Henry Dreyfuss' Princess Telephone

A Princess telephone owned by its inventor, Henry Dreyfuss, at the time of his death. It can be seen on a pedestal in the Dark Vault in the episode Breakdown.

Origin
Henry Dreyfuss (March 2, 1904 - October 5, 1972) was an American industrial designer. His ideas on making consumer products look, feel and easier to use helped shoot him up the ladder of success. He applied a scientific approach to design problems and fixed them. He has 19 designs which are among his most significant, including the Princess Telephone, which he invented in 1959. On October 5, 1972, Dreyfuss and his wife, who was dying of a terminal illness, committed suicide in their home by self-inflicting carbon monoxide poisoning in their car.

Effects
The Princess Telephone absorbed both Dreyfuss' creative problem-solving success and his pain. The display reads, "Answering the Telephone leads to success, but emptiness leads to suicide." This means that anyone who answers it will become very successful, probably in the same way that Dreyfuss did; however, the emptiness of having no more desires leads the victim to commit suicide. Every time it is approached, the Phone rings and a voice screams "Pick me up! Pick me up!"