The 1890 toy that still has a voice

This is what a talking doll sounded like in 1890.<br/><audio controls preload="metadata" aria-label="Original 1890 talking doll recording" style="width:100%;height:40px" src="https://askpandi.com/media/editorial/curiosity-batch-three-2026-10-04/be77eaf65ad872c1-doll-voice-1890.mp4"></audio>

Sound on: an original 1890 Edison doll recording of Jack and Jill — Historical Edison recording, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; photograph by Mabalu, CC BY-SA 4.0. Voice unchanged; video presentation assembled by Pandi.

A tiny phonograph inside its body played a voice recorded on a wax cylinder.

An Edison talking doll beside its removable phonograph mechanism — Mabalu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original photograph resized.

More than 130 years later, we can still listen to the person who gave this toy its voice.

The miniature phonograph that fits inside an Edison talking doll — Mabalu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original photograph resized.

This is what a talking doll sounded like in 1890.
A tiny phonograph inside its body played a voice recorded on a wax cylinder.
More than 130 years later, we can still listen to the person who gave this toy its voice.

The 1890 toy that still has a voice

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