10 Chilling Details Surrounding Robert The Doll, The Haunted Toy That’s Horrified Floridians For A Century

6 /10 Unexplainable

One of the first actual incidents occurred when Gene was still young. He woke up to see Robert at the end of his bed – not where he left the doll before going to bed.

Not only that, the furniture in his room started to move around on its own. Things were thrown that were far from Gene’s reach.

He cowered under the covers until his mother came to investigate and found her son in distress with furniture he was far too weak to move, being pushed and shoved all across the floor. That time, Robert did do it.

5 /10 No Trick Or Treaters

After that incident, Gene’s fascination turned into an obsession, and the strange happenings continued. He insisted on keeping the doll given the street in an upstairs window.

Children who passed by swore that the doll would disappear and reappear or change position, even expression on its unmoving cloth face when they looked for too long.

At one point, Gene went to check on Robert to turn down the accusations but found Robert in a completely different chair in the attic instead.

4 /10 Together Again

This odd behavior continued up until Gene left for New York and later Paris to study art.

While he was gone, he met and married Annette Parker in 1930 and brought her home to Key West, Florida, where she met Robert for the first time and immediately disliked him.

She protested the doll’s presence in their house, which Gene was very defensive of. She heard footsteps and even giggling in the room where Robert stayed, despite being alone in the place with her husband the entire time.

3 /10 Passing Of The Doll

Gene lived a long life until 1974. Annette followed after him two years later, and the property was sold to a woman named Myrtle Reuter.

The only stipulation that seemed strange was that the doll, Robert, had to remain in the house as he was part of it. She likewise witnessed some strange happenings with the doll.

How it would move on its own, make sounds when out of sight, and cause guests to undergo strange bouts of cursed luck.

2 /10 Fearful Findings

Robert was finally donated in 1994 to the East Martello Museum in Key West. The Artist House where Gene and Robert grew up has traded hands more than once and has settled into becoming a not-at-all haunted guest home.

The final straw to send Robert packing was when the daughter of one of the owners became highly fearful that Robert would hurt her – as if the childhood obsession was beginning all over again in a new generation.

1 /10 Most Haunted Doll

Due to Robert’s longevity – a good 116 years old – the doll itself remains well preserved by museum staff and has undergone a minor uptick in celebrity status. The long-lasting popularity of haunted doll movies also affected Robert.

Though not as famous as the infamous Annabelle doll, who inspired so many horror films, Robert continues to influence the media as people send postcards and “fan” letters to show their belief in his powers.

Many ask for forgiveness so his nasty bouts of bad luck will stop or for his cursed power to go to their enemies instead. No doll can get this famous without some help from the other side whether it’s real or not.