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Welcome to the third installment of October's Spooky Sunday Series.
What exactly is it about dolls that creep us out so much? Some people say the eyes; the eyes that follow your every move and others may say the blank expression or poker face that makes you wonder what's going on in that mind. Perhaps it is their realistic looks, so realistic that they can make us do a double take. Whatever the reason or reasons, if the conditions are right, dolls can creep the bejeebus out of us.
Just south of Mexico City are an extensive network of canals within the ancient Xochimilco district and therein is a small island known as “La Isla de la Munecas”, the island of dolls. Amid the indigenous vegetation hundreds of dolls hang from the branches in varying stages of decay, most missing eyes or limbs or heads. This is perhaps one of the creepiest tourist destinations on earth.
The island's legend is that in the late 1950s, the sole inhabitant of the island, Don Julian Santana, found the body of a drowned child in the canal. Her death haunted him so much so that when a few days later he noticed a doll floating by in the same canal, he scooped it out and hung it in a tree to please the spirit of the girl and to protect his island from evil spirits.
Santana's troubled mind was not at ease with a single doll and he began to collect all dolls and doll parts he found in the canals and hung each one with care on the island. Soon he was scavenging from trash heaps on his trips away from the island and trading his home grown fruits and vegetables for dolls.
As an 80 year old Don Julian and his nephew, Anastasio were fishing on the island on a bright and sunny April day in 2001 when Julian confided that for some time strange voices had been calling out to him from the waters of the canals. The voices beckoned him to join them in the water, but he had been able to resist their calls thus far.
Later that day, after Anastasio returned from running errands, he discovered his uncle floating face down in the canal near the small pier where they had been fishing earlier.
Although the island did not receive much tourist attention during Don Julian’s lifetime, it has become a well-known attraction since then. International television crews have filmed there several times, including one show, the popular television series Destination Truth which investigated the island in 2009 and concluded that indeed paranormal activity was occurring on the island.
The following three links contain a number of photos from the island:
The Mexican Island Hautned by Evil Dolls
The Island of Dolls in Mexico is Beyond Creepy
Mexico's Creepiest Tourist Desitnation: The Island of the Dolls
Robert the Haunted Doll in his final resting place --
Fort East Martello Musuem, Key West, Florida
As the legend goes, Robert Eugene Otto, along with his wife and young son, little Eugene or "Gene", took up residence during the early 1900s in the famed Artis't House in Key West, Florida. The young Gene was often left in the care of a Bohemian servant nurse during the many world trips Mr. and Mrs Otto would embark upon. Gene and his nurse by all reports were quite attached to one another. One day, Mrs. Otto claimed to have overheard the nurse chanting and practicing a form of mystical voodoo late one night in the servants quarters and the nurse was promptly dismissed from the house. Before leaving, she presented young Eugene with a gift, a hand sewn homemade doll made in little Gene's likeness, 3 foot tall and dressed to resemble an early 20th century American Naval officer. Eugene immediately bonded with the doll and named him Robert.
Over the subsequent years there were many varied unexplained occurrences in the Otto household, all of which revolved around the doll, Robert. Neighbors would report seeing the doll moving from window to window when it was known the family was not at home. Members of the household could hear giggling from the doll and often caught movement by it out the the corner of their eyes.
Soon there were small mishaps abounding through the house and young Gene began suffering from frequent nightmares. When his parents would hear his terrified night screams and rush into his bedroom, they reportedly found overturned furniture all around with their child clearly frightened. When they would blame Gene he would reply "Robert did it!" Eventually, the Ottos locked Robert in the attic, where he stayed for over 20 years.
Once Gene had married and inherited the house, Robert was "re-discovered" and brought down from his attic prison, but the doll was regularly found "rocking" in a chair in the turret room and soon was banished once again to the attic. Things calmed down in the home and Gene died peacefully in 1972. The house was sold, with Robert still in the attic where the new owner's 10 year old daughter discovered him. Robert obviously did not care for the child for she claimed the doll tortured her and made her life a living hell. Even to this day, over thirty years later, she asserts "the doll was alive and wanted to kill her."
The new family donated him to the Fort East Martello Museum where he is kept in a glass case, still dressed in his sailor suit and clutching his stuffed lion. He is still up to his old tricks as visitors and staff claim to hear him giggle and staff have noticed several times his changes in position. It is said he will sometimes move his toy lion from one knee to the other.
Haunted America & Annabelle The Haunted Doll: A Terrifying Case is another story of a haunted doll with the ability to move all on its own.
In 1970 a mother purchased the antique Raggedy Ann doll as a birthday gift for her daughter, Donna, who was a nursing student in college. Soon Donna and her roommate, Angie, began noticing that the doll had moved in both position and location. Not long after the roommates began to discover handwritten notes on parchment paper that would read "Help Us" and "Help Lou"; neither of the girls owned or possessed any parchment paper.
The girls contacted a medium and then held a seance and were led to believe that the spirit of a young girl, Annabelle, inhabited the doll, but sadly this turned out to be untrue as the occurrences began to become much more serious and seemingly demonic in nature. On the advice of Father Hegan, an Episcopal priest they contacted, the case was referred to Ed and Lorraine Warren who were renowned paranormal investigators. At the conclusion of the investigation the Warrens felt it appropriate to have a recitation of an exorcism blessing by a priest to cleanse the apartment and they removed Annabelle at Donna's request.
Scared yet? Want more?
Real Haunted Dolls will treat you to a number of other stories including:
Mandy in British Columbia who possesses unusual powers
The Devil's Baby Doll in California that moves and growls
Haunted VooDoo Zombie Doll bought on ebay by a lady in Texas
Harold, ebay's first haunted doll
Amanda who lives in Atlanta is yet another ebay doll
What happens when you take something already frightening and make it into a doll? O.M.G. you get the clown doll...