The Doll

CONCEPT

The task was to design and implement a prototype of an interactive digital audio experience. The experience should make imaginative use of audio by using one or more sensors to trigger or control audio elements.

A hand-painted, soft-sculpture “talking doll” that flips cute into uncanny. It listens and moves with you, whispering to quiet rooms, chirping with mid-level noise, and dropping a distorted growl when you get loud. Movement triggers a layered soundscape (lo-fi pulses, poured-water swells, slowed “glass” crashes). Built to probe that sweet spot where nostalgia gets weird.

IDEATION

The inspiration for this project came from videos on my instagram feed showcasing talking dolls from the 1990s and early 2000s. These toys were deeply nostalgic for me from my childhood, but looking at them now with adult eyes made me realise they also carried an eerie, uncanny quality.

I have always been particularly interested in exploring the intersection between the cute and the monstrous.. Traditionally “cute” is associated with innocence, sweetness and charm while “monstrous” could be seen as immoral, wrong, large and ugly. Seemingly opposite to each other.1 Despite this, they are more similar than one might think. Dolls and creatures like the Furby demonstrate this ambiguity: oversized eyes and exaggerated voices evoke attachment but also unsettle. Furby’s relentless gibberish speech, for example, blurred the line between endearing companion and disturbing machine. Because of how Furby’s straddled the line between cute and monstrous, there has been a proliferation of online communities that reframe and reimagine the Furby as an even more monstrous creature.2

The Doll has been designed to tap into uncomfortable nostalgia by subverting the expectations of childhood playthings. Using sound, structure, and interaction, I designed a digital audio experience that explores the uncanny valley, between cuteness and monstrous.

1. Brzozowska-Brywczyńska, Maja. “Monstrous/Cute. Notes on the Ambivalent Nature of Cuteness. Monsters and the Monstrous.” In Monsters and the Monstrous, Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil. Edited by Niall Scott; Rodopi. January 2007. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334798740_MonstrousCute_Notes_on_the_Ambivalent_Nature_of_Cuteness

2. Caudwell, Catherine Barbara. 2014. “Cute and Monstrous Furbys in Online Fan Production”. M/C Journal 17 (2). https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.787

The classic 1998 Furby doll. Sourced from: https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/1360981272/very-rare-furby-baby-1999-cor-al-furby?click_key=b3787b8db16f8e358744e47aa9d3afda-7ca165c1%3A1360981272&click_sum=90fb266a&external=1&rec_type=ss&ref=pla_similar_listing_top-2

An example of how contemporary audiences are experimenting with the Furby aesthetic from cult instagram Long Furby Fam. June 20, 2025. https://www.instagram.com/p/DLFyY7gRM0v/

WORKFLOW

1. Sound Design
The Doll responds to two types of interaction:

• Audio input: Talk-back phrases triggered by sound levels (soft, medium, loud).

  • Soft: Whispered “Who’s there?” with heavy echo, for quiet spaces.

  • Medium: High-pitched “UWU,” exaggeratedly cute and obnoxious.

  • Loud: Deep, pitched-down “Yo, chill out,” designed to startle.

• Movement input: Background layers triggered by the accelerometer (front/back/left/right).

  • Backwards: Layered plastic gemstones pitched down to mimic glass shattering.

  • Forwards: Layered recordings of water pouring, blended with Scratchpad-generated tones.

  • Left/Right: Simple ascending/descending tones to complement the other layers.

This dual system draws inspiration from Pipilotti Rist’s experimental soundscapes, where rhythmic repetition and distortion blur the line between playful and unsettling.3 The mix of lofi-style beats with violent smashing reinforces the conceptual space between cuteness and monstrosity.

2. Construction

• Exterior: Calico body stuffed with cotton and painted with oils.

• Micro:bit (with accelerometer + external microphone)

• Breadboard + battery pack mounted on wood frame for stability

• Internal Bluetooth speaker for independent playback

• Connectivity: Micro:bit sends keystroke signals via Bluetooth to Pure Data, which triggers mapped sound files.

3 Huang, Banyi. “Edging Closer...But Not Quite There: Pipilotti Rist at the New Museum” White Hot Magazine. November 2016. https://whitehotmagazine.com/articles/pipilotti-rist-at-new-museum/3559

Still from I’m Not the Girl Who Misses Much. 1986. Pipilotti Rist. Single channel video. Sourced from: “Pipilotti Rist: Sip my Ocean” Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Accessed May 17 2023. https://www.mca.com.au/pipilotti-rist/ Can be watched at: https://youtu.be/hjvWXiUp1hI

3. Software Development

• Programmed Micro:bit to separate accelerometer and sound levels into trigger zones.

• Used Pure Data to control playback, add panning/volume, and prevent sound reset loops.

• Integrated Scratchpad VST within Reaper to create simple lofi basslines and tonal accents.4

4. Iteration & Problem-Solving

• Initial sound layering (smashing glass + humming) was reworked after testing. Shifted to lofi beats for balance.

• Consultation with tutors led to embedding a Bluetooth speaker inside the doll, resolving independence of sound output.

• Refined logic in Pure Data to handle overlapping triggers and ensure smoother interaction.

I created an interactive doll that not only looks striking but also embodies my concept of something “hideously cute and monstrously beautiful.” The layered sound responses, though simple, work well together without needing a set order, and experimenting with Scratchpad to create musical effects was especially empowering.

There are areas for refinement, such as adjusting sound level detection to make the loud response easier to trigger, smoothing playback to avoid sound resets, and exploring more original or complex melodies beyond Scratchpad. Interestingly, the doll sometimes loops into endless “UWU” phrases, echoing Furby’s chaotic energy, which actually enhances the sense of playful madness. In the future, I could imagine scaling this into a whole room of dolls, each with unique sounds colliding in surreal harmony, but for now I’m content to enjoy her as my own bizarrely charming Bluetooth speaker.

4. Reaper Mania. “Creating a LoFi Track - Scratchpad in REAPER” Kenny Gioia. March 8, 2023. YouTube. https://youtu.be/5f40CwuYEno