Edison's Phonographic Doll

The new "talking doll industry," established upon the basis of the Edison phonograph, has reached such proportions as to entitle it to more than a passing notice. At Orange, N. J.,. within a short walk of the world-renowned laboratory of Edison, are located a number of buildings occupying a ground space of many acres, in which over 500 people are engaged in the manufacture of the phonograph in its two principal forms, one of which is the commercial instruument repeatedly descibed in our columns, the other the phonographic doll, which we now present to our readers for the first time. This interesting toy forms an attractive object at the the Exhibition of the Wonders of Electricity now in progerss at the Lenox Lyceum, in this city.

As near as we can judge from a tour of the works, about one-half of the plant is devoted to the doll industry. Necessarily much of the mechanism of the doll is made in the regular phonograph works; but the adjustments, the manufacture of the record cylinders which determine the story which the doll shall tell, as well as the packing and shpping, are all conducted in an extensive buiding exclusively devoted to the manufacture of talking doll.

The finished doll, shown in the upper left hand figure of our engraving, has the same appearance as other dolls; but its body is made of tin, and the interior thereof is filled with mechanism very much like that of the commercial phonograph, but of course much more simple and inexpensive.

The cylinder of the phonograph of the talking doll is mounted on a sleeve which slides upon the shaft, the sleeve being screw-threaded so as to cause the cylinder to move lengthwise of the shaft. A key is provided by which the cylinder may be thrown out of engagement with the segmental nut, and a spiral spring is provided for returning the cylinder to the point of starting. The cylinder carries a ring of wax-like material, upon which is recorded the speech or song to be repeated by the doll. Upon the same shaft with the record cylinder there is a large pulley wich carries a belt for driving the flywheel shaft at the lower part of the phonographic apparatus. The key is fitted to the main shaft, by which the phonographic cylinder is rotated, and the flywheel tends to maintain a uniform speed.

Above the record cylinder is arranged a diaphragm, such as is used in the regular phonograph, carrying a reproducing stylus, which is mounted on a lever in the same manner as the regular phonograph. The funnel at the top of the phonographic aparatus opens underneath the breast of the doll, which is perforated to permit the sound to escape. By the simple operation o turning the crank any child can make the doll say "Mary had a little lamb," "Jack and Jill," or whatever is was, so to speak, taught to say in the phonograph factory.

In passing through the works it is noticeable that order and system reign in every department. Everything is done upon the American, or "piece," system. The tools and machinery here used are the finest procurable. Every piece without regard to its size or importance is carefully inspected by aid of standard gauges, so that when the parts are brought together, no additional work is required to cause them to act properly.

The works of the doll are to some extent adjustable, and any adjustment necessary is effected in an extensive department in which the little phonographs are received form the assembling rooms. Here they receive the finishing touches, and are passed on to another room where they are placed in the bodies of the dolls. From this department the finished dolls pass on to the packing room, where they are carefully stored away in boxes having on their labels the name of the story the doll is able to repeat. This department is illustrated below in our engraving.

This engraving shows the manner of preparing the wax-like records for the phonographic dolls. They are placed upon an instrument very much like an ordinary phonograph, and in the mouth of which a girls speaks the words to be repeated by the doll. A large number of these girls are continually doing this work. Each one has a stall to herself, and the jangle produced by a number of girls simultaneously repeating, "Mary had a little lamb," "Jack and Jill," "Little Bo-peep," and other interesting stories is beyond description. These sounds united with the sounds of the phonographs themselves when reproducing the stories make a veritable pandemonium.

The manufacture of this interesting toy calls into requisition the skill of mechanics in almost every branch, and is has necessitated the construction of new tools which are interesting of themselves. Mr. Batchelor, engineer of the Edison laboratory and works, and Mr. English, manager of the phonograph works, are continually devising means for facilitating the manufacture of these interesting toys. The factory has at present a capacity for making about 500 talking dolls a day.