Dec
16

Thomas Edison’s Demon Dolls

The perfect gift for any child!

Just in time for Christmas, the sixth season of the award-winning Sidedoor podcast begins with the tale of a misguided attempt to create a lifelike baby doll. Paging Dr. Frankenstein…

Graphic for Sidedoor 6.0 showing blonde doll under Christmas tree

In 1890, Americans were delighted when they heard the news that Thomas Edison was using his phonograph technology to give voice to porcelain dolls. But their delight turned to horror when they got their hands on his dolls. In this episode of Sidedoor, we’ll hear a short story that imagines what happens when two little girls receive one of Edison’s talking dolls as a holiday gift. We’ll also hear from an expert from the National Museum of American history who introduces us to one of the surviving dolls.

Listen now:

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Posted: 16 December 2020
About the Author:

Jessica Sadeq has worked in the Central Office of Public Affairs since June 2007. She is the Marketing Manager for the Office of Communications and External Affairs.