Initially, the toy had an appearance of a flower bud. When a key attached to it was wound up, the bud opened to reveal a dancing mouse as a dance tune played.
On the evening of Olivia's birthday, her father, who is yet to give her the present, instructs her to close her eyes before retrieving a toy resembling a flower bud from a cupboard. He then winds up a key attached to the toy, and Olivia watches as it turns into a mouse ballerina that dances in front of her, to her delight.
When Fidget kidnaps Mr. Flaversham and takes him to Professor Ratigan, the mouse ballerina is also taken to Ratigan, who later examines the dancing doll, telling Flaversham, whom he has forced to work on a project for him, that he plans to bring Olivia to where her father is imprisoned without consent from the father. When Flaversham refuses, Ratigan picks up the doll and, in a fit of rage, squeezes it so hard, causing its head to pop out before yelling at him to get back to work.
