Dolls That Talk... And Some That Listen

Twenty Thousand Hertz

Dallas Taylor

Music, Design, Arts, Music Commentary

4.8 • 4.1K Ratings

🗓️ 7 March 2017

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Talking dolls have been around for over a century, but the fascination with making inanimate objects seem human reaches back into our early history. What is it about creating a companion that can interact with us, especially for a child, that fascinates us so? And what will that look like as our technology continues to advance? Featuring Carlene Stephens, Curator for the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and Claire Gartland of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. Check out Defacto Sound, the studios that produced Twenty Thousand Hertz, hosted by Dallas Taylor. Consider supporting the show at donate.20k.org Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/dolls Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	From de facto sound, you're listening to 20,000 Hertz.
0:06.6	The stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds.
0:10.4	I'm Dallas Taylor.
0:12.1	This is the story behind dolls that talk and some that listen.
0:15.9	Will you play with me?
0:17.7	That's being a stash of all.
0:19.9	I'm so stupid.
0:21.3	Can you and I be friends?
0:24.8	I'm not like you.
0:26.0	I'm not like you.
0:31.0	Talking dolls have been around for over a century,
0:34.8	but the fascination with making inanimate objects seem human reaches back into our early history.
0:41.0	What is it about creating a companion that can interact with us, especially for a child that fascinates us?
0:48.0	One of the first people to create a talking doll was Thomas Edison in the late 1800s.
0:53.8	He used a small version of his phonograph and worked with toy makers to make a doll that would house it.
0:59.6	My name is Carlene Stevens.
1:01.4	I'm a curator in the Division of Work and Industry at the National Museum of American History.
1:08.8	We have an Edison talking doll in our collection here.
1:12.4	It's one of only a handful that have survived.
1:17.4	Our's for some reason has no hair, no clothes, except shoes and socks.
1:24.6	It's also a very heavy doll.
1:27.0	I try to picture little girls or little boys carrying this thing around.
	...

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