Robert (doll)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert at the Key West Art Gallery.

Robert (even Robert the Doll , Robert the Haunted Doll or Robert the Enchanted Doll ) is the name of the United States known rag doll and exhibit a private museum . It has been linked to scary and terrifying incidents. The corresponding reports inspired several film adaptations , among other things.

description

Robert looks like a little sailor . The doll is 1.02 m tall and stuffed with wood wool. Paint residue on the face suggests that Robert was originally painted. The doll is dressed in white sailor costume , as it was common in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century . Contrary to popular rumors , Robert's hair is not made from human hair, but from a type of synthetic wool fiber .

backgrounds

Beginnings

Robert originally belonged to a Key West writer and painter named Robert "Gene" Eugene Otto . Robert is said to have received this in 1903 as a child at the age of four from a Caribbean servant who worked for the Otto family. Allegedly, the maid was a gifted voodoo magician who had dedicated herself to black magic . The woman is said to have given Eugene the doll out of pure malice and revenge for bad treatments. As soon as Eugene was in possession of the doll, according to witness reports, eerie and terrifying incidents accumulated: residents and guests alike would have seen Robert wink or scurry from room to room at supernatural speed. Eugene is said to have started acting strangely too soon. The boy was repeatedly seen talking to the doll, and the doll even seemed to answer. Initially, the parents and relatives explained this by saying that Eugene was talking to an imaginary friend; but later they had the impression that Robert's voice had come from the doll.

Soon afterwards the violence of the incidents increased: Furniture was overturned and neighbors claim to have seen Robert walk from window to window of his own accord, and the doll is said to have giggled hatefully loudly. In addition, the parents were allegedly woken up at night by Eugene's screams. When they came into the room, something was always knocked over or broken and Eugene always said: “Robert did it!” ( Eng. “Robert did it!” Or “Robert was!”).

Later incidents

After Eugene got married, his wife Ann also claims to have been the victim of Robert's evil pranks. The doll is said to have locked the woman in the attic and scratched it another time. Guests and craftsmen also claim to have witnessed Robert's activities. In Ann's case, however, it was suspected early on that Eugene himself was behind the domestic violence and only brazenly blamed the doll. Just as he probably did in childhood.

After Eugene's death in 1974, Robert was kept on the attic, where he was finally found in the same year by the ten-year-old daughter of the new family, Myrtle Reuter. Allegedly, Robert continued his harassment and activities as soon as the girl took the doll to her room. According to the parents' statement, Myrtle was also woken up at night by furniture falling over. The doll allegedly sat at the end of the bed and threatened the child. Ultimately, Myrtle handed the doll over to the Museum Management of the Key West Art Gallery in 1994 . At that time she still claimed that the doll was cursed and moved on its own.

Whereabouts and aftermath

Robert is on display today in the Martello Gallery of the Key West Art and Historical Museum in Key West , Florida . He is locked there in a free-standing glass case where the doll is sitting on a small wooden chair and holding a brown stuffed lion in her lap.

Even today, according to widespread and popular legends and rumors , Robert is said to be cursed. Differing versions report a vengeful and scheming ghost or demon that is said to reside in the doll. Whoever is in possession of the doll will either witness paranormal events in their own home or die within a short period of time as a result of an accident. Allegedly the doll moves by itself, and Robert can also wink. Even today, museum employees claim that Robert occasionally winked or moved. The superstition about the curse on the doll goes so far that visitors ask Robert for permission before taking a picture of him. In the region around Key West, the phrase “Robert did it!” Has become a regular expression for (pretended) protests of innocence.

The skeptic and publicist Karen Stollznow sees a possible cause for urban legends about possessed dolls in the rather empty or constantly smiling facial expressions of dolls, which make such an assignment easier. She compares Robert's case with that of the doll Annabelle , which is also said to be cursed. Annabelle is now also housed in a private museum, both dolls inspired film adaptations.

Receptions

The rumors and legends about Robert served as a template for Chucky - The Killer Doll from 1988, which was followed by several sequels. In addition to the name, the appearance of the doll was also drastically changed here. In 2015, the horror film Robert - The Devil's Doll was made , which was followed in 2016 by Robert 2 - The Return of the Devil's Doll . The third part, Robert 3: The Toymaker, was created in 2017. The fourth part , Robert 4: Revenge of the Devil Doll , was released in 2018 .

literature

  • Robert B. Durham: Modern Folklore . Lulu.com, Raleigh (North Carolina) 2015, ISBN 1-31290-969-2 .
  • Jason Karl: 21st Century Ghosts . New Holland Publishers, London 2007, ISBN 1-84537-537-8 .
  • Karen Stollznow: Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic . Palgrave Macmillan, New York 2014, ISBN 1-13740-486-8 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Robert B Durham: Modern Folklore , pp. 335–337.
  2. ↑ Material description of Robert on the website of the Key West Art Gallery on kwahs.org (English).
  3. ^ A b c d e Jason Karl: 21st Century Ghosts , pp. 140-141.
  4. ↑ a b Background information on “Robert” on the Key West Art Gallery website at kwahs.org (English).
  5. ↑ a b c Karen Stollznow: Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic , pp. 211-212.
  6. ↑ Robert in the Internet Movie Database (English) Template: IMDb / Maintenance / Unnecessary use of parameter 2. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  7. ↑ Robert 2 - The Return of the Devil Doll in the Internet Movie Database (English). Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  8. ↑ Robert 3: The Toymaker in the Internet Movie Database (English). Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  9. ↑ Robert 4: The Revenge of the Devil Doll in the Internet Movie Database (English). Retrieved April 14, 2019.