Haunted toys. We've all seen them in films. From Puppet Master to Child Play, haunted dolls provide great material for horror movies. But do such things exist? Well, the simple answer would appear to be, Yes. One of the most notorious cases involves a little doll that goes by the name of Robert and what a weird and VERY scary doll it is too. Is the doll really possessed/ alive?
It all started in 1896, when a young Robert Eugene Otto (who would later grow up to be an adult) was given a rather special doll by the family’s servant. A servant who, according to the legend, was very knowledgeable about voodoo and hated the family; not a great combination. At first, Robert Eugene played with his doll, who he had also named Robert, like any normal child would at that time. He would talk to it, play with it, etc. Surely there was nothing wrong with having an imaginary friend. But how imaginary was it? And how friendly was it? As the years passed, Eugene became more and more obsessed with the doll, giving Robert his own seat at the diner table, wher
e he would sneak food and ‘feed’ the doll, Robert would be taken into the bathroom whenever Eugene bathed, and tucked in right next to him at night. The pair were inseparable. Then Eugene’s parents and the servants began to hear giggling and strange conversations coming from the play room between Eugene and...who? The conversations would be in a hushed tone and the servants swore that the other voice was a different voice, an insistent voice. On occasions his mother would burst into the room to find, to her bewilderment, Eugene crouched in the corner of the room whilst the doll sat on a chair or the bed apparently staring at the boy...perhaps not to speak.
The cases of unexplainable and weird events quickly escalated. Children walking home from school believed they could see the doll glaring at them and moving about the Turret Room. Cutlery, silverware and plates were found tossed across the room and many of Eugene’s other toys were found destroyed and savaged. Whenever Eugene was asked about this, he replied with only three words. Those words were “Robert did it.” But more terrifying was what happened when Eugene’s family tried to cure this boy from playing with ‘imaginary’ ‘friends’. One day, Eugene’s great aunt instructed his mother to lock the toy away in a box hidden out of sight in the attic. The next morning, the aunt was found dead in her bed. Coincidence? Possibly. What if I were to mention that the following night, Robert resumed his place alongside Eugene?
Unlike most children, Eugene did not grow out of this. In actuality, he remained partners with the doll right up to his death in 1977. As time passed however, Eugene finally married but this had little, if any, effect on the doll’s power over Eugene, for he demanded that the doll still have a seat at the meal table and was even placed on a chair facing the couple’s honeymoon bed. Perhaps it is no surprise that the wedding rapidly turned bitter and his wife shortly died for no apparent reason. Her death was quickly followed by the death of Eugene in ’77, but the doll still remained in the house.
Shortly after the couples (untimely?) death, the house, along with Robert, was bought by a new set of owners. However, the stories and rumours that they had previously heard about this toy caused them to be forever suspicious, especially when they’re young daughter started playing with it and acting in exactly the same way. It wasn’t long however, until the iceberg tipped and the owners fled from the house in fear of their lives. One night, the parents woke up after hearing what sounded like giggling, only to find, at the foot of their bed, Robert the inanimate doll clutching a kitchen knife in it’s hand.
Ever since then, Robert has become to stuff of legend and is a key attraction at East Martello Museum where he/it is locked away inside a glass case for those brave enough to look at. But the freaky shit doesn’t end there. Far from it. Guards of the museum say that they can often hear giggling coming from the area where the doll is placed. They even leave him sweets for being behaved. Moreover, visitors (often those who do not even know the stories) have screamed in fear after believing they have actually seen the doll’s face change expression before their very eyes. It is also said that anyone who wishes to take a photo of the doll must ask Robert first. If he moves his head or smiles then the photos can be taken. If however the lights flicker, permission is not given or visitors do not ask, the camera often breaks or, more commonly, the photo is distorted, blurred or blacked out. This happens to this very day. It is believed that Robert's soul is slowly dying, perhaps a reason for the doll's hair changing colour to gray. One thing that confuses me is that after all these years, being looked at by thousands of visitors, locked up in a glass case, would he have tried to break free already? Or does this prove that the doll is nothing more than...a doll?
Recently, however, the doll was analysed using an Aura detecting camera. And as can be seen in the picture, it is very clear that this doll, according to that, has an aura! Interestingly, apparently the colour blue conveys, "deep feeling, communication, peace and love," while a purple (or violet) aura conveys, "Magical, unifying, deep spiritual understanding." - Robertthedoll.org
What about the house? Well, that’s still a very creepy place despite the refurbishments and developments. Giggling can still be heard up in the Turret room and perhaps most tragically, the ghost of Eugene’s wife is said to haunt the house as though her soul is trapped by Robert.
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