Rosebud: a place for interaction between memory, story, and self

The paper explores digital augmentation of "keepsake objects" in order to enhance their inherent emotional value for an individual. We define keepsake objects as objects which hold personal significance to an individual. In particular, we focus on their use as holders of stories, memories, and identity. We describe the cognitive, social, and psychological aspects of one design implementation, Rosebud, which links children's stories to their stuffed animals. Rosebud takes advantage of the natural characteristics of stuffed animals, namely, their story evoking nature and appeal to girls, to create a gender neutral interactive storytelling system.