Strange curses, unexplained events, and haunting histories surround some of the world’s spookiest dolls.
Forget the glamour of Barbie and the cuteness of Labubus – there are some dolls that are simply not meant to be played with because, instead of helping to create happy childhood memories, they’re the inspiration for horror movies and the stuff of nightmares…
Annabelle
She’s the rag doll with red hair, a cotton smock, and bloomers who inspired the hit Hollywood film series The Conjuring.
But today, ‘Annabelle’ is kept in a wooden case with a sign reading: “Warning, positively do not touch.”
Annabelle was bought in a craft shop in Connecticut in 1970, a gift from a mum to her daughter, Donna.
But Donna soon noticed the doll would mysteriously change poses or suddenly appear in other rooms. She also found strange notes reading “help me”.
During a family seance, they discovered the doll had been taken over by the spirit of a seven-year-old girl, Annabelle Higgins, who’d died.
Donna quickly gave Annabelle to a museum in the US for safekeeping, but it didn’t end the strange events.
A priest who threw the doll across the room was lucky to survive a serious road accident immediately afterward.
He said he saw the doll’s reflection in his rear-view mirror before the crash. In July 2025, during a US tour of paranormal objects, a person traveling with Annabelle suddenly died.
The doll’s owner, Tony Spera, has been offered $1.5 million for her, but she’s not for sale.
“[It would be] reckless and irresponsible to let that doll out into the public,” he said.
Letta
With a hooked nose, glass eyes, and a head of real hair, the carved wooden Letta doll is perhaps one of the world’s creepiest-looking toys.
It’s around 200 years old and was crafted by Eastern European gypsies.
The doll was found under an abandoned house in Wagga Wagga, NSW, in 1972 by Kerry Walton. When Kerry first saw the silhouette of the doll, he thought it was a small child.
After he took Letta home to Queensland, strange things started to occur.
One night, Kerry’s children woke up screaming and said Letta was talking and moving its head.
Other people also claim to have seen Letta move. The doll, which the family calls ‘Letta me out’, now belongs to Kerry’s granddaughter, Hayleigh, who has created a Facebook page.
“[My husband] was a bit of a skeptic until the light started turning on, and the [locked] door would randomly open,” Hayleigh said, adding that Letta now seems happy with the family.
Robert
The Robert doll was made by the German company, ‘Steiff’, which also produced teddy bears.
But there is nothing cuddly about Robert, who stands a metre tall and wears a sailor suit. He was given to Robert Eugene Otto, known as ‘Gene’, by his father around 1904.
Gene named the doll Robert, and they became inseparable at the family’s Florida home.
Gene’s parents heard him talking to the doll – and an unknown voice answering back – and Robert’s facial expressions would often change, as if he was listening to the conversations around him.
When Gene married, Robert was put in the attic, where people then heard footsteps and giggling. People also saw Robert’s face appear at the attic window.
After Gene died, Robert was passed to the Fort East Martello Museum in Florida. Today, people regularly visit Robert, but they’re warned to ask the doll’s permission before taking photos.
Those who disrespect Robert often find themselves plagued by bad luck, and museum staff receive letters from visitors asking for the doll’s forgiveness.
In the mood for a Halloween movie marathon?
Check out our list of the top spooky and horror films to watch this October here!
Share this post