The World’s Most Infamous Haunted Dolls
Robert the Doll
Copyright US Ghost Adventures
Is the locked cabinet keeping the antique doll safe from curious hands, or is it keeping curious hands safe from the ill-tempered spirit inhabiting the 100-plus-year-old haunted doll? Legend has it it’s the latter, as the straw and wood toy has been tied to quite a bit of villainy.
The origins of Robert the Doll are a matter of debate. Some believe it was just a toy from Germany gifted to a young Robert Eugene Otto in 1904 by his grandfather. Although there’s no indication of where the darkness within the doll would have come from. Another version states that a maid for the Otto family gifted the boy the doll, hexing it to get back at her employers for an unknown reason.
Whatever the real story was, Robert and Robert quickly became friends, but it wouldn’t take long for the normalcy in the Otto household to be shattered. Robert’s parents would overhear the two talking, two distinct voices bookending both ends of the conversation. The closer Robert grew to his creepy doll, the more volatile the friendship became.
Soon, unexplainable activity started to disrupt the household. Much of it centered around the doll tormenting young Robert by leaving him in a mess of destroyed toys or overturned furniture with no other culprit. Even outsiders took note of the eerie activity, such as Robert the Doll moving on its own or objects impossibly moving when only the doll was present.
Robert the Doll’s troublesome behavior continued even long after his owner’s death. Many who have encountered the doll over the years believe he’s directly tied to misfortunes like car accidents, dissolved relationships, and sudden illness. Only by asking Robert the Doll for forgiveness can one be freed of his grip.
Luckily, Robert isn’t something you’ll accidentally come across in your travels. He’s currently under lock and key at the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida. He still dishes out mischief to anyone who disrespects him and fails to apologize.
Annabelle: The Real Story
Copyright US Ghost Adventures
If your knowledge about Annabelle comes strictly from Hollywood creations, then it’s time to introduce you to the real terror behind the infamous story of this haunted doll. First and foremost, the Annabelle you’ve seen on the big screen is a far cry from the real thing. In fact, the real Annabelle is even more haunting. Her large black eyes and wide smile are a stark contrast to the sinister reality.
The first known appearance of the haunted Raggedy Ann doll was in 1970 when it was purchased for a girl named Donna for her birthday. With the doll in her possession, Donna, a student nurse, lived on campus with another student, Angie. Both would eventually become subject to Annabelle’s antics of moving about the apartment on her own. However, the haunted doll’s wrath was mostly focused on Donna’s friend Lou, who was uneasy around its presence. Notes to Lou were left on scraps of parchment paper despite neither Donna nor Angie ever having any on hand.
Things escalated when Annabelle physically assaulted Lou, scratching him across the chest as she tried to strangle him. This spurred the involvement of world-renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who deduced that something inhuman, dangerous, and evil was inhabiting the doll. Initially, a medium told Donna and Angie the spirit was the doll’s original owner, a young girl, Annabelle Higgins, who passed away.
Hoping to free Donna and Angie of Annabelle’s grip, the Warrens took the doll into their custody. Annabelle was added to their Occult Museum in Connecticut after their car faced several mechanical failures. Even there, locked within a glass case, the entity proved too powerful to restrict. After an attempted exorcism nearly resulted in Ed’s death in a car crash, the Warrens kept watch over the doll until their passing.
Though the Occult Museum closed due to zoning issues, it’s believed Annabelle is still there, trapped within her locked prison, awaiting a curious traveler to set her free.
Annabelle On Tour
Annabelle has been in the news once again, decades after she first made headlines when the Warrens took the doll into their custody. Annabelle has joined other haunted artifacts from the Warren’s Occult Museum on the 2025 Devils on the Run tour. The tour is run by the New England Society for Psychic Research, or NESPR, which today is operated by Ed and Lorraine’s daughter Judy Spera and her husband, Tony.
Fans of the Warrens and experts who have followed their teachings were adamantly against the idea of removing Annabelle from her secure, locked case inside the museum and taking her on the road. Lorraine stated many years ago that Annabelle should never be moved from the museum, and echoes of her words have been shared by countless people on social media, repeating the warning to those involved in the tour.
Many of them blame the Warrens’ son-in-law, Tony, for only wanting to make a profit off the doll and not respecting the dark energy that is attached to Annabelle in the same manner Ed and Lorraine did.
But it seems that their warnings are not too far-fetched, and there may have been a good reason why the Warrens kept Annabelle under lock and key all this time. The first stop of the tour was at the West Virginia State Penitentiary; it was the first time any haunted artifact had been brought to the jail, and it is also the furthest Annabelle had traveled from her home.
What was Unleashed in West Virginia?
While the NESPR team has taken precautions by having a Catholic priest join them on the tour, it seems that having a man of faith with them might not be enough to safeguard people from Annabelle’s wrath.
Between May 8th and May 11th, 2025, a lockdown was held at the West Virginia State Penitentiary, which is allegedly haunted. The prison is now vacant, but there were many vile and cruel acts that took place there while it was in operation, including more than 90 murders and over 125 executions.
While at the prison, Annabelle’s case was opened, and the doll was removed, placing her in another case where people could interact with her easily. Some believe this act opened the door to some truly dark energy.
Darkness is at Home in New Orleans
The next tour stop for Annabelle on May 13th was in New Orleans, a town already widely known for being home to Voodoo, witchcraft, and all types of dark magic. It seemed the doll wreaked havoc as soon as she arrived in town, as locals started to complain of hearing odd muttering and demonic attacks.
A few days after Annabelle’s arrival, on May 15th, the historic Nottoway Plantation in White Castle, Louisiana, caught fire and burned to the ground. The owner has said the fire was a total loss and nothing could be saved. The plantation was one of the largest in the South, and the mansion, like most others, was built by enslaved people.
There are mixed reactions online about the burning of the plantation, as some are saddened by the loss of a part of history, while others are pleased to see a place with so much darkness attached to it destroyed.
The following day, ten inmates at the Orleans Parish Jail escaped. So far, only four have been captured, and no one knows where the other six may be. While some are skeptical, those who believe in the mysteries of dark forces feel that Annabelle unleashed evil (or perhaps vengeance) on the town since she was moved from her home. And many feel she will continue to cause chaos until she’s returned to her rightful place at the Warren’s museum.
More Chaos in the French Quarter
It seems that Annabelle’s wrath in New Orleans hasn’t slowed down even though the tour has moved on. On May 19th, 2025, a fire broke out in the French Quarter home of Jody “Cajun Queen” Boudreaux.
The home was built on the property that belonged to the infamous Voodoo queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau. While it wasn’t a complete loss, the fire damaged the rear half of the building. However, many belongings and treasured keepsakes that were once at this historic landmark are now gone forever.
There are some who believe this most recent catastrophe in New Orleans is also linked to Annabelle making a stop in town. While there are skeptics, it’s hard to ignore so many strange and horrific events happening in just a short amount of time, all within the same time frame that Annabelle was in town.
In fact, with Marie Laveau being linked to Voodoo and dark magic, the fire at the site of her former home perhaps makes the most sense out of all the events that occurred.
Where Will Annabelle Stop Next on Tour?
Annabelle is currently in San Antonio, Texas, and so far, there haven’t been any strange occurrences to report. Her next stop is in Gettysburg, which is well-known for having a dark and haunted past due to the many violent deaths occurring there during the Civil War.
Stay safe, Gettysburg; there’s no telling what Annabelle may be up to next.
Ruby
Not every haunted doll is a harbinger of evil. Take Ruby, for instance, who wishes only to feel the love and comfort of another. Believed to be over 100 years old, the porcelain doll (later known as Ruby) had been passed down across generations. Her true owner was a young girl who tragically passed away with the doll in her arms. A kind soul, the girl imprinted on Ruby, giving herself the chance to remain on our plane of existence.
Unlike her more demonic and malevolent counterparts, Ruby doesn’t harbor ill will against the living. After the young girl passed on, Ruby remained within the same family for generations, and though it was common for anyone who held her to feel ill and exhausted. It’s not unthinkable that the young girl’s spirit was siphoning energy to allow her the strength to move about on her own and emit unexplainable sounds.
No one has ever knowingly been injured by the doll, and more recent accounts suggest there was more to it than initially thought. Now part of the Traveling Museum of the Paranormal and Occult, anyone who happens to pick up and hold Ruby is said to feel a maternal wave rush over them, as if the young girl’s spirit is reaching out in search of a mother to take her home.
Okiku
This Japanese curiosity may have you checking the length of any doll hair in your home. Okiku’s legend begins with a teenager, Eikichi Suzuki, purchasing the traditional Japanese doll for his three-year-old sister, Kikuko. It was a simple act of kindness between siblings, and there was nothing truly remarkable about the doll when Kikuko first received it.
It was only after the young girl’s sudden passing from a cold that the aura around the creepy doll shifted. Poor Kikuko loved the doll and was often seen carrying it with her. It’s not unthinkable that she would remain a part of the object. The family held onto the doll as a way to remember their daughter, often praying to it to ensure Kikuko found peace in the afterlife.
The longer the family held onto the haunted doll, though, the more they realized the original okappa hairstyle had been growing longer. An impossibility for the inanimate object, they immediately believed that the sweet girl’s soul was attached to the doll.
They kept the doll for themselves, feeling connected to Kikuko’s spirit. Years later, though, after deciding to move from Hokkaido island, where they lived, the family entrusted Okiku to the Mannenji Temple munks. The doll and Kikuko’s spirit have remained at the temple ever since, drawing in curious travelers who come to see the impossible flowing locks.
If you listen to some versions of the doll’s legacy, you’ll hear that the hair that continues to grow has been tested and scientifically proven to be real human hair.
