Robert, also known as Robert the Doll, Robert the Haunted Doll, or Robert the Cursed Doll is a doll that was once owned by Key West painter and author Robert Eugene Otto. Supposedly, the doll is possessed by spirits and has a terrifying reputation. Robert was the inspiration for Chucky, the doll in the 1988 horror film Child's Play, or also the 2015 film Robert: The Possessed Doll and his other movies.
The doll is supposedly cursed and to take photos you have to ask permission, it is said that otherwise it casts a curse. It has become a ghost tourist attraction in the Key West area since it was installed at the Fort East Martello Museum. Aesthetically, Robert resembles an American sailor from the early 20th century. However, contrary to popular belief, the doll's hair is not made from human hair, but is instead a synthetic material similar to wool yarn. The doll is currently in the Key West Museum.
History[]
The doll belonged to a boy named Robert Eugene Otto, an artist described as "eccentric" who was part of an influential Key West family. The manufacturer of the doll was the German company Steiff, being bought by Otto's grandfather during a trip to Germany in 1904, giving it as a birthday present. The doll's sailor uniform was probably a suit Otto wore as a child. The doll remained in storage at the Otto family home at 534 Eaton Street in Key West while Otto studied art in New York and Paris. Otto married Annette Parker in Paris on May 3, 1930. The couple returned to the Otto family home in Key West, where they lived until Otto died in 1974. His wife died two years later. After their deaths, the Eaton Street house that contained the doll was sold to Myrtle Reuter, who owned it for 20 years until it was sold to its current owners, who use it as a guesthouse. In 1994, the doll was donated to the East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida, where it became a popular tourist attraction.
Legend[]
According to legend, the doll has supernatural powers that allow it to move, change the expression on its face, and emit laughing sounds. Some versions of the legend affirm that a girl "of Bahamian descent" gave Otto the doll as a gift, or as "revenge for an evil done to him." Other stories claim that the doll was moving voodoo dolls in the air within the room and that "he was aware of what was happening around him." Furthermore, other legends claim that the doll "disappeared" after Otto's house changed owners after his death, or that young Otto awakened the supernatural powers of the doll by blaming him for the mistakes he made in his childhood. According to local folklore, the doll has caused "traffic accidents, broken bones, job loss, divorce, and a variety of other misfortunes," while museum visitors reportedly experience "post-visit misfortunes" for "disrespecting Robert."
Trivia[]
- The filmmaker Tom Holland was inspired by this cursed doll to create the iconic character Chucky.