorians out, it was seriously creepy. So grab your phonographs and ready your ears for some serious nightmare fuel!See photos discussed in this episode on our instagramFollow us on tiktok for videos that cover a condensed version of each topic!VIDEO:ItWorks - How does a record player work with sound…RECORDINGS:Wikipedia - Edison’s Phonograph DollSOURCES: Wikipedia - PhonographSmithsonian - Edison Talking Dollnpca.org - The World’s First Talking DollsSmithsonian Magazine - The Epic Failure of Thomas Edison’s Talking DollThe Henry Ford - Edison Talking Doll, 1889-1890Smithsonian Magazine - How Porcelain Dolls Became the Ultimate Victorian Status SymbolReddit - "Victorian Mourning Dolls"- Where's The Evidence?Burials and Beyond - The World of Victorian Grave DollsThe Order of the Good Death - Cabinet of Curiosities: Victorian Death Dolls Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 30, 2024

What this episode covers

This week, we find out why some ideas are better left on the drawing board. Thomas Edison, the inventor behind the light bulb and phonograph, thought it would be a great idea to make dolls talk. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. What was supposed to be a groundbreaking toy turned into a nightmare, with dolls spewing scratchy, eerie nursery rhymes that left children and parents terrified. And you know if it creeped the Victorians out, it was seriously creepy. So grab your phonographs and ready your ears for some serious nightmare fuel!See photos discussed in this episode on our instagramFollow us on tiktok for videos that cover a condensed version of each topic!VIDEO:ItWorks - How does a record player work with sound…RECORDINGS:Wikipedia - Edison’s Phonograph DollSOURCES: Wikipedia - PhonographSmithsonian - Edison Talking Dollnpca.org - The World’s First Talking DollsSmithsonian Magazine - The Epic Failure of Thomas Edison’s Talking DollThe Henry Ford - Edison Talking Doll, 1889-1890Smithsonian Magazine - How Porcelain Dolls Became the Ultimate Victorian Status SymbolReddit - "Victorian Mourning Dolls"- Where's The Evidence?Burials and Beyond - The World of Victorian Grave DollsThe Order of the Good Death - Cabinet of Curiosities: Victorian Death Dolls Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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This episode was published on May 30, 2024.

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