Henry Dreyfuss' Princess Telephone | |
---|---|
Origin |
Henry Dreyfuss |
Type |
Princess Telephone |
Effects |
Answering the telephone leads to success |
Downsides |
Emptiness leads to suicide |
Activation |
Answering the phone |
Collected by |
|
Section |
|
Aisle |
Podium 9 |
Date of Collection |
October 6, 1972 |
[Source] |
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!"
Collection[]
Originally collected a day after Dreyfuss' suicide, this telephone was mistakenly identified as both the one belonging to Henry Dreyfuss as well as the one belonging to Martha Mitchell, due to being collected on the same day and the two artifacts having a similar appearance. The oversight went unnoticed for months, and in that time Mitchell's Telephone got lost in the mail and it's current whereabouts remain unknown.
Storage and Handling[]
Stored on a podium in the Dark Vault.
Neutralizer gloves are mandatory. While handling the artifact, make sure not to pick up the phone from its base to prevent accidental activation. If the artifact needs to be moved from its podium, place in a special neutralizer box with soundproof qualities.