SCARE DINKUM

THE NEVER-ENDING TOY STORY

By Philip Barron

Every few months we see another ‘haunted doll’ appear in social media or in the papers with reports of negative activity or spirits attached to them but are all haunted dolls bad?

We very rarely get reports of possessed dolls with happy positive spirits attached to them - is it because they just don’t make headlines or is it just that there isn’t any? And if so, why not?

Dolls have been reflected in cultures for many centuries with the early Greeks sculpting dolls from stone and the Egyptians making rag dolls and stuffing them with papyrus leaves, but we never hear of any ancient dolls being ‘haunted’ or being confined behind glass due to reports of their

dangerous behavior. The only imprisonment these dolls seem to get is to be behind glass in a museum for people to look at and admire.

SO, WHEN DID DOLLS BECOME HAUNTED?

The phenomenon of possessed dolls didn’t really become an attraction until the early 1900’s when we started to see them appear in films such as the 1936 film ‘Devil Doll’ or the 1945 film ‘Dead of Night’ where dolls and puppets were added as an additional scare factor to horror films.

The most famous dolls of course are Annabelle, who was given as a present in 1970 and is said to be possessed by a demonic spirit, and Robert the doll, who was also given as a present in 1904 to Robert Eugene Otto who is said to be the possessor of Robert, both of which have gained notoriety in their own film franchises.

It is said that if you are disrespectful or bang on Annabelle’s box bad things happen as reported in Ed and Lorraine Warrens book “The Demonologist” where it is described that after some visitors who were brave enough to do just that, found themselves in traffic accidents and even a priest wasn’t safe from Annabelle’s wrath.

Robert the Doll too is said to have the ability to cause harm to those who do not treat him with respect or ask before taking his picture, with many incidents reported after people have visited him.

There are so many reported and documented first-hand reports of doll possession that we just can’t ignore or dismiss them especially when a lot of these reports are from what we would consider credible sources

SO WHY DO SPIRITS CHOOSE TO POSSESS DOLLS?

Some say the spirit inside the doll is that of the original owner of the doll and because it was a cherished possession during life they feel anger towards other people having their most precious possession, while others claim that as dolls are the closest representation to the human form,

some people have a fear of dolls as our brains apparently see dolls as human but subconsciously we know they are not which is where the apprehensiveness and fear begins to creep in (a phenomenon known as pediophobia).

So, did dolls become scarier after the

19th century when makers began to make dolls more lifelike and human?

I am certainly not an expert in haunted dolls or even the paranormal, no one really is and I’m not here to try to influence your thoughts or beliefs, so we go back to our original question ‘are dolls haunted’ or could there be another force at play?

I have had my own experiences around ‘haunted dolls’ within the paranormal world and many of those experiences I still can’t explain and have created more questions than answers, but the subject is definitely thought provoking, and some may say is the reason we investigate the paranormal, to shed light on these unsolvable mysteries and I would absolutely agree. The encounter that immediately comes to mind that I would like to share with you all is at the infamous 30 East Drive in Pontefract where is it said that an entity resides within the house that has been named as ‘The Black Monk of Pontefract’. Over the years a small number of dolls have been donated to the house by visitors and it is with one of these dolls that I had my experience.

I have always had a feeling of apprehension towards this specific doll despite there being other dolls in the house and in reality, there is no specific reason apart from a feeling I get when I’m around it and it’s a general feeling of unease and impending trouble.

On the night in question, I had decided to do a Facebook live and despite never having touched the doll I thought that it would be a good idea to sit in the parents’ bedroom and hold it for the first time during my live stream and see what would happen because that’s what all us Paranormal Investigators do, right?!

Well as soon as I sat with the doll on my knee people were commenting that they thought they had seen its head move and its face change which I hadn’t noticed myself, so I decided to call out that if there was a spirit in this doll to make itself known. a large thud right in front of me that vibrated through the floor as well as my feet, followed by Diane’s door opening and at that point I was trying to keep my composure despite a million questions running through my mind, and my fight or flight reaction urging me to run.

As I began to speak again, I felt the doll move on my lap and that was it, I couldn’t take anymore and threw the doll onto the bed and left the room as quickly as I could.

We always like to push our boundaries when trying to understand the paranormal, but on that night, I had pushed too far.

On further visits to 30 East Drive I believe I have communicated with the spirit within the doll using an “Alice” box where nothing but dark, negative and religious words were produced.

So, the next time you go to give that precious doll a squeeze or pick up a doll in an antique shop just remember it might not just be the doll you are giving a hug to!

Phil

Phil Barron is a Paranormal Investigator and has been involved in the paranormal world for nearly 20 years. FACT: HE IS AFRAID OF THE DARK. He has been involved in several media projects over the years and was most recently featured on ITV Sweden. The Island of Poveglia is on his paranormal bucket list.