Creepy Life-Sized Doll People Call ‘Robert’ Might Be The Most Haunted Toy In History
For years, horror movies have portrayed dolls as spooky playthings just waiting to be possessed by ghosts or evil spirits (hello, Chucky!). Whether it's due to their frozen expressions or a creepy backstory involving their previous owners, dolls have solidified a place in our culture as the stuff of nightmares.
Over a century ago, a boy named Robert became fascinated by one particular doll that would later be the source of extreme unease for all who came into contact with it. When you find out why, you might just need to sleep with the lights on tonight...
Robert Gene Otto, or "Gene" as he preferred it, was an eccentric artist who came from a prominent family in Key West, Florida. When he was young boy, his grandfather gave him an unusual doll for his birthday. That doll would eventually gain a reputation for being one of the spookiest toys to be made.
The doll was manufactured by Steiff, a popular German toy manufacturer that was known for inventing the teddy bear. Although the doll wasn't meant to be sold as a toy, Gene's grandfather managed to purchase it from the company anyway.
Gene immediately developed an unhealthy attachment to his new friend, and according to stories, the doll—aptly named "Robert"—started to take on a haunting personality of its own. But that was impossible, right?
Gene dressed up Robert in one of his old sailor suits and carried it around everywhere he went. He formed an extreme attachment to it, and the doll, in turn, seemed to be just as smitten with its human companion...