Evil Real-Life Chucky Doll!

Robert was donated to the East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida in 1994. He has been dubbed the most haunted doll in the world - and is believed to be the inspiration for Chucky. Robert the Doll was gifted to Robert Eugene Otto in 1904 by his family’s Bahamian maid, who is believed to have practiced black magic and voodoo.

The sailor-suited bear stands at 40-inches tall, is stuffed with wood chippings and once bore painted features, not unlike those of a jester. He is a one-of-a-kind, handmade by the Steiff Company of Germany around the turn of the century. It is believed Robert was part of a set fabricated for a window display and was never supposed to be sold as a toy.

Legend has it that Robert – who went by the name ‘Gene’ – told his parents the doll destroyed his other toys and would knock furniture over during the night. Gene’s parents often heard him talking to the bear. At first, they assumed their son was simply answering himself in a changed voice but later claimed to believe the doll was actually speaking. Neighbours claimed to have seen Robert moving from window to window when the family was out. Others reported seeing the bear’s facial expressions change.

Robert was the inspiration for Chucky, the two-foot high murderer made famous in horror film, Child’s Play. In the movie, the notorious serial killer's spirit inhabits a 'good guy' doll. He continuously tries to transfer his soul from the doll to a human body. When Gene grew up and left the family home, he left Robert behind in the attic. The new owners converted the building into a bed and breakfast and claimed to have heard Robert moving around at night. Some even reported hearing him laughing.

Robert was donated to the East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida in 1994 – and the controversy around him has not ended. Cameras and electronic devices are said to malfunction in his presence. Many have also blamed their post-visit misfortune – everything from car accidents to job losses and divorce – on failing to respect the bear. Staff say Robert gets one to three letters a day from visitors apologising for acting rudely around him and asking to lift evil voodoo curses. 

Discussing Gene’s close relationship with Robert, museum curator Cori Convertito told Atlas Obscura: “What people really remember is what they would probably term as an unhealthy relationship with the doll. “He brought it everywhere, he talked about it in the first person as if he weren’t a doll, he was Robert. As in he is a live entity.” In 2015, a horror movie called Robert was created telling the vintage plaything’s terrifying history.

Real-Life Chucky Doll Said To Cast Evil Spells