Dolls -one of the first friends we made. Most of us gave them names and have most definitely slept with a cuddly plaything lying next to us at some point of time. Innocent, furry, comforting dolls which ensure that we are never alone . Who knows what dangers lurk behind the curtains of innocence. Vessels of the Devil, harbinger of death and destruction, evil dolls bring despondency in the lives of their keepers. Let’s see how people in the past have been tricked by seemingly harmless dolls into taking them home and how the dolls then wrecked their lives:
1. Annabelle – The doll that sends “Miss me?” notes to her previous owner
The legend of this doll is bloodcurdling to say the least. It has changed several hands before landing up with the Warrens who procured it to study the Occult behind it from Donna, a nursing student. Donna and her roomie Angie were the first ones to be affected by the evil of the doll who tried to strangle Angie’s boyfriend Lou once. On investigation, it was found that the evil spirit possessing the doll was acting to be the soul of Annabel Higgins – a seven year old who died in a car accident. After the doll left for the Warrens’ museum, Donna started finding parchment paper in her apartment with notes like “Miss me?”
2. Robert – The doll that stole his master’s name
Robert Eugene Otto shared much with this doll who was gifted to him by his Bahamian nanny – his hair for the doll’s head, identical clothes, the attic in the house which became the doll’s room and most importantly, his own name ‘Robert’. He insisted that he be called ‘Gene’ because his doll’s name was ‘Robert’ and was often heard talking to the doll. Once married, Gene’s wife locked up the doll in the attic and sold the house after Robert’s death. The doll is now housed in the East Martello museum , Key West. People say that Robert controls all the spirits there.
3. Joliet – The cursed doll that brought death to its owner’s baby boy
Would you ever keep a murderer in your house? If the murderer was responsible for the death of your son? Anne G ‘s family is destined to own a cursed doll- Joliet , which ensures that a son born in the house will die three days after his birth. She often hears the cries of her son coming from the doll and believes that the doll houses the spirits of the deceased sons. The family will never get rid of the doll and will keep passing the doll onto the a daughter who will lose her son.
4. Letta – The gypsy doll that cries out ” letta me out!”
Kerry Walton found this doll when he decided to venture into a haunted house in his neighborhood when he went back to attend a wedding. He noticed that whenever the doll stepped outside, it would rain torrentially, dogs would bark harder and women would faint or start sobbing. Walton’s attempts to get rid of the doll failed so he consulted psychics who found that it’s more than two centuries old and is possessed by the soul of a child who drowned and whose gypsy mother used his hair to make the doll. It screams “Letta me out”. Goosebumps?
5. ‘The doll that aged’ – as if it were human
Living beings lose their charm and degenerate over the years. Dolls don’t right? Unless a naughty kid breaks an arm or gouges out an eye. But this doll is a different story. A present for a little girl, this doll is an exception. The family stowed the doll , a cute doll with the face of an infant when sorting through their daughter’s toys. Eleven years later they found the doll aged, wrinkled and staring at them through eyes which had a striking resemblance to human eyes. Wonder which Dorian Gray’s soul is trapped within this one.
6. Emilia – The haunted doll who lost her voice-box in the World Wars… and then gained a frightening one
The doll passed from King Umberto (first Italian King to be assassinated) to his Royal guard Bellina and later to his daughter, Marie . The doll survived several bombings with Marie during the two World wars and the child often said that she felt safer with Marie around. Then one day a train they were travelling in was bombed and while Marie survived, a woman lost her life. Emilia lost her arms and a portion of the scalp but was retrieved by Marie. It is believed that the dead woman’s soul lives within Emilia now. She looks really sad to many and especially since Marie died.
7. Harold – The first haunted doll to be sold on eBay
The man who sold this doll on eBay was petrified by its presence. He had bought it at a flea market from a desolate father who wanted to sell the doll because he believed it was responsible for his son’s death. He was warned that the doll was ‘eerie’ but he didn’t believe until he lost his cat, his girlfriend and started suffering from chronic migraines. He kept it in an armadillo coffin in his basement for a year from where he could hear the laughing and crying of a baby. He also claimed that the doll seemed to have a pulse. The doll has changed several hands by now. Beware when you’re shopping online!
8. The voodoo zombie doll that attacked its owner several times
One must listen to the directions of the salesman when buying something, especially when buying a haunted doll. A woman in Texas learnt this the hard way. She bought a haunted voodoo doll on eBay and not taking the warning seriously, took it out of its coffin. She was attacked by the doll and severely injured. she hurriedly put it back in its place but to no avail. Her attempts to sell the doll or burn it were a failure. She would find it sitting in the living room at night, making weird noises. Several attacks later, she called for a priest who blessed the doll and locked it up in her basement.
9. Pupa – The doll that has a mind of its own
Pupa and owner lived in Trieste for eighty-five years, together. Pupa’s owner loved her and made Pupa her confidant. She believed Pupa had a mind of its own. After her death Pupa passed on to another family. She is restless there and keeps shifting in her case. The glass case was found fogged up as if by human breath from the inside and the words “Pupa hate” were found scribbled in a child’s handwriting. On trying to upload a video of Pupa standing on her own and walking around in the case, the video got obscured by a thick white film and “Pupa no!” appeared on the screen.
10. Mandy – The doll that can wreak havoc to get attention
An antique German doll which is almost a hundred years old, Mandy or Mereanda freaked her owner out. She would make weird sounds of a baby crying and throw the windows open so that the old breeze would seep in. The owner tried her best to understand the reason, failing which she donated the doll to the Quesnel museum . The museum staff is scared of the doll and claims that it moves around in the night and steals food which she stows in different places. She wants attention and taps on the glass case in which she’s housed away from other dolls. Hope people never stop paying attention to her, because who knows what she might do then.