Cavemen used to fashion dolls out of sticks and rocks. They would play with them for hours, pretending that they were going on epic hunting trips and fighting off saber-toothed tigers.
Fast forward a few thousand years, and dolls became all the rage in ancient Egypt. People would bury them in tombs with their deceased loved ones, probably as a way to keep them company in the afterlife. Kind of like a creepy little buddy system.
During the Middle Ages, dolls were mostly used as religious objects. But then the Renaissance came along, and artists started making fancy dolls for rich people to show off their wealth. “Look at me, I have a doll with a velvet gown and real human hair!” they would exclaim, as the peasants rolled their eyes.
In the 20th century, dolls became even more popular, thanks to the rise of mass production. Barbie dolls were created, and girls everywhere were suddenly obsessed with having the perfect body, dream house, and wardrobe. Meanwhile, boys were busy playing with G.I. Joes and action figures, pretending to save the world one plastic battle at a time.
But what about the outliers? The ones that seem… off. The ones that capture our attention for all the wrong reasons, and people can’t stop talking about them. That is what we are focusing on today as we tackle Creepy Dolls here on Hysteria 51.
Special thanks to this week’s sources:
Books
Robert The Doll | David L. Sloan
Videos
5 Most HAUNTED Dolls in the World! – https://youtu.be/Tu_ipTXCiJc
Top 20 Scariest Dolls in Horror Movies – https://youtu.be/DTbpzQVwCm8
ROBERT THE DOLL | Draw My Life – https://youtu.be/5Y3Q6sJCGw8
Robert the Doll True Story – The Original Inspiration for Chucky – https://youtu.be/lIpDXALKZP0
Robert “The Haunted Doll” Rules After Dark at Ft. East Martello Museum Key West
Websites
Voodoo Doll Wiki – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo_doll
Haunted Doll Wiki – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_doll
Clay-body – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay-body
Poppet – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppet
Robert (doll) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_(doll)
The Westport Library – https://westportlibrary.libguides.com/HauntedDolls
Ghosts and Gravestones – https://www.ghostsandgravestones.com/key-west/robert-the-doll
Atlas Obscura – https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/robert-doll
Robert The Doll – http://robertthedoll.org/
Artist House – http://www.artisthousekeywest.com/about/robert-the-doll/
Mental Floss – https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/650191/haunted-dolls
Horror Obsessive – https://horrorobsessive.com/2021/04/13/caution-mind-your-manners-when-visiting-robert-the-doll/
Smithsonian – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-creepy-dolls-180955916/
The Evil Wiki – https://evil.fandom.com/wiki/Damballa_Chant#:~:text=The%20Damballa%20Chant%20is%20an,Child's%20Play%20horror%20movie%20franchise.
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