Alameda Girl, 9, Uses AI To Turn Ordinary Home Depot Skeleton Into 'Uncle Murray'

ALAMEDA, CA — The sky bruised a soft blue as towering clouds suspended over rumbling cars along Lincoln Avenue, its drivers eager to make a stop at the sight of the unusual sight.

A confident voice explodes from the skinless wonder. He's wearing a flannel, an apron and donning a look that would inspire 2012 to call and ask for its haircut and beard back.

At first listen, each word coming from its bony mouth may sound odd: He claims to have a pink dolphin best friend, fuzzy pink slippers and a labcoat from his job as a scientist — when he was still alive, of course.

But of course, each word and phrase is actually part of a meticulous project that nine-year-old Nathalie Chabas worked on with her father, Jim, to bring an ordinary Halloween decoration into the delightful and remarkably intact skeleton known as "Uncle Murray."

"She defined his soul in some ways," Jim told Patch. "AI asked her, 'Hey, who should Uncle Murray be?' and she defined him. She gave him the personality of who he is supposed to be."

Barebones

Nathalie's father didn't believe it could be done.

The two were walking through a Home Depot last month when they happened upon "John The Last Call Mixologist," a skeleton Halloween display with glowing red eyes and a cocktail glass.

John came with five spooky phrases, but they all referenced alcohol. Nathalie didn't understand the references. Not very family-oriented, Jim thought.

But they bought him anyway, with Nathalie hoping she could give him a new lease on life.

For weeks, without any engineering background, Nathalie and Jim tinkered with Claude. They asked if there was any way they could customize John, and to Jim's surprise, the AI model built a checklist of every item the duo would need to create "Uncle Murray."

After getting the necessary parts, Nathalie quickly began working on the skeleton. She found which wires move his arms, which activate the lights in his eyes, picked out a voice and gave him a new "brain."

At first, the skeleton talked too fast. Other times, it would stop listening, Nathalie said.

Fixing each problem one step at a time, eventually, "Uncle Murray," named after a character in the book "Bad Kitty vs Uncle Murray," was brought to life and placed in her front yard to share with the world.

One evening, she left for soccer. When she came back home, there were about 20 people in her front yard talking with Uncle Murray, Nathalie said.

“I just like seeing them,” Nathalie said. They have funny conversations.”

The funniest conversation she’s witnessed was someone asking Uncle Murray why his mustache was so long, Nathalie said.

“But he doesn’t know he has a mustache, so he said he doesn’t have a mustache,” Nathalie said. I keep telling people that he hasn’t looked in the mirror for a while.”

The Frontyard Shift

Nathalie sits nervously at the kitchen table, answering question after question from reporters on a gloomy Wednesday afternoon in October.

It's almost Halloween, and community members can't stop walking past her home to catch a glimpse of her creation.

The nine-year-old's look appears reserved, stealing quick, reassuring glances at her father each time she answers questions about the project.

But Uncle Murray's voice lingers outside. It can be heard every few minutes, followed by a trickle of laughter. People are visiting the former scientist, turned, well, into a dead scientist.

Outside, Uncle Murray’s sensor knows when someone is approaching. His eyes instantly light up red.

Visitors are encouraged to talk about their costumes, but the possibilities are endless.

While on his front yard shifts, Uncle Murray now reminisces about his best friend, Bubbles, asks what people are dressed as and breaks down his excitement for the upcoming Halloween trick-or-treaters.

He even asks if anyone has questions about his “falling down the stairs.”

But there was one question he couldn’t seem to answer: Who did he want to become the next Alameda mayor in the upcoming elections?

“Ha!” Uncle Murray laughed loudly. “That’s way above my pay grade.”

“Just a skeleton handing out candy and jokes.”

Uncle Murray can be found in the 3000 block of Lincoln Avenue in Alameda. Nathalie's project can also be followed online here.