Zoo key
A zoo key is a large novelty key used to activate talking storybooks at American zoos. These were used by various zoos, largely in the latter half of the 20th century, as part of a system which played audio recordings describing exhibits. The keys were typically made from brightly colored plastic in the shape of animals, although some zoos issued the keys in non-animal shapes. The first generation of keys were in the shape of an elephant, with the trunk being the blade of the key. This was commonly known as "Trunkey the Elephant" (sometimes spelled Trunky). At the Cleveland Zoo, it was called "Packey". Installations included zoos in Portland (see Packy), San Francisco, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, New Orleans, and New York. Children's Fairyland The system was invented and patented by Bruce Sedley (1925–2012), in response to a request from William Penn Mott of the Oakland, California, Park Department. Originally known as "Talking Storybooks", (and implemented with a different shaped key), the first version of the system was installed at Children's Fairyland in 1958. Predating the Talking Storybooks, Children's Fairyland had a similar system based on coin-operated record players, which would frequently break down. Sedley devised a more reliable