Robert the Doll
Who is Robert?Robert the Doll is a doll that was once owned by Key West painter and author Robert Eugene Otto. The doll is alleged to be possessed by spirits, and has a terrifying reputation. Robert was the inspiration for Chucky, the doll in the 1988 horror film Child's Play.
The doll, which is supposedly cursed, has become a fixture of ghost tours in the Key West area since it was inducted into the Fort East Martello Museum. Aesthetically, Robert resembles an early 20th-century American sailor. Contrary to popular belief, however, the doll's hair is not made of human hair, but rather, it consists of a synthetic material resembling wool yarn. Eugene was given the doll in 1906 by a Bahamian servant who was skilled in black magic and voodoo and was displeased with the family. Soon afterward, the family supposed that there was something eerie about the doll. Eugene's parents often heard him talking to the doll and supposed that the doll spoke back. Although at first they assumed that Eugene was simply answering himself in a changed voice, they claimed to have later realized that the doll was actually speaking. Neighbors claimed to have seen the doll moving from window to window when the family was out. Sometimes the doll would emit a terrifying giggle, and the Otto family caught glimpses of it running from room to room. In the night Eugene would scream, and when his parents ran to the room, they would find furniture knocked over and Eugene in bed, looking incredibly scared, telling them that "Robert did it!". In addition, guests claim to have seen Robert's expression change before their eyes and he often blinked. When Eugene died in 1974, the doll was left in the attic until the house was bought again. The new family included a ten-year old girl, who became Robert's new owner. It was not long before the girl began screaming out in the night, claiming that Robert moved about the room and even attempted to attack her on multiple occasions. More than thirty years later, she still tells interviewers that the doll was alive and wanted to kill her. |
While in Key West, FL I deiced to take a hunted ghost tour. I brought along my trusted Pretty in Pink Holga camera, which the tour guide mocked me for still using film. Half way through the tour the heavens opened up and poured down while the group was a walking around the grounds. This made the marjory of my images come out more grainy than normal. Once inside the museum were Robert lives the guide instructed us we had to ask his permission before taking any photos. This is the first image I got after talking to Robert, He can be very photogenic when he wants.
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