Watch enough horror movies like 1988’s Child’s Play or 2014’s Annabelle and you’ll come to the conclusion that a creepy-looking doll is something to be avoided at all costs. Dolls and their vaguely lifelike features are unsettling at best, possessed with vengeful spirits and homicidal at worst. Show But films aren’t the only place where dolls have been charged with paranormal abilities or general mischief. History has logged a number of tiny porcelain or stuffed playthings that have been said to be doing the devil’s bidding. Here's a sampling of some tiny terrors. Twilight fans will recall that the film series concluded with the birth of the offspring of fang-crossed lovers Bella and Edward. In The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1 (2011), their baby, Renesmee, was represented by some questionable CGI. On set, she was embodied by a very peculiar-looking animatronic doll (above). That prop is now being accused of malevolent sentience by people near the Forever Twilight display at the Chamber of Commerce in Forks, Washington, where the movies are set. “One day she might be standing up straight, and the next, when you come in on another day, she’s in a weird position,” Lissy Andros, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, told Jezebel in 2020. “It’s like, is she moving around in there? We don’t know. But we tell everybody that the [display case] cover is on her for their protection.” Fortunately, Renesmee appears to be decomposing as a result of the fragile materials used to build her, so she likely won’t be around to disturb people for too much longer. This straw-stuffed moppet, with black eyes reminiscent of a shark’s, can be seen at the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida—though why anyone would want to is a mystery. Robert’s first owner was Robert Eugene Otto, whose grandfather bought the doll for his grandson in Germany as a gift. While residing with Otto, and with another owner after Otto's death in 1974, Robert was said to have appeared in windows, changed facial expressions, and played in the property’s attic. Recently, visitors to the museum have claimed they’ve fallen into misfortune after “disrespecting” the doll. Even souvenirs don’t appear to be safe from Robert’s influence: Musician Ozzy Osbourne once blamed his health issues on a replica Robert doll he purchased from the museum. Made famous in a series of films spun off from The Conjuring franchise, Annabelle herself is no work of fiction. As reported by Ed and Lorraine Warren, the famous paranormal investigators portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, Annabelle was actually a Raggedy Ann doll (a red-haired rag doll introduced in 1915) who was given as a gift to an unnamed nurse in 1970. After settling in, Annabelle began to shift around on her bed, leak blood, and leave handwritten notes imploring the nurse to “help me” and “help us.” According to Lorraine Warren, the nurse and her friends discovered that a young girl named Annabelle Higgins had died on the site of the apartment building they occupied when she was just 7 years old. The doll, then, was believed to be imbued with her spirit (the Warrens later determined the doll was being controlled by an "inhuman spirit" that was looking for a human host). Now located at the Warrens’ Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut, Annabelle has been blamed for a visitor’s fatal motorcycle accident. The man apparently taunted her before driving off to his fate. At the Quesnel and District Museum in Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada, visitors can come face to face with Mandy, a doll that so terrified her original owner that she was given up. As the story goes, Lisa Sorensen was given Mereanda, or Mandy, by her grandmother. Believing the doll was sinister, Sorensen gave it to the museum in 1991. Today, museum employees believe Mandy can follow them with her eyes, a possible result of having three-dimensional eye sockets that give the appearance of movement; attempts to record her have resulted in malfunctioning equipment. Visitors to Mannenji Temple in Hokkaido, Japan, are welcome to gaze upon Okiku, but no photography is allowed. As legend has it, the doll was originally purchased in 1918 by Eikichi Suzuki to give to his sister, Kikuko. The doll had a short haircut. When Kikuko tragically passed away the following year, Okiku’s hair began to grow out. When the family moved away in 1938, they gave Okiku to monks at the temple. Today, her hair is nearly down to her knees. Some observers also report that a close inspection of Okiku’s mouth reveals erupting teeth. Residents on the Island of the Dolls hang out. / Esparta Palma, Flickr // CC BY 2.0 Adventurous tourists near Mexico City can make a stop 17 miles south at La Isla de las Muñecas (Island of the Dolls), a tiny floating garden which is populated primarily by creepy dolls of every type. Local lore has it that the island’s caretaker, Don Julian Santana Barrera, once came across a young girl who had drowned (though some say he simply imagined her), then found a doll in the water he believed to have been owned by the girl. In tribute, he placed the doll on a tree and added more to begin a collection that grew until Barrera was found drowned in the same spot in 2001. Today, the property is awash in dolls in various stages of creepy disrepair, with some visitors believing the dolls are possessed. Fans of the animated hit Frozen (2013) know Elsa, the forlorn princess whose powers have relegated her to an endless winter. For a Houston family, buying an Elsa doll apparently relegated them to endless problems. The Madonias claimed that the mass-market doll inexplicably switched between English and Spanish voices, even when it was turned off. After throwing it away, Elsa inexplicably returned to the family home. The family stuffed the doll in two garbage bags and discarded it ... but Elsa returned a second time, none the worse for the wear. The family then mailed Elsa to a friend in Minnesota, where she appears to be content. For now. What are the top 5 haunted dolls?I was amazed at the backstory of the top 5 haunted dolls; Robert the Doll, Amanda, Pupa the Haunted Doll, Mandy the Doll, and the famous Annabelle Doll currently showcased in the Ed and Lorraine Warrens’ Occult Museum. Robert Eugene Otto is a painter and author who owned Robert ( Robert the Doll) in Key West, Florida. Why is Robert the Doll Cursed? Are haunted dolls a real thing?Yes, it’s not just dolls with haunted attachments. There are many random items with alleged haunting attachments, some examples are: The world of haunted dolls paints an eerie landscape of the paranormal. These dolls, each with their unique and chilling histories, have captured the attention of horror enthusiasts. What is the most famous doll of all time?1. The Annabelle Doll Arguably the most famous doll of all time is Annabelle. She is a Raggedy Ann doll who has inspired some of the greatest horror films to date, including The Conjuring and Annabelle. The doll is recognisable by her white and red dress, red hair and big evil eyes. Why is Roberts a famous haunted doll?Roberts is well known for his background story and this make him one of the Famous Haunted Dolls in the World. A word of caution: do not picture Robert without first obtaining permission, and do not offend Robert; the doll has a bad habit of keeping grudges. There are numerous accounts of people leaving the museum and being overwhelmed by tragedy. Which is the scariest doll in the world?Today, Robert and his teddy bear are housed in a glass case at the Fort East Martello Museum on the other side of the island from the Otto home. The doll is now known as the most haunted doll in the world. Every day, hundreds of people parade by Robert. What is the most cursed doll in the United States?Robert the Doll is an allegedly haunted doll exhibited at the East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida. What was the first creepy doll?Ventriloquist dummies served as some of the earliest examples of unnatural toys in horror films, being established with "Otto" in the musical drama The Great Gabbo (1929). The dummy was a convenient prop for early film, as it could largely be operated onscreen without any technical special effects. What is the name of the scary doll?Megan is the latest in a long line of scary dolls in horror-screen history. Billy, Brahms, and Annabelle are all horrifying dolls in their own right. |
