We’ve all seen the movies that feature scary toys that have been possessed by some kind of demon, killer or ghost. The spookiest thing about these films is that most of them are based, at least a little, on real stories of actual toys that have haunted their owners.
If that makes it just a little harder to sleep at night, keep in mind there are quite a few of these things out there and only some of them have actually been collected by the right people and put where they can’t effect anyone anymore. If you believe these things are actually possessed by ghosts or demons, then there are plenty of items that haven’t even been pinpointed. Check out the spookiest of the spooky.
1.) Harold
Harold is the first, and most famous, of the "haunted eBay dolls," aka dolls that are sold online with a (usually pretty detailed) description of the forces supposedly haunting them and the specifics of the problems they may cause in your home, which makes them different from most of these haunted dolls — people bidding on haunted dolls are intentionally getting themselves into a potential Child's Play-type scenario, rather than just unluckily purchasing an innocent-looking doll that happens to also be Lord Glorkon, Tenth Minion of Satan or whatever.
Harold made his big star turn on the Travel Channel show Ghost Adventures, where he was pronounced to be "one of the most haunted dolls in the world." Harold's backstory claims that he was the property of a small boy who died; soon after, the family of the boy, who held on to the doll, claimed to witness the doll move, laugh, and sing on its own. Though the family contacted clergy, who attested that the doll was possessed and needed to be burned, supposedly the doll wouldn't even singe — so the family, of course, sold it at a flea market so that this demon doll could be someone else's problem.
The doll's myth holds that it has brought paranormal activity into the life of every subsequent owner, and in some cases, real-life violence and death. Is it true? Well, someone is running around the internet claiming that they completely made up the Haunted Harold story to get a good price selling a pretty beat-up, run-of-the-mill antique doll. But who are you going to believe? Someone admitting to fraud on the internet, or someone who has their own TV show? I know my own answer, personally.
2.) Robert the Doll
The most famous of all these dolls is without a doubt Robert the Doll. The toy has terrified people for over a century and was the inspiration for the iconic horror film character, Chucky.
The doll resembles an early 20th-century American sailor and has become tattered throughout the years, giving it an uncanny appearance. Robert Eugene Otto, a painter and author who lived in Key West, Florida, was the owner of the doll. He acquired it in 1906 from a family servant who reportedly practiced the dark arts and voodoo. When she became angry with the family, she cursed the doll.
Servants began hearing two voices coming from Otto’s room. They assumed that the second voice was coming from the child. This, however, wasn’t the case.
Neighbors claimed to have seen the doll running around the house when the family wasn’t home. The family began to catch glimpses of the doll running from room to room, messing everything up in the process. He would often smash vases and emit a terrifying giggle while doing so. At night, Robert terrorized Otto by throwing his bedroom furniture around. When Otto’s parents asked him to explain what happened, he claimed that Robert did it.
hen Otto grew up, he inherited his family’s house and stashed the doll away in the attic. When he died in 1974, a new family moved into the home. They had a little girl who became the doll’s new owner. Terrifying things began to happen again. The girl began screaming in terror at night when she would see Robert scurrying around her bedroom. On some occasions, he would even attack her.
The doll is now on display at the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida. Visitors from all over come to look at the famous doll.
Legend has it that if someone takes a photo of the doll without asking permission first, the doll will curse them. In order to lift the curse, they must write a letter of apology. Letters that have been written throughout the years are on display at the museum. Probably a museum gimmick, but guests claim to have seen Robert blink or even change his facial expression before their eyes.
Children do have active imaginations. However, how could a child move large pieces of furniture by themselves? Also, adults, not just children, have claimed to have seen the doll move. Is the doll possessed by a demon? Or is it possible that every single witness that has claimed to have seen the doll move is crazy.
3.) Letta the Gypsy Doll
Hand made of carved wood and real human hair, Letta the Gypsy Doll is a frightening sight to behold. She has a horrifying effect on people and animals that come into contact with her. Letta is a “real person, his energy is real,” says an Australian psychic.
Kerry Walton, of Brisbane, Australia, stumbled upon Letta while was he was searching for antiques under a dilapidated old house. The doll seemed to behave in unnatural ways as soon as he discovered it. The bag containing the doll rustled in the back of his car. Its facial expressions seemed to change from day to day, and dogs had a vicious response to it. Also, children in the family were having nightmares, and Letta’s head, arms and legs would move on their own.
Kerry tried to sell Letta, but when he attempted to take him out of the car to deliver it to the new owner, he felt strangely compelled to keep it. He decided not to sell, and instead, try to learn more about it. This led him to a museum in Sydney, Australia. An expert told Kerry that the two nails in the bottom of Letta’s feet dated the doll to about 200 years old. The expert also determined that Letta was from Eastern Europe.
The Australian psychic conducted a seance and determined that the doll was made by a man who was grief stricken because his son had drowned. The doll was to serve as type of transference vessel for his dead son’s spirit, and today, everyone who comes into contact with Letta the Gypsy Doll says that it seems alive.
4.) Alice
Given to her current owner by her grandmother, who believes the doll to be possessed by the spirit of her dead best friend, Alice is known to move her head and eyes to watch people, and whispers creepy things like “I want to be left alone to suffer.”
5.) Tabitha
Tabitha, creepy girl witch doll. She has a porcelain head, arms and legs on cloth body. She is 25" tall. She has golden brown hair and Brown eyes. Dressed in a brown satin gown with removable witch hat and cape.
Creepy Victorian, Gothic inspired doll to add to your collection of wicked dolls. Purchase before she is gone.
Doll has been repainted to look creepy, gothic, scary or spooky. Great as Halloween prop or just for creepy year round decoration.
Scary, creepy, dead, weird dolls are made from damaged, warped, used and new parts. Recreated into creatures unique, whimsical, dead or just plain creepy. Dolls are OOAK. Artistically created and brought to you by TheHorrorDome.com.
6.)Dandy Andy
Creepy Dandy Andy is a scary haunted doll Frightronic prop. All electric prop rocks back and forth and comes with a downloadable audio track. Approximately 24 inches tall. Chair is not included. Check your local thrift store for a unique old rocker!
7.) Ralphy
Ralphy, wicked little boy doll. He has a porcelain head, hands and legs on fat sitting cloth body. He is 21" tall. He has red mohair and blue eyes.
Creepy Victorian, Gothic inspired doll to add to your collection of wicked dolls. Purchase before he is gone.
Doll has been repainted to look creepy, gothic, scary or spooky. Great as Halloween prop or just for creepy year round decoration.
Scary, creepy, dead, weird dolls are made from damaged, warped, used and new parts. Recreated into creatures unique, whimsical, dead or just plain creepy. Dolls are OOAK. Artistically created and brought to you by TheHorrorDome.com.
8.) Okiku
The Okiku doll has resided at the Mannenji temple in the town of Iwamizawa (Hokkaido prefecture) since 1938. According to the temple, the traditional doll initially had short cropped hair, but over time it has grown to about 25 centimeters (10 in) long, down to the doll’s knees. Although the hair is periodically trimmed, it reportedly keeps growing back.
It is said that the doll was originally purchased in 1918 by a 17-year-old boy named Eikichi Suzuki while visiting Sapporo for a marine exhibition. He bought the doll on Tanuki-koji, Sapporo’s famous shopping street, as a souvenir for his 2-year-old sister, Okiku. The young girl loved the doll and played with it every day, but the following year, she died suddenly of a cold. The family placed the doll in the household altar and prayed to it every day in memory of Okiku.
Some time later, they noticed the hair had started to grow. This was seen as a sign that the girl’s restless spirit had taken refuge in the doll. In 1938, the Suzuki family moved to Sakhalin, and they placed the doll in the care of Mannenji temple, where it has remained ever since.
Nobody has ever been able to fully explain why the doll’s hair continues to grow. However, one scientific examination of the doll supposedly concluded that the hair is indeed that of a young child.