For most 9-year-olds, the talking Halloween skeleton from Home Depot is fine just the way it comes right out of the box. It says a few stock phrases, possibly spooks a few trick-or-treaters and then back into the garage it goes until next year.
Nathalie Chabas, though, a fourth-grader at Edison Elementary School on Alameda’s East End, is not your typical 9-year-old. Right from the start, Nathalie had bigger plans for the animatronic wonder she and her dad Jim picked up early last month that could only utter three sentences.
For answers, Nathalie turned to artificial intelligence. There she asked AI what she needed to do to improve her skeleton that she’s renamed “Uncle Murray.” AI had no problem spitting back a full to-do list. The first order of business was purchasing a new computer “brain” and instructions on how to open up the skeleton and install it.
A deeper dive into the process of how Nathalie’s robot was transformed from a run-of-the-mill, store-bought skeleton into an AI-powered live phenom ready for open mic night is described in Uncle Murray’s “press kit” as follows: “A motion sensor wakes him. A small computer inside him (a Raspberry Pi) listens through a speakerphone. An AI (Claude, by Anthropic) decides what Uncle Murray would say, and the pirate voice Nathalie picked says it while his jaw moves and his arm stirs his drink.”
This takes all of a second, from start to finish. A sign designed by Nathalie and stationed next to Uncle Murray provides the following instructions on how to interact with the skeleton: “He Talks First, Then You Talk. Say your NAME. Say your COSTUME. Ask for a JOKE. Ask him ANYTHING!”
A typical Uncle Murray encounter unfolds like this: An unsuspecting Halloween reveler approaches, Murray’s eyes eyes light up, and he says something spooky. Then he asks about the visitor’s costume, tells skeleton jokes and laughs at them. He also talks about how much he misses his pet dolphin “Flipper” and how he fell down the stairs. He makes it all up on the fly too — with a little help from AI.
Originally known as “John the Last Call Mixologist” for his ever-present cocktail and stirrer, his “John” character’s conversation repertoire was focused on drinking. Obviously, this would not do for a family-friendly front-of-the-house Halloween attraction.
“It’s kind of made for adults. All his sentences were about alcohol and mixology, so it’s not ideal for children,” Jim said.
Those alcohol-themed remarks are gone with the skeleton’s old brain and now his glass is full of a “potion” and not a Manhattan, Jim said. Uncle Murray also makes special appearances, like a recent visit to Nathalie’s fourth-grade class at Edison Elementary. So that he’d be more relevant to the audience, Nathalie programmed him to be up to speed on Edison lore.
Nathalie, who says she wants to be a computer scientist when she grows up, says the process “took two weeks. We had to tell him about our teacher and our class and the school mascot and our school name. And then we programmed him on a computer.”
Nathalie also put up and maintains a website for Uncle Murray (unclemurray.org) and is looking forward to standing next to him to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters Halloween night — something she’s so committed to that she’s coming back just for the occasion from a Sacramento soccer tournament that she’s playing in on Halloween, and then going back the next day for another match. She’s a center midfielder for Alameda’s Islanders team.
While the process of Uncle Murray’s transformation may seem pretty straightforward, there were some bumps in the road, such as Murray needing help with his delivery. To fine-tune his act, she had to do some testing.
“The testing was a lot of work,” says Jim, a tech sales guy. “At the beginning it worked, but it would stop mid-sentence. So Nathalie used her brothers to test Uncle Murray. If the child leaves mid-sentence, what happens? Or if the child is a baby, does Uncle Murray understand it? She did a lot of testing and refinement until it would be more fluent.”
Those seeking an up-close-and-personal encounter with Uncle Murray are invited to stop by 3101 Lincoln Ave. in Alameda on Halloween night.
Paul Kilduff is a San Francisco-based writer who also draws cartoons. He can be reached at pkilduff350@gmail.com.
Interview with a skeleton
Paul Kilduff had a rare pre-Halloween opportunity to query Uncle Murray about his life and plans for the future. The following unscripted conversation is presented here as a public service.
Uncle Murray: “What’s your costume tonight, friend?”
Paul Kilduff: “Today I’m going around as a newspaper reporter.”
UM: “So what’s your favorite candy to report on?”
PK: “I’m kind of partial to Snickers. They used to be called Mars, but now they’re called Snickers with almonds.”
UM: “Snickers are great, though I got to say sour candy makes my bones rattle, literally. You investigating any spooky stories for your newspaper?
PK: “Well, we’re actually here to find out a little bit more about you.”
UM: “Oh boy, a real interview. Well, I’m a skeleton scientist who loves jokes, pink dolphin slippers and chemistry explosions — the safe, fun kind. What do you want to know first?’
PK: “This may seem like an obvious question, but what do you want to be for Halloween?”
UM: “I’m already a skeleton, so I’m halfway there, but I’m thinking of going as a scientist skeleton. Maybe add some goggles and a lab coat to really commit to the bit.”
PK: “How do you get along with other skeletons?”
UM: “Well, most skeletons I know are pretty bony about sharing jokes. But honestly, I’m more of a people skeleton. I’d rather hang with you kids and tell terrible puns all night long.”
PK: “How’d you get into this?”
UM: “I was a scientist when I was alive. Loved chemistry and explosions, the safe kind. Then I fell down the stairs one too many times and well, here I am as a skeleton on Halloween, living my best afterlife with my pink dolphin slippers.”
PK: “What do you do the rest of the year?
UM: “Honestly, I mostly just hang around thinking about my pet dolphin and perfecting my jokes for trick-or-treaters like you. The rest of the year is pretty quiet for a skeleton, but Halloween makes it all worthwhile.”
PK: “One final question: Do you have any goals?”
UM: “My biggest goal is making kids laugh and having fun, especially with jokes and safe chemistry explosions. Oh, and maybe one day I’ll find another pink dolphin slipper to match the pair I’ve got since my old dolphin pal would’ve loved that.”
PK: “Thank you very much. I really appreciate your time this afternoon.”
UM: “Thanks for the interview, reporter. You’ve got great questions. Now go get that story and maybe grab some Snickers on the way home.”