Robert the Doll (Fort East Martello)

Florida · USA · Museum

Robert the Doll is one of the world's most notorious haunted dolls, on display at the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida.

The doll belonged to Robert Eugene "Gene" Otto, who received it as a young boy in the early 1900s. By one account it was bought by his grandfather on a trip to Germany; by another it was given by a servant girl with ill intent. The straw-stuffed doll was made around 1904, and Gene developed an unusual relationship with it.

The Otto family are said to have heard Robert giggling around the house, and passers-by claimed to see a small doll moving from window to window. According to the legend the doll can move, change its expression and giggle. Local folklore attributes to Robert car accidents, broken bones, lost jobs, divorces and a host of other misfortunes — and visitors are said to suffer "post-visit misfortune" if they fail to show him respect.

In 1994 the doll was donated to the museum, housed in an old Civil War fort, where it now sits behind plexiglass and receives hundreds of visitors a week. Robert's favourite trick is said to be cursing those who photograph him without first asking permission — and the walls around his case are covered with letters from remorseful visitors begging forgiveness.

Sources: English Wikipedia "Robert (doll)", Atlas Obscura, hauntedkeywest.com, kwahs.org

FAQ

Hvor ligger Robert the Doll (Fort East Martello)?

Robert the Doll (Fort East Martello) ligger i Florida, USA.

Oplysningerne bygger på lokal folketro og vidneberetninger.

Image: Cayobo from Key West, The Conch Republic / CC BY 1.0 — Wikimedia Commons