Robert (doll)
| Robert the Doll | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Robert the Doll in 2011 | |
| Material | Cloth and straw (assumed) |
| Created | c. 1904 |
| Discovered | Key West, Florida, United States |
| Present location | East Martello Museum, Key West, Florida |
| Coordinates | 24°33′09″N 81°45′18″W / 24.552389°N 81.754869°W |
| Official page | |
| Part of a series on the |
| Paranormal |
|---|
Robert the Doll[1] is a reportedly haunted doll[2] exhibited at the East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida. He was once owned by painter, author, and Key West resident Robert Eugene Otto.
History
[edit]The doll originally belonged to Robert Eugene Otto, an artist described as "eccentric", who belonged to a prominent Key West family. The doll was reportedly manufactured by the Steiff Company of Germany, purchased by Otto's grandfather while on a trip to Germany in 1904, and given to young Otto as a birthday gift. The doll's sailor suit was likely an outfit that Otto wore as a child.[1][3]
The doll remained stored in the Otto family home at 534 Eaton Street in Key West while Otto studied art in New York and Paris. Otto married Annette Parker in Paris on May 3, 1930. The couple returned to the Otto family home in Key West to live there until Otto died in 1974. His wife died two years later.[4][5] After their deaths, the Eaton Street home containing the doll was sold to Myrtle Reuter, who owned it for 20 years,[3] until the property was sold to the current owners, who operate it as a guest house.[4]
In 1994, the doll was donated to the East Martello Museum in Key West, where it became a popular tourist attraction.[6]
Legend
[edit]According to legend, the doll has supernatural abilities that allow it to move, change its facial expressions, and make giggling sounds. Some versions of the legend claim that a young girl of "Bahamian descent" gave Otto the doll as a gift or as "retaliation for a wrongdoing". Other stories claim that the doll moved voodoo figurines around the room and was "aware of what went on around him". Other legends claim that the doll "vanished" after Otto's house changed ownership several times after his death,[5][7] or that young Otto triggered the doll's supernatural powers by blaming his childhood mishaps on the doll. According to local folklore, the doll has caused "car accidents, broken bones, job loss, divorce and a cornucopia of other misfortunes", and museum visitors supposedly experience "post-visit misfortunes" for "failing to respect Robert".[3]
In popular culture
[edit]- The doll was exhibited at TapsCON, a convention hosted by The Atlantic Paranormal Society in Clearwater, Florida, in May 2008, marking the first time it had left Key West in its then-104 years of existence.[8]
- In October 2015, the doll was taken to Las Vegas for a Travel Channel television program in Zak Bagans' Haunted Museum.[9] The episode originally aired on April 2, 2016, as the first episode of Deadly Possessions,[10] and re-aired on August 12, 2017, as the first episode of Ghost Adventures: Artifacts.[11]
- A horror film franchise loosely based on the legend began with the film Robert, released in 2015. Four sequels followed: The Curse of Robert the Doll in 2016,[12][13] The Toymaker in 2017, The Legend of Robert the Doll in 2018,[14] and Robert Reborn in 2019.[15]
- The doll and a replica sold at the gift shop appeared in the second season of Ozzy & Jack's World Detour.[16]
- The doll was featured in an episode of the podcast and TV series Lore.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Robert the Doll". Robert the Doll. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ Morton, Ella (November 18, 2013). "Robert the Haunted Doll: Creeping Out Floridians Since 1904". Slate. Archived from the original on November 19, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c Wright, Andy (October 26, 2015). "The Story Behind the World's Most Terrifying Haunted Doll". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ a b "History". Artist House Key West. March 3, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ^ a b "Robert the Doll". Artist House Key West. March 3, 2011.
- ^ "Robert the Doll". Key West Art & Historical Society. June 15, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "Halloween Story: The Legend of Robert the Doll". Florida Keys Treasures. November 4, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ Weikle, Harlan (July 22, 2018). "TAPS hunts for things that go bump in the night". TBNweekly. BLOX Content Management System. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ^ Shaughnessy, Carol (October 29, 2015). "Robert the Doll Goes to Vegas". Key Voices. Florida Keys & Key West: The Monroe County Tourist Development Council. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ^ "Deadly Possessions". TV Guide. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- ^ "Ghost Adventures: Artifacts". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- ^ "The Curse of Robert the Doll (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ^ "The Curse of Robert the Doll". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- ^ Phalin, Mike (March 22, 2018). "Filmmaker Andrew Jones Talks Killer Dolls, Jurassic Terrors, and Nazi Werewolves". Fanbolt. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
- ^ HorrO (April 5, 2019). "'Robert Reborn' Unleashes First Trailer". PromoteHorror.com. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
- ^ "S2 E1, Like Father, Like Sun". A&E. A&E Networks. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (October 13, 2017). "Remote Controlled: Stars of Amazon's 'Lore' Discuss Horror Stories, What Scares Them". Variety. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
External links
[edit]- Official website, hosted by the Key West Art and Historical Society
- The Key West Art & Historical Society's dedicated page for Robert the Doll
| Models and manufacturers |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Types of manufacture | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Collections in museums | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Related topics | |||||||||||||||||||||||
