She's A Doll!

Volume 3 of Raymond Scott's groundbreaking ambient electronic album series, SOOTHING SOUNDS FOR BABY, features a track titled "Little Miss Echo." In 1962, about a year before the series was released, a high-tech doll of the same name was introduced by the American Character Doll Company. Built into the Little Miss's chest was a miniature battery-powered tape machine controlled by a knob styled to look like a bow; the device would repeat up to 25 seconds of speech.

Scott had two young daughters at the time, and I speculated they might have owned the doll, but they don't recall it. Considering his lifelong fixation with all aspects of sound recording, it's likely Scott was intrigued by the novelty toy. Perhaps he was inspired by this creepy TV commercial, or maybe it was just a coincidence. At any rate, Raymond would be shocked to know he himself is now a doll.

Bump In The Night

Adult Swim, the adult-oriented cable TV network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network at night, features shows and commercial breaks that are interrupted by creative bumpers that use short jokes or Internet fan feedback, usually broadcast in simple white letters over a black screen.

If you took a bathroom break and missed them, here's a trio of bumps featuring a mutated mix of Raymond Scott's "In The Hall Of The Mountain Queen" obsessively archived at BumpWorthy.com.

Egg Money

These two clever commercials for the UK-based Egg Bank have been perched on the web (and forgotten about, by us) for several years. Both spots feature super furry animals—in fact, some of the top names in the guinea pig acting community.

The musical scores are by Raymond Scott—specifically, two licensed tracks from Manhattan Research, Inc.: "Domino" and "Baltimore Gas & Electric," both composed and recorded in the early 1960s. Ironic that two works intended by Scott for commercials wound up almost 50 years later being used in ... commercials.

Jingle Workshop for hire

Paper 9" x 12" insert, included with promo-only LP, The Jingle Workshop Invites You To Listen To "Demo-A," a non-electronic "collection of jingles and musical commercials composed and musically produced by Raymond Scott" (ca. mid-1950s). Faded felt-tip line art per the original. If interested in having Scott record for you a charming jingle, contact Chuck Barclay at PLaza-7-5685.