Posted by Robert is a doll from the late 1800s with a sinister history that inspired the film “Child’s Play.” This year, another film about Robert the cursed doll was also made: “The Boy.”
The beginning
It all began in the late 1800s, when Thomas Otto and his family moved to a house in Florida. The Otto family was known for treating their servants badly, often a little too badly. One day, Thomas’s wife said she had seen a servant, originally from Haiti, practicing black magic in the garden. She wanted her husband to fire her immediately.
The woman left without too much trouble, but before she went, she gave Robert, the couple’s young son, a doll. It was one meter tall, dressed as a sailor, and had human hair. According to legend, the hair was that of little Robert himself.
First strange episodes
The little boy liked his gift so much that he decided to give it his own name and often dressed the doll in his clothes. Robert and his toy became inseparable, but this did not cause his parents any concern until their son began to behave strangely.
First of all, he wanted to be called by his middle name, Eugene, because Robert was the doll’s name. He also began to blame Robert for all the mischief he got up to. Whenever something broke or was out of place, he always said
It was Robert!
They also began to hear it talking to itself and answering itself in a slightly different voice, and many people swore that sometimes, in the house, they could hear it snickering.
Even the neighbors confirmed hearing laughter coming from the Otto house, and some even claimed to have seen the doll moving through the windows when the owners were not home.
Concerned by all this, Eugene’s parents decided to put the doll in a box and lock it in the attic, where it remained for many years.
Little Eugene grew up, studied, and became a painter. After getting married, he decided to move into the house where he had grown up. He decided to convert a room in the attic into a studio, and during the renovation work, he found his childhood toy. Although he was a grown man, he became attached to the doll again and, just as he had done as a child, took it with him everywhere he went. This did not sit well with his wife, who tried unsuccessfully to get rid of the toy. This infuriated Eugene and marked the beginning of the end of their relationship. After the couple died, the house passed through various owners, all of whom swore they could hear giggling coming from the attic.
The return of Robert, the cursed doll
One day, the daughter of one of the occupants found the doll and took it to her room. From that day on, she began to have terrible nightmares and on more than one occasion said that the doll had tried to attack her. After this episode, Robert was donated to the Est Martello Museum.
It is said that it is still cursed, as museum employees often find it in different positions. Is it an evil spirit residing in the doll, or simply the spirit of a child? It would not be the first time that a doll has been found to house the spirit of a child, as in the case of the Joliet doll.
It is also said that before taking a photo of it, you must ask its permission. Those who do not, in addition to always having blurry photos, will be cursed, and the same will happen to those who make fun of him. If you want to try to challenge him, he is still on display at the museum, in a glass case, waiting for you.
Want to read more stories about cursed dolls? Click here.
Here is the trailer for the movie “The Boy.”
