1 00:00:01,034 --> 00:00:02,689 [man 1] His name is Robert the Doll, 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:02,793 --> 00:00:06,137 and he's considered the most haunted doll in the world. 4 00:00:06,241 --> 00:00:09,000 [man 2] For over 100 years, 5 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 6 00:00:09,103 --> 00:00:13,275 a single doll has tormented thousands. 7 00:00:16,274 --> 00:00:18,931 [woman 1] Something was there to hurt me. 8 00:00:19,034 --> 00:00:20,724 Something dark. 9 00:00:22,172 --> 00:00:25,896 It was the scariest moment that I have ever had in my life. 10 00:00:29,068 --> 00:00:31,344 [Cindy] This doll's a portal to attract in a lot of spirits. 11 00:00:31,448 --> 00:00:32,482 I just heard. 12 00:00:32,586 --> 00:00:34,931 I curse people who don't believe. 13 00:00:35,034 --> 00:00:36,000 [panting] 14 00:00:36,103 --> 00:00:37,172 Open up! 15 00:00:37,275 --> 00:00:38,482 [woman 2] Dear Robert, 16 00:00:38,586 --> 00:00:40,206 I thought I followed the rules. 17 00:00:41,413 --> 00:00:44,482 Movies are not real things that you see on TV 18 00:00:44,586 --> 00:00:45,586 about other dolls, 19 00:00:45,689 --> 00:00:46,655 they're not real. 20 00:00:46,758 --> 00:00:48,758 Robert is real. 21 00:00:50,551 --> 00:00:51,586 Don't worry, 22 00:00:51,689 --> 00:00:53,034 I'll take care of you. 23 00:00:53,137 --> 00:00:54,620 [girl screaming] 24 00:00:54,724 --> 00:00:55,896 Bye, Robert. 25 00:01:19,103 --> 00:01:20,931 I'm sorry, I can't stop shaking. 26 00:01:27,586 --> 00:01:28,655 [Bonnie panting] 27 00:01:28,758 --> 00:01:29,931 This is hard. 28 00:01:35,620 --> 00:01:38,448 Oh, Robert, here we are again. 29 00:01:42,448 --> 00:01:43,586 [Bonnie breathing heavily] 30 00:01:53,793 --> 00:01:55,000 My name is Bonnie, 31 00:01:55,103 --> 00:02:00,586 and I have been a victim 32 00:02:00,689 --> 00:02:02,517 of Robert the Doll. 33 00:02:02,620 --> 00:02:06,793 Robert, I'm here today to apologize to you for what happened, 34 00:02:06,896 --> 00:02:10,172 for the disrespect that was shown to you in my presence. 35 00:02:10,275 --> 00:02:12,344 And I hope to get your forgiveness for that. 36 00:02:13,448 --> 00:02:14,965 I feel I've paid my dues. 37 00:02:15,068 --> 00:02:16,206 I feel... 38 00:02:17,448 --> 00:02:21,517 I feel like we should be okay with each other by now. 39 00:02:24,344 --> 00:02:25,482 I'm sorry. 40 00:02:30,068 --> 00:02:32,344 I am sorry. 41 00:02:32,448 --> 00:02:33,551 Thank you. [Bonnie sobbing] 42 00:02:45,586 --> 00:02:49,067 [David] Robert the Doll has haunted Key West for more than 100 years. 43 00:02:51,310 --> 00:02:55,067 He's believed to be possessed by some kind of malevolent spirit. 44 00:02:55,172 --> 00:02:58,000 With Robert the Doll, people experience things. 45 00:02:58,103 --> 00:03:02,931 One lady talked about her husband losing his toe in a lawnmower accident. 46 00:03:03,034 --> 00:03:07,103 We've had some people who have blamed deaths on Robert the Doll, 47 00:03:07,206 --> 00:03:12,793 but his real story started right here in the house that I'm sitting in, 48 00:03:12,896 --> 00:03:14,310 over a century ago. 49 00:03:16,689 --> 00:03:19,793 The story of Robert the Doll begins in 1905 50 00:03:21,413 --> 00:03:24,586 at Robert Eugene Otto's fifth birthday party 51 00:03:24,689 --> 00:03:28,724 with Gene's sister Mizpah and his nanny and her daughter. 52 00:03:30,344 --> 00:03:32,448 Happy birthday, Robert. 53 00:03:32,551 --> 00:03:34,067 Thank you. 54 00:03:34,172 --> 00:03:36,206 Yes. Happy birthday, Robert. 55 00:03:36,310 --> 00:03:37,689 Open the big one next. 56 00:03:37,793 --> 00:03:38,965 Oh, Caroline has good eyes. 57 00:03:39,067 --> 00:03:40,034 Here you go, son. 58 00:03:40,137 --> 00:03:41,344 Did I make it in time? 59 00:03:41,448 --> 00:03:43,137 He's just about to open his big gift. 60 00:03:43,241 --> 00:03:44,310 Perfect. 61 00:03:45,862 --> 00:03:48,310 Caroline, what have I told you about lounging around the house? 62 00:03:48,413 --> 00:03:49,517 It's okay, Emeline. 63 00:03:49,620 --> 00:03:50,724 Caroline's welcome to stay. 64 00:03:50,827 --> 00:03:52,586 She's practically family. 65 00:03:52,689 --> 00:03:54,067 That's very sweet of you, Thomas. 66 00:03:58,103 --> 00:03:59,137 Oh! 67 00:04:01,206 --> 00:04:02,344 Do you like him? 68 00:04:02,448 --> 00:04:03,551 Yes. 69 00:04:04,551 --> 00:04:05,655 Thank you, Mother. 70 00:04:05,758 --> 00:04:08,413 Oh! You're most welcome, my darling. 71 00:04:08,517 --> 00:04:10,103 -Thank you, Father. -You're welcome, son. 72 00:04:13,482 --> 00:04:16,654 Oh, he's quite strapping. 73 00:04:16,757 --> 00:04:18,206 Oh! Very, very strapping. He's big. Mm-hmm. 74 00:04:24,482 --> 00:04:25,620 Robert. 75 00:04:25,724 --> 00:04:27,689 Don't you want to open the rest of your presents? 76 00:04:29,655 --> 00:04:30,896 Robert. 77 00:04:36,793 --> 00:04:37,896 Robert. 78 00:04:40,068 --> 00:04:41,448 [Jeff] His parents had no idea 79 00:04:41,551 --> 00:04:42,793 what they were getting themselves into, 80 00:04:42,896 --> 00:04:44,862 like this interesting looking doll, 81 00:04:44,965 --> 00:04:46,068 it was a gift. 82 00:04:46,172 --> 00:04:47,137 We never know 83 00:04:47,241 --> 00:04:49,034 what gift we're going to give our children 84 00:04:49,137 --> 00:04:51,827 that's going to change the course of their lives. 85 00:04:51,931 --> 00:04:55,034 There are forces at work that are beyond us as parents. 86 00:04:58,137 --> 00:04:59,482 Time for lunch, children. 87 00:05:01,758 --> 00:05:03,482 I'm not hungry either. 88 00:05:03,586 --> 00:05:05,206 We can stay and play. 89 00:05:06,448 --> 00:05:08,689 I'm glad you like your sailor suit. 90 00:05:08,793 --> 00:05:10,517 You make a better sailor anyway. 91 00:05:13,413 --> 00:05:14,517 Robert. 92 00:05:14,620 --> 00:05:16,172 Didn't you hear Emeline? 93 00:05:16,275 --> 00:05:17,448 Lunch is ready. 94 00:05:17,551 --> 00:05:18,862 I heard. 95 00:05:18,965 --> 00:05:20,758 But we're not hungry. 96 00:05:20,862 --> 00:05:22,137 We? 97 00:05:22,241 --> 00:05:24,344 Robert and I, we're not hungry. 98 00:05:24,448 --> 00:05:26,275 Robert and... 99 00:05:26,379 --> 00:05:27,344 Oh, sweetheart. 100 00:05:27,448 --> 00:05:28,931 You're Robert? 101 00:05:29,034 --> 00:05:30,862 No, not anymore. 102 00:05:30,965 --> 00:05:32,655 He's Robert now. 103 00:05:32,758 --> 00:05:33,896 Not me. 104 00:05:34,931 --> 00:05:36,827 You named the doll after yourself? 105 00:05:36,931 --> 00:05:39,206 No. It was a present. 106 00:05:39,310 --> 00:05:40,931 I gave him my name. 107 00:05:41,034 --> 00:05:42,275 He is Robert. 108 00:05:42,379 --> 00:05:43,724 I'm Gene now. 109 00:05:46,620 --> 00:05:48,310 I see he's dressed like you too, Robert. 110 00:05:48,413 --> 00:05:49,724 I told you. 111 00:05:50,758 --> 00:05:52,344 He's Robert. 112 00:05:52,448 --> 00:05:54,034 I'm Gene. 113 00:05:54,137 --> 00:05:57,620 Okay, Gene. 114 00:05:59,896 --> 00:06:01,344 Emeline is waiting for you. 115 00:06:05,482 --> 00:06:06,931 Don't worry. 116 00:06:07,034 --> 00:06:08,724 They'll come around. 117 00:06:08,827 --> 00:06:10,241 It's your name now. 118 00:06:10,344 --> 00:06:11,448 I promise. 119 00:06:12,862 --> 00:06:14,620 [Mark] Folklorists and legends will tell you. 120 00:06:14,724 --> 00:06:17,379 "Hey, if you give someone your name, 121 00:06:17,482 --> 00:06:18,793 you give someone your clothes, 122 00:06:18,896 --> 00:06:20,448 you're giving someone your identity, 123 00:06:20,551 --> 00:06:22,344 particularly an effigy, 124 00:06:22,448 --> 00:06:25,241 how is that not going to become possessed 125 00:06:25,344 --> 00:06:28,172 or contain some sort of spiritual essence?" 126 00:06:30,068 --> 00:06:32,965 [David] It's hard to say what the parents would have thought 127 00:06:33,068 --> 00:06:36,793 when their child named the doll after himself. 128 00:06:38,793 --> 00:06:41,379 But what we do know is that they hear 129 00:06:41,482 --> 00:06:43,931 different voices coming from the room 130 00:06:44,034 --> 00:06:45,896 and they'd go in to look and see, 131 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,448 "Oh, who does Gene have over? Who is he playing with?" 132 00:06:48,551 --> 00:06:51,758 And they'd look in and find it was only Gene and Robert the Doll. 133 00:07:00,034 --> 00:07:02,413 [Gene] Isn't this tea delicious, Robert? 134 00:07:02,517 --> 00:07:05,793 I don't think I've ever made it any better. 135 00:07:05,896 --> 00:07:08,482 I could drink it all day. 136 00:07:08,586 --> 00:07:10,241 There's just a little left. 137 00:07:10,344 --> 00:07:11,724 Would you like some more? 138 00:07:11,827 --> 00:07:13,000 No more. 139 00:07:23,172 --> 00:07:25,034 Oh, Gene. 140 00:07:26,931 --> 00:07:28,931 Who are you talking to? 141 00:07:29,034 --> 00:07:30,586 I was talking to Robert. 142 00:07:32,103 --> 00:07:33,137 Gene, don't lie to me. 143 00:07:33,241 --> 00:07:34,758 I heard another voice in here. 144 00:07:35,413 --> 00:07:36,793 I'm not lying. 145 00:07:36,896 --> 00:07:38,655 Mizpah... 146 00:07:38,758 --> 00:07:40,827 are you in here? 147 00:07:40,931 --> 00:07:42,241 I'm not lying. 148 00:07:42,344 --> 00:07:44,000 Robert and I were having a tea party. 149 00:07:45,172 --> 00:07:47,275 Gene, I heard another voice. 150 00:07:47,379 --> 00:07:48,620 Who were you talking to? 151 00:07:48,724 --> 00:07:50,068 Mommy, I promise. 152 00:07:50,172 --> 00:07:51,758 It was Robert. 153 00:07:51,862 --> 00:07:53,379 But he doesn't want any more tea. 154 00:07:59,896 --> 00:08:01,137 Gene... 155 00:08:03,275 --> 00:08:04,448 it's time for bed. 156 00:08:06,068 --> 00:08:07,206 Enough with that doll. 157 00:08:08,965 --> 00:08:10,206 It's well past your bedtime. 158 00:08:11,620 --> 00:08:13,482 Nanny Emeline will be in to help you shortly. 159 00:08:32,482 --> 00:08:36,309 [Jeff] Today, Robert lives under protective case of glass 160 00:08:36,413 --> 00:08:38,724 inside the Fort East Martello Museum. 161 00:08:40,895 --> 00:08:44,931 [Mark] Robert has four very simple rules to follow 162 00:08:45,034 --> 00:08:46,068 when you meet him. 163 00:08:47,448 --> 00:08:50,965 Number one, have to say hello and introduce yourself. 164 00:08:51,068 --> 00:08:53,344 Number two, you have to be courteous. 165 00:08:53,448 --> 00:08:54,482 You have to be polite. 166 00:08:54,586 --> 00:08:56,655 Be kind when you talk to Robert. 167 00:08:56,758 --> 00:08:58,965 Three, when you leave, 168 00:08:59,068 --> 00:09:00,620 you have to say goodbye to Robert. 169 00:09:00,724 --> 00:09:02,896 You want to close that connection there. 170 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,448 Number four, probably the most important 171 00:09:05,551 --> 00:09:09,275 is if you take his picture, make sure you ask permission. 172 00:09:11,482 --> 00:09:13,344 [Hayley] If you disrespect him, 173 00:09:13,448 --> 00:09:18,655 you are asking for his wrath to come to you... 174 00:09:20,034 --> 00:09:21,241 and destroy you. 175 00:09:21,344 --> 00:09:23,103 And he has every ability to do that. 176 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,344 I've seen him destroy people's livelihoods, 177 00:09:28,448 --> 00:09:32,103 their careers, their marriages, deaths in the family. 178 00:09:33,310 --> 00:09:34,724 [Mark] The curse is there. 179 00:09:34,827 --> 00:09:40,379 There are thousands of people who have been affected by this doll, 180 00:09:40,482 --> 00:09:44,034 and they write letters begging for this curse to be lifted 181 00:09:44,137 --> 00:09:46,827 because they didn't follow the rules. 182 00:09:50,965 --> 00:09:52,241 [David] People talk about being struck 183 00:09:52,344 --> 00:09:56,758 by lightning, fires, floods, illness. 184 00:09:56,862 --> 00:09:58,482 It doesn't end. 185 00:09:58,586 --> 00:10:01,862 You go down the list, anything bad that's happened has been blamed on Robert. 186 00:10:05,482 --> 00:10:07,793 [Bonnie] My ordeal with Robert started 187 00:10:07,896 --> 00:10:10,344 when I was involved in a project to take 188 00:10:10,448 --> 00:10:11,931 a photograph of his aura. 189 00:10:13,206 --> 00:10:16,344 But things did not end well. 190 00:10:18,827 --> 00:10:20,724 The aura is your energy field. 191 00:10:20,827 --> 00:10:22,379 Every plant, every person, 192 00:10:22,482 --> 00:10:24,379 every living thing has an energy field. 193 00:10:24,482 --> 00:10:27,034 And there's the SLS camera, 194 00:10:27,137 --> 00:10:29,793 it's a structured light sensing camera. 195 00:10:29,896 --> 00:10:32,172 It senses the light structure of the room. 196 00:10:32,275 --> 00:10:36,000 And when there's an anomaly in the room, it will map that. 197 00:10:37,655 --> 00:10:39,758 So, it will map a person. 198 00:10:39,862 --> 00:10:41,448 It should not map a doll. 199 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:47,896 It did map the doll. 200 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,965 When I was taking the aura photo of Robert, 201 00:10:51,068 --> 00:10:55,000 the gentleman standing behind me was looking at the aura 202 00:10:55,103 --> 00:10:56,862 as it was coming up on the computer screen. 203 00:10:56,965 --> 00:10:59,551 And I was saying that Robert's looking very handsome. 204 00:10:59,655 --> 00:11:02,862 And he just popped up and said, "Yeah, for an ugly..." 205 00:11:07,103 --> 00:11:10,724 I knew something bad has just happened. 206 00:11:10,827 --> 00:11:11,896 I was in trouble. 207 00:11:13,206 --> 00:11:15,172 I personally took blame. 208 00:11:15,275 --> 00:11:18,620 If I had not broached the idea of taking the photograph, 209 00:11:18,724 --> 00:11:19,862 we wouldn't have been there. 210 00:11:19,965 --> 00:11:22,931 And that's why I suffered the consequences. 211 00:11:24,275 --> 00:11:26,034 And things got really bad after that. 212 00:11:26,137 --> 00:11:30,068 This eight-year journey has gone from car accidents, 213 00:11:30,172 --> 00:11:34,310 financial issues, broken back, broken shoulder, 214 00:11:34,413 --> 00:11:37,965 loss of my business, and the sinking of my houseboat. 215 00:11:40,482 --> 00:11:45,655 Having been through everything that I have with Robert, 216 00:11:45,758 --> 00:11:51,103 I can't imagine what the Otto family went through. 217 00:11:51,206 --> 00:11:56,275 I don't understand if Robert had been 218 00:11:56,379 --> 00:12:01,206 mistreated years and years ago and this has carried forward. 219 00:12:01,310 --> 00:12:02,413 It's a mystery. 220 00:12:07,862 --> 00:12:09,172 [David] There are some crazy stories about 221 00:12:09,275 --> 00:12:11,448 how the doll came to the house. 222 00:12:14,103 --> 00:12:16,241 But we found that the true origins 223 00:12:16,344 --> 00:12:19,896 are in Germany and that Robert was made by the Steiff Company. 224 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:22,931 They had invented the teddy bear in 1902. 225 00:12:23,034 --> 00:12:26,172 So, that really brought them a lot of acclaim. 226 00:12:26,275 --> 00:12:29,586 They would have made Robert probably right around 1904. 227 00:12:29,689 --> 00:12:31,379 They made him in several sizes, 228 00:12:31,482 --> 00:12:33,689 but his size is extremely rare. 229 00:12:33,793 --> 00:12:37,206 He was probably made in the image of an actual human 230 00:12:37,310 --> 00:12:39,793 and used in a department store 231 00:12:39,896 --> 00:12:42,931 as a display to help sell the Steiff dolls. 232 00:12:45,344 --> 00:12:46,931 And we believe that his mother 233 00:12:47,034 --> 00:12:49,034 and his father were visiting family 234 00:12:49,137 --> 00:12:50,896 and they picked up the doll 235 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:53,275 and brought him back to Key West 236 00:12:53,379 --> 00:12:56,586 and things were never again the same. 237 00:12:56,689 --> 00:12:58,931 [Mark] Right after the doll is in the house, 238 00:12:59,034 --> 00:13:01,103 little Robert loses all interest 239 00:13:01,206 --> 00:13:03,034 in every other toy he has, 240 00:13:03,137 --> 00:13:07,586 in everything else practically and just focuses on this doll. 241 00:13:07,689 --> 00:13:08,931 It becomes his life. 242 00:13:13,586 --> 00:13:15,310 Emeline? 243 00:13:15,413 --> 00:13:16,655 Emeline? 244 00:13:17,896 --> 00:13:19,241 Yes, Miss Otto. 245 00:13:19,344 --> 00:13:21,275 What happened here? 246 00:13:21,379 --> 00:13:24,172 I do not know, Miss Otto, but I'll be more than happy to clean it up for you. 247 00:13:24,275 --> 00:13:25,758 I can clean it. 248 00:13:25,862 --> 00:13:29,000 I would just like to know why my vase is broken in pieces on the floor. 249 00:13:29,103 --> 00:13:30,758 This is the second one this week. 250 00:13:30,862 --> 00:13:32,551 I did not break it. 251 00:13:32,655 --> 00:13:33,862 But let me help you. 252 00:13:35,896 --> 00:13:37,241 Be careful. 253 00:13:37,344 --> 00:13:38,413 Yes, ma'am. 254 00:13:41,689 --> 00:13:42,758 Robert. 255 00:13:42,862 --> 00:13:46,586 Gene, honey, you scared us. 256 00:13:46,689 --> 00:13:48,206 I just wanted to bring you this. 257 00:13:49,482 --> 00:13:51,103 What is that? 258 00:13:51,206 --> 00:13:53,103 Did you break this? 259 00:13:53,206 --> 00:13:54,793 What were you doing in the study? 260 00:13:54,896 --> 00:13:56,310 It wasn't me. 261 00:13:56,413 --> 00:13:59,000 I didn't break anything, and I didn't go into the study. 262 00:13:59,103 --> 00:14:00,275 Then who was it? 263 00:14:00,379 --> 00:14:01,379 Your sister? 264 00:14:01,482 --> 00:14:02,827 No. 265 00:14:02,931 --> 00:14:05,206 Gene, who was it? 266 00:14:05,310 --> 00:14:07,896 I'm telling the truth, I didn't do it. 267 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:09,310 You have to believe me. 268 00:14:09,413 --> 00:14:11,206 I will not tolerate lies, Gene. 269 00:14:13,137 --> 00:14:14,275 Go to your room. 270 00:14:24,724 --> 00:14:26,034 Robert did it. 271 00:14:33,448 --> 00:14:35,379 [Mark] Son says those fateful words 272 00:14:35,482 --> 00:14:36,793 that we hear to this day, 273 00:14:38,068 --> 00:14:39,827 "Robert did it." 274 00:14:39,931 --> 00:14:41,241 What do you do? 275 00:14:41,344 --> 00:14:43,689 This unnerved Minnie immensely. 276 00:14:43,793 --> 00:14:46,551 She was never quite the same around Robert. 277 00:14:46,655 --> 00:14:48,206 And Robert noticed. 278 00:14:48,310 --> 00:14:49,551 Robert always notices. 279 00:14:52,931 --> 00:14:54,448 [laughter] 280 00:14:56,310 --> 00:14:57,655 [floor creaks] 281 00:15:58,344 --> 00:15:59,448 You were right, Robert. 282 00:15:59,551 --> 00:16:01,137 She did come. 283 00:16:01,241 --> 00:16:04,103 It is hours past your bedtime. 284 00:16:04,206 --> 00:16:06,137 What are you still doing awake? 285 00:16:06,241 --> 00:16:07,827 It wasn't my fault, Mother. 286 00:16:07,931 --> 00:16:09,655 Robert couldn't sleep. 287 00:16:09,758 --> 00:16:12,310 I am so tired of hearing about Robert. 288 00:16:12,413 --> 00:16:13,689 He's just a doll. 289 00:16:13,793 --> 00:16:14,965 He doesn't get tired. 290 00:16:15,068 --> 00:16:16,310 He doesn't need sleep. 291 00:16:16,413 --> 00:16:17,724 He isn't real. 292 00:16:19,103 --> 00:16:20,379 Mother, no! 293 00:16:20,482 --> 00:16:21,793 He's my best friend! 294 00:16:24,103 --> 00:16:25,448 [thunder rumbling] 295 00:16:41,896 --> 00:16:43,172 Robert! 296 00:16:45,068 --> 00:16:49,206 Now, until you can understand that Robert is just a doll, 297 00:16:49,310 --> 00:16:52,206 he is going to remain locked in there. 298 00:16:52,310 --> 00:16:55,310 You can't blame him for any more of your misdeeds. 299 00:16:55,413 --> 00:16:57,103 To bed. Now! 300 00:17:04,482 --> 00:17:08,550 [Mark] As disturbed as Minnie was by Robert the Doll, 301 00:17:08,655 --> 00:17:10,723 one of their servants was about 302 00:17:10,827 --> 00:17:13,344 to get the scare of his life. 303 00:17:19,034 --> 00:17:20,103 [door creaks] 304 00:17:32,172 --> 00:17:33,482 You all right, George? 305 00:17:33,586 --> 00:17:35,655 [George sighs] 306 00:17:35,758 --> 00:17:36,724 Thanks. 307 00:17:36,827 --> 00:17:37,931 Mm-hmm. 308 00:17:48,620 --> 00:17:49,862 [indistinct chattering] 309 00:18:01,413 --> 00:18:02,827 Emeline? 310 00:18:15,344 --> 00:18:16,551 [door creaks] 311 00:18:25,758 --> 00:18:27,241 [plate crashes] 312 00:18:35,517 --> 00:18:37,172 [Jeff] This doll is getting attention, 313 00:18:37,275 --> 00:18:38,241 it's getting energy, 314 00:18:38,344 --> 00:18:40,241 it's getting focus from thousands 315 00:18:40,344 --> 00:18:42,241 and then tens of thousands of people 316 00:18:42,344 --> 00:18:45,275 from all over the world who are going there 317 00:18:45,379 --> 00:18:48,931 because not only do they want to see it, they want to experience it. 318 00:18:49,034 --> 00:18:52,344 Pretty soon, the museum starts to receive letters, 319 00:18:52,448 --> 00:18:54,275 thousands of letters from people 320 00:18:54,379 --> 00:18:56,551 who are writing to apologize to Robert 321 00:18:56,655 --> 00:18:58,896 because something went wrong in their lives 322 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:01,931 and they traced it back to disrespecting him in some way. 323 00:19:03,034 --> 00:19:04,793 [Cori] Robert receives a lot of letters 324 00:19:04,896 --> 00:19:06,068 from all over the place. 325 00:19:06,172 --> 00:19:08,827 He gets letters, he gets emails, 326 00:19:08,931 --> 00:19:10,793 he gets social media messages. 327 00:19:10,896 --> 00:19:12,103 I mean, it's fascinating 328 00:19:12,206 --> 00:19:14,344 what experiences people have with Robert. 329 00:19:19,827 --> 00:19:21,241 My name is Becky Vickers. 330 00:19:21,344 --> 00:19:25,068 You know, I never really believed in curses, but I do now. 331 00:19:25,172 --> 00:19:27,103 100% I do now. 332 00:19:27,206 --> 00:19:28,931 [producer] Would you like to read Robert, the letter? 333 00:19:29,034 --> 00:19:30,172 I can. 334 00:19:31,931 --> 00:19:34,758 It's scary just to think about where I was... 335 00:19:34,862 --> 00:19:37,655 where my headspace was when I was writing this letter. 336 00:19:44,965 --> 00:19:48,586 "So, many things have happened since I visited you, Robert, 337 00:19:48,689 --> 00:19:51,137 and it can't just be a case of bad luck. 338 00:19:51,241 --> 00:19:53,000 I know it's you. 339 00:19:53,103 --> 00:19:54,793 Ever since I returned home, 340 00:19:54,896 --> 00:19:58,689 nothing but one bad thing after another has happened to me. 341 00:19:58,793 --> 00:20:01,793 And I'm afraid of what you will do next. 342 00:20:01,896 --> 00:20:03,896 I must apologize for not believing 343 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:05,689 that you could curse someone 344 00:20:05,793 --> 00:20:10,000 if they touched you or took pictures of you without your permission first. 345 00:20:11,724 --> 00:20:14,965 I am so, so sorry. 346 00:20:15,068 --> 00:20:16,793 I will never doubt the kind of power 347 00:20:16,896 --> 00:20:19,620 and infliction of fear you can curse someone with. 348 00:20:19,724 --> 00:20:21,000 I am a believer." 349 00:20:22,931 --> 00:20:24,172 [laughs] 350 00:20:25,482 --> 00:20:26,655 I am. 351 00:20:29,931 --> 00:20:31,586 I knew all the rules. 352 00:20:31,689 --> 00:20:33,517 I knew that you weren't supposed to take 353 00:20:33,620 --> 00:20:36,000 Robert's photograph without asking permission. 354 00:20:36,103 --> 00:20:38,689 And I knew you weren't supposed to touch the glass. 355 00:20:38,793 --> 00:20:43,586 But I think the curiosity side of me got the better of me. 356 00:20:44,827 --> 00:20:45,931 I did touch the glass, 357 00:20:46,034 --> 00:20:48,758 and I did take some photos without asking. 358 00:20:48,862 --> 00:20:50,103 I don't know. 359 00:20:50,206 --> 00:20:52,655 You just don't think things are really going to happen. 360 00:20:52,758 --> 00:20:54,000 But they do. 361 00:20:56,310 --> 00:20:59,655 We started having truly unexplained things 362 00:20:59,758 --> 00:21:01,000 happening in our home. 363 00:21:07,034 --> 00:21:09,034 I could feel a presence. 364 00:21:09,137 --> 00:21:13,551 I could feel the energy of someone else in the house with me. 365 00:21:15,172 --> 00:21:18,000 I've never had any feelings in my home, 366 00:21:20,275 --> 00:21:23,172 spirits or shadow people. 367 00:21:23,275 --> 00:21:25,068 But something was with me. 368 00:21:25,172 --> 00:21:27,172 Something dark. 369 00:21:27,275 --> 00:21:29,172 It was something there to hurt me. 370 00:21:30,620 --> 00:21:33,275 The very first thing that went through my mind was, 371 00:21:33,379 --> 00:21:35,413 "Am I seeing Gene Otto? 372 00:21:36,620 --> 00:21:39,655 Am I seeing Gene that used to own the doll?" 373 00:21:49,413 --> 00:21:52,517 [Mark] In 1904, it would not be so strange for a boy 374 00:21:52,620 --> 00:21:54,275 to be playing with a doll. 375 00:21:54,379 --> 00:21:55,862 On an island like Key West, 376 00:21:55,965 --> 00:21:58,068 most of the entertainment involved games. 377 00:21:58,172 --> 00:21:59,689 Kids would play outside. 378 00:21:59,793 --> 00:22:01,689 They'd run all over the island. 379 00:22:01,793 --> 00:22:03,965 They'd pick fruit from trees, you know? 380 00:22:04,068 --> 00:22:06,827 They'd just get up to their good mischief. 381 00:22:06,931 --> 00:22:09,379 A doll like this would have been very special. 382 00:22:09,482 --> 00:22:11,206 People would have come to see it 383 00:22:11,310 --> 00:22:13,655 and said, "Wow, that's something incredible that you have." 384 00:22:14,758 --> 00:22:17,034 But they never would have judged a child and said, 385 00:22:17,137 --> 00:22:19,689 "Oh, look at you playing with a doll." 386 00:22:19,793 --> 00:22:21,724 But Robert is not just a doll. 387 00:22:28,275 --> 00:22:30,241 My name is Cindy Kaza, and I'm a psychic medium. 388 00:22:30,344 --> 00:22:32,896 I'm here in Key West to hopefully 389 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,034 solve the mystery behind Robert the Doll. 390 00:22:39,068 --> 00:22:40,379 When I go into an investigation 391 00:22:40,482 --> 00:22:41,517 as a psychic medium, 392 00:22:41,620 --> 00:22:42,965 my intention is to communicate 393 00:22:43,068 --> 00:22:44,827 with the spirits at the location. 394 00:22:46,586 --> 00:22:49,586 But I also pick up on psychic imprints left behind. 395 00:22:49,689 --> 00:22:51,379 Every location has its own memory, 396 00:22:51,482 --> 00:22:54,931 and I can sense what other people also experience at a location. 397 00:22:57,275 --> 00:22:58,241 Hey. 398 00:22:58,344 --> 00:22:59,517 -Welcome to the Artist's House. -Hey. 399 00:22:59,620 --> 00:23:00,965 -I'm David Sloan. -Nice to meet you, David. 400 00:23:01,068 --> 00:23:02,965 Yeah, nice to have you here. 401 00:23:03,068 --> 00:23:05,896 The house is known for the Ottos who built it. 402 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:07,724 It was built around the turn of the century, right in 1900. 403 00:23:07,827 --> 00:23:08,827 Right. 404 00:23:08,931 --> 00:23:10,931 But it was also the home of Robert the Doll. 405 00:23:11,034 --> 00:23:12,206 -Right. -As we know. 406 00:23:12,310 --> 00:23:14,413 -And... -The energy is palpable in this house. 407 00:23:14,517 --> 00:23:16,448 I mean, you could feel the shift the second 408 00:23:16,551 --> 00:23:17,862 I walked through the threshold. 409 00:23:17,965 --> 00:23:18,931 Let's start right here. 410 00:23:19,034 --> 00:23:21,827 This was Eugene Otto's art studio. 411 00:23:29,413 --> 00:23:34,103 Immediately, I'm smelling cigarette smoke like so strong. 412 00:23:34,206 --> 00:23:35,689 So I know that that is something 413 00:23:35,793 --> 00:23:37,137 that people would experience here. 414 00:23:37,241 --> 00:23:39,586 I've seen pictures of Gene's studio, 415 00:23:39,689 --> 00:23:40,689 where there's ashtrays there. 416 00:23:40,793 --> 00:23:41,793 I can smell it. 417 00:23:41,896 --> 00:23:43,310 There are a lot of spirits here. 418 00:23:51,413 --> 00:23:55,724 I feel like guests are woken up by a woman, a female. 419 00:23:55,827 --> 00:23:57,137 She doesn't feel dark or negative, 420 00:23:57,241 --> 00:23:58,379 but she has a story. 421 00:23:58,482 --> 00:23:59,862 She has unfinished business. 422 00:24:01,931 --> 00:24:04,241 There's also a little girl that runs through here. 423 00:24:06,344 --> 00:24:09,413 I can see her running down the halls and running up and down the stairs. 424 00:24:12,724 --> 00:24:13,827 I hear her laughing, 425 00:24:13,931 --> 00:24:16,517 but she cries too because I sense that part of it. 426 00:24:20,758 --> 00:24:22,137 There's a lot of pain in this house. 427 00:24:22,241 --> 00:24:25,068 There's a lot of guilt, remorse, shame. 428 00:24:27,586 --> 00:24:29,000 [David] This makes complete sense. 429 00:24:29,103 --> 00:24:31,206 One of the stories that plays predominantly 430 00:24:31,310 --> 00:24:34,000 in the story of Robert the Doll, involves a nanny. 431 00:24:34,103 --> 00:24:35,206 And it's a big one. 432 00:24:35,310 --> 00:24:36,724 That's a big piece of the story. 433 00:24:36,827 --> 00:24:39,482 I can feel her because she has unfinished business, 434 00:24:39,586 --> 00:24:41,206 like a lot of unfinished business. 435 00:24:44,586 --> 00:24:46,206 So, I want to take you to the parlor room. 436 00:24:51,655 --> 00:24:54,034 Well, the second that I walk in here, 437 00:24:54,137 --> 00:24:58,172 I'm hearing like babies crying 438 00:24:58,275 --> 00:25:02,724 like I'm hearing this baby crying, crying, crying, crying so loud. 439 00:25:02,827 --> 00:25:05,931 I feel this woman's anger about like 440 00:25:06,034 --> 00:25:08,034 this should not have happened this way. 441 00:25:08,137 --> 00:25:09,827 It wasn't meant to be this way. 442 00:25:09,931 --> 00:25:11,689 It shouldn't have gone down this way. 443 00:25:11,793 --> 00:25:13,413 And it feels like there's a cover up 444 00:25:13,517 --> 00:25:17,206 or something was hidden or they told a different story 445 00:25:17,310 --> 00:25:18,586 than what actually happened. 446 00:25:26,172 --> 00:25:28,103 [David] Emeline had been the nanny here. 447 00:25:28,206 --> 00:25:30,000 She lost a child. 448 00:25:30,103 --> 00:25:32,034 I believe the child died in this room 449 00:25:32,137 --> 00:25:33,758 and that Robert the Doll was in this room. 450 00:25:35,517 --> 00:25:36,758 [Cindy] Okay. 451 00:25:38,379 --> 00:25:40,275 I think that this doll was already in the house 452 00:25:40,379 --> 00:25:42,103 when the child died. 453 00:25:42,206 --> 00:25:46,689 Maybe there was some sort of spell put on this doll. 454 00:25:46,793 --> 00:25:49,241 [David] I want to take you to the room 455 00:25:49,344 --> 00:25:51,689 where most of Robert's story took place. 456 00:25:51,793 --> 00:25:53,068 It's called the turret suite. 457 00:25:53,172 --> 00:25:54,241 -Okay. -Come this way. 458 00:26:01,586 --> 00:26:03,137 I can smell perfume in this room. 459 00:26:03,241 --> 00:26:04,482 Like it's... Wow. 460 00:26:04,586 --> 00:26:06,413 It's. 461 00:26:06,517 --> 00:26:08,724 It's so strong that it's everywhere. 462 00:26:14,724 --> 00:26:16,000 I keep seeing depression. 463 00:26:16,103 --> 00:26:20,000 I see I'm in the throes of deep, deep, deep grief. 464 00:26:21,517 --> 00:26:23,000 This woman. 465 00:26:27,862 --> 00:26:29,620 "They took my Bobby from me." 466 00:26:29,724 --> 00:26:32,310 And I don't understand what that means. 467 00:26:36,965 --> 00:26:38,896 I don't understand that. "They took my Bobby from me. 468 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:40,275 They took my Bobby from me." 469 00:26:40,379 --> 00:26:41,620 [David] Let me ask you this. 470 00:26:41,724 --> 00:26:44,068 Could it be a Bahamian accent saying, baby? 471 00:26:44,172 --> 00:26:46,241 -They took my baby from me? -[Cindy] Oh, interesting. 472 00:26:46,344 --> 00:26:47,586 Is that how it would have come out? 473 00:26:47,689 --> 00:26:49,655 -They took my Bobby. -They took my Bobby from me. 474 00:26:49,758 --> 00:26:51,241 That's exactly how I'm hearing it. 475 00:26:51,344 --> 00:26:52,586 And I'm thinking it's like Bobby... 476 00:26:52,689 --> 00:26:53,758 Like Bobby, like Robert. 477 00:26:53,862 --> 00:26:54,931 -But that... -[Cindy] But it's not. 478 00:26:55,034 --> 00:26:57,758 That doesn't fit as well as the pronunciation of Bobby. 479 00:26:57,862 --> 00:26:59,310 Baby. 480 00:26:59,413 --> 00:27:00,758 [Cindy] Oh, my God! 481 00:27:02,241 --> 00:27:03,586 [Mark] There's a darker legend, 482 00:27:03,689 --> 00:27:06,758 where a servant was so angry at the family 483 00:27:06,862 --> 00:27:09,068 after her child had tragically died 484 00:27:10,275 --> 00:27:14,413 that she put a voodoo curse on this doll. 485 00:27:14,517 --> 00:27:20,137 [Hayley] There is a rumor that she had an affair with Thomas Otto. 486 00:27:20,241 --> 00:27:23,620 It is rumored that they had a child 487 00:27:24,931 --> 00:27:28,896 and she gave birth to a little girl 488 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:31,103 who happened to have passed away. 489 00:27:33,137 --> 00:27:35,689 She practiced Santeria and voodoo, 490 00:27:35,793 --> 00:27:39,241 and she left a curse inside the doll. 491 00:27:39,344 --> 00:27:42,482 And I believe this child that passed away 492 00:27:42,586 --> 00:27:44,827 attached itself to Robert the Doll. 493 00:27:46,655 --> 00:27:50,655 Farfetched as it sounds, it's one of the rumors here. 494 00:27:53,448 --> 00:27:55,482 [Cindy] Losing a child is devastating, 495 00:27:55,586 --> 00:27:59,931 and there's really no grief that can match a mother losing a child. 496 00:28:00,034 --> 00:28:03,275 I don't feel like there's a spirit inside Robert the Doll. 497 00:28:03,379 --> 00:28:06,620 I feel like there's a spirit attached to the doll. 498 00:28:06,724 --> 00:28:09,413 And the sense is this is, if you... 499 00:28:09,517 --> 00:28:12,206 if I can't have my family, you can't have yours. 500 00:28:12,310 --> 00:28:14,862 Or if you're gonna take my family, 501 00:28:14,965 --> 00:28:17,103 I'm going to take yours. 502 00:28:17,206 --> 00:28:20,551 So, I can really understand why this legend persists. 503 00:28:20,655 --> 00:28:22,241 And I actually don't think it's a legend. 504 00:28:22,344 --> 00:28:23,517 It's real. 505 00:28:27,241 --> 00:28:29,413 I really think that the house is more like a portal. 506 00:28:29,517 --> 00:28:31,034 I think that it's an entry point. 507 00:28:31,137 --> 00:28:33,103 I think there are tons of spirits there 508 00:28:33,206 --> 00:28:34,896 and it's no wonder 509 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,689 why so many people have had so many experiences at this location. 510 00:28:38,793 --> 00:28:40,344 This place is haunted for sure. 511 00:28:59,517 --> 00:29:00,965 Would everybody like some tea? 512 00:29:02,448 --> 00:29:03,689 Robert? 513 00:29:04,931 --> 00:29:06,172 Okay. 514 00:29:17,034 --> 00:29:18,344 Here you are, Robert. 515 00:29:18,448 --> 00:29:19,827 Enjoy. 516 00:29:19,931 --> 00:29:21,482 How about you, Teddy? 517 00:29:21,586 --> 00:29:23,413 We can't have a tea party without you. 518 00:29:36,275 --> 00:29:39,413 Now, how did you get all the way over there? 519 00:29:43,310 --> 00:29:46,206 Let's stay in our seats this time so we can have our tea. 520 00:30:20,931 --> 00:30:22,620 [Gene screams] 521 00:30:31,344 --> 00:30:33,586 [producer] Joe, if you don't mind, let's put a microphone on her. 522 00:30:37,344 --> 00:30:39,172 My name is Rachel. 523 00:30:39,275 --> 00:30:43,241 After visiting Robert, it has completely shaken my life. 524 00:30:50,448 --> 00:30:52,275 [producer speaking] 525 00:30:57,758 --> 00:30:59,275 Honestly, nervous. 526 00:31:02,758 --> 00:31:05,206 Knowing the things that have happened to me 527 00:31:05,310 --> 00:31:07,793 and the things that have happened here, 528 00:31:07,896 --> 00:31:13,000 Robert is a force to be reckoned with. 529 00:31:15,034 --> 00:31:17,827 Four years ago, we were in Key West on our honeymoon. 530 00:31:17,931 --> 00:31:20,000 We had just gotten married a few days prior. 531 00:31:21,413 --> 00:31:24,241 We decided to try one of the ghost tours 532 00:31:24,344 --> 00:31:25,689 that they had at the fort. 533 00:31:27,344 --> 00:31:28,655 After that night, 534 00:31:28,758 --> 00:31:31,310 it completely changed the direction of my life. 535 00:31:36,896 --> 00:31:38,758 They told everyone that was on the tour 536 00:31:38,862 --> 00:31:41,586 that we had to show respect for Robert, 537 00:31:41,689 --> 00:31:44,103 to ask for his permission. 538 00:31:44,206 --> 00:31:47,275 Everything that you do has to be out of respect. 539 00:31:47,379 --> 00:31:52,000 And everyone took it seriously except for my husband. 540 00:31:54,172 --> 00:31:57,103 And the moment my husband disrespected Robert 541 00:31:58,931 --> 00:32:01,068 was the moment everything went downhill. 542 00:32:05,034 --> 00:32:07,862 Weeks after, we started noticing 543 00:32:07,965 --> 00:32:09,620 little things happening in our house. 544 00:32:12,758 --> 00:32:14,103 [glass shatters] 545 00:32:17,103 --> 00:32:20,655 The taps started as little tiny knocks 546 00:32:20,758 --> 00:32:22,620 just on the wall or on the floors. 547 00:32:24,310 --> 00:32:27,655 And as the weeks passed and days passed, 548 00:32:27,758 --> 00:32:29,862 we could hear the taps getting closer. 549 00:32:29,965 --> 00:32:32,448 It went from one end to the entryway, 550 00:32:32,551 --> 00:32:35,172 to the hallway, and then once it reached the hallway, 551 00:32:35,275 --> 00:32:37,448 the taps turned into more of a footstep. 552 00:32:38,931 --> 00:32:42,689 The final breaking point was, one night, 553 00:32:42,793 --> 00:32:45,689 when I got off of work, when I walked into the house, 554 00:32:47,413 --> 00:32:49,551 every cabinet in our kitchen was open 555 00:32:49,655 --> 00:32:52,724 and everything out of the cabinet was stacked on the floor. 556 00:32:57,965 --> 00:33:00,689 Talking about it now, it honestly makes me want to cry, 557 00:33:00,793 --> 00:33:02,827 because it was the scariest moment 558 00:33:02,931 --> 00:33:05,758 that I have ever had in my life. 559 00:33:05,862 --> 00:33:10,862 It makes me wonder what happened to make Robert what he is today. 560 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:14,275 [Jeff] Children grow up. 561 00:33:14,379 --> 00:33:15,758 It's what they do. 562 00:33:15,862 --> 00:33:18,137 And when you grow up, you pack away your dolls. 563 00:33:19,344 --> 00:33:21,379 [David] Gene and Robert were so close growing up. 564 00:33:21,482 --> 00:33:23,586 But then the time came when he was a young man 565 00:33:23,689 --> 00:33:25,275 and he had to go off and see the world. 566 00:33:25,379 --> 00:33:28,137 And he left Robert behind. 567 00:33:28,241 --> 00:33:32,172 He put Robert into a chest and stored him away in the attic. 568 00:33:32,275 --> 00:33:33,620 And Gene went off to see the world. 569 00:33:34,724 --> 00:33:37,344 He went to school first as an architect, 570 00:33:37,448 --> 00:33:39,448 but he always wanted to be an artist. 571 00:33:39,551 --> 00:33:41,586 So then he went to art school for a little while. 572 00:33:41,689 --> 00:33:43,068 And then he went to Paris. 573 00:33:45,517 --> 00:33:50,103 And Paris in the 1920s, this was an incredible time. 574 00:33:50,206 --> 00:33:51,689 Hemingway was there. 575 00:33:51,793 --> 00:33:53,827 You had all of the artists, all the writers. 576 00:33:53,931 --> 00:33:55,172 It was quite the scene. 577 00:33:55,275 --> 00:33:58,310 And he studied under some of the best artists. 578 00:34:00,655 --> 00:34:01,965 [Jeff] When he's in Paris, 579 00:34:02,068 --> 00:34:04,931 Gene Otto meets his future wife Ann Parker, 580 00:34:05,034 --> 00:34:08,068 who's a brilliant pianist and an accomplished musician, 581 00:34:08,172 --> 00:34:10,103 comes from a wealthy family, 582 00:34:10,206 --> 00:34:12,757 and she's head over heels in love with Gene. 583 00:34:12,862 --> 00:34:14,344 And eventually the two get married. 584 00:34:15,965 --> 00:34:21,516 [Mark] Gene and Anne are married on May 3rd, 1930, in Paris. 585 00:34:21,620 --> 00:34:24,620 Gene sets out to become the artist 586 00:34:24,724 --> 00:34:27,000 he's always dreamt himself to be. 587 00:34:27,103 --> 00:34:31,447 But Gene and his lovely wife moved to New York in the 1930s 588 00:34:31,551 --> 00:34:35,000 and the Otto family money has dried up thanks to the Great Depression. 589 00:34:37,688 --> 00:34:39,585 But by the 1940s, 590 00:34:39,688 --> 00:34:42,655 Anne, is the one who was the breadwinner of the family, 591 00:34:42,757 --> 00:34:44,862 her music career has taken off. 592 00:34:44,965 --> 00:34:47,068 She's even performed at the legendary Rainbow Room, 593 00:34:47,172 --> 00:34:49,827 which is every artist's dream at this time. 594 00:34:51,862 --> 00:34:55,896 [Jeff] So by 1945, Gene's struggling as an artist. 595 00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:58,517 His wife is doing well as a musician, 596 00:34:58,620 --> 00:35:00,344 but then they get a phone call. 597 00:35:00,448 --> 00:35:03,724 Gene's mother Minnie is not doing well down in Key West. 598 00:35:05,448 --> 00:35:08,482 [David] Anne and Gene were here in the Otto home, 599 00:35:08,586 --> 00:35:13,482 when Minnie died on September 14, 1945, 600 00:35:13,586 --> 00:35:16,655 and the house was left to the Otto children 601 00:35:16,758 --> 00:35:19,000 and then given to Gene and Anne. 602 00:35:20,413 --> 00:35:22,206 And the decision was made that they would start 603 00:35:22,310 --> 00:35:25,482 the new life here and move in to Gene's childhood home. 604 00:35:27,137 --> 00:35:30,137 [Mark] Anne knew about her husband's eccentricities. 605 00:35:30,241 --> 00:35:32,827 He was an artist, but she was not prepared 606 00:35:32,931 --> 00:35:34,482 for what was about to happen 607 00:35:34,586 --> 00:35:36,034 when they moved back to Key West. 608 00:35:45,862 --> 00:35:49,206 Gene, I found this in the storage closet. 609 00:35:52,344 --> 00:35:53,482 My old friend. 610 00:35:59,586 --> 00:36:00,793 Gene? 611 00:36:05,310 --> 00:36:06,517 Gene? 612 00:36:09,724 --> 00:36:12,344 I take it you want to keep this thing? 613 00:36:12,448 --> 00:36:14,137 Yes. 614 00:36:14,241 --> 00:36:18,448 And he's not a thing, Anne, I want to introduce you to my oldest friend. 615 00:36:21,310 --> 00:36:24,034 This... this is Robert. 616 00:36:31,068 --> 00:36:33,310 [Hayley] Almost instantly, Gene started talking 617 00:36:33,413 --> 00:36:37,655 to the doll almost as if the doll was alive. 618 00:36:39,206 --> 00:36:40,689 I'm sure Anne thought that, 619 00:36:40,793 --> 00:36:42,862 "What did I get myself into?" 620 00:36:42,965 --> 00:36:46,275 I think, it made her sick to her stomach 621 00:36:46,379 --> 00:36:49,137 and creeped her out. 622 00:36:50,965 --> 00:36:52,482 But then things took another turn. 623 00:36:55,586 --> 00:36:59,793 I told you I'm sorry, but we're back together now. 624 00:36:59,896 --> 00:37:01,206 We can make up for lost time. 625 00:37:02,758 --> 00:37:04,206 See, it's just like old times. 626 00:37:05,275 --> 00:37:07,379 You sit here in the morning, 627 00:37:07,482 --> 00:37:09,862 you get to see a beautiful sunrise. 628 00:37:09,965 --> 00:37:11,206 See, I do remember. 629 00:37:13,586 --> 00:37:14,965 You don't have to worry about my wife. 630 00:37:16,413 --> 00:37:17,517 We can handle her. 631 00:37:21,034 --> 00:37:22,965 You will always be my best friend. 632 00:37:31,965 --> 00:37:33,172 Anne. 633 00:38:03,413 --> 00:38:04,379 [Mark] To this day, 634 00:38:04,482 --> 00:38:07,206 thousands of people come to visit Robert 635 00:38:07,310 --> 00:38:10,689 and they write letters begging for this curse 636 00:38:10,793 --> 00:38:14,275 to be lifted because they didn't follow the rules. 637 00:38:16,034 --> 00:38:20,827 "Dear Robert, I was a recent visitor to the museum, 638 00:38:20,931 --> 00:38:23,103 and our guide led us to the room where you're located. 639 00:38:24,655 --> 00:38:26,827 He told us about the rules to follow. 640 00:38:26,931 --> 00:38:29,000 I told you my name, 641 00:38:29,103 --> 00:38:33,310 asked permission to take a photo and thanked you. 642 00:38:33,413 --> 00:38:34,965 I thought I followed the rules. 643 00:38:37,275 --> 00:38:40,724 But last night as I slept, Robert, 644 00:38:40,827 --> 00:38:42,206 you came to me in a nightmare." 645 00:38:44,448 --> 00:38:45,896 [woman screams] 646 00:39:01,793 --> 00:39:03,034 What the hell? 647 00:39:04,655 --> 00:39:05,724 [panting] 648 00:39:09,724 --> 00:39:11,275 Oh, my goodness. 649 00:39:14,068 --> 00:39:15,896 I decided you might have done this to me, 650 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:18,758 Robert, so I looked at the rules on the Internet. 651 00:39:18,862 --> 00:39:22,586 Everything I read made me believe I followed your rules. 652 00:39:22,689 --> 00:39:24,344 And then I noticed another tab. 653 00:39:25,620 --> 00:39:27,758 A tab I never opened. 654 00:39:27,862 --> 00:39:30,620 And when I clicked on it, I saw a rule, 655 00:39:30,724 --> 00:39:33,034 I didn't see before. 656 00:39:33,137 --> 00:39:35,551 I didn't know I was supposed to say goodbye. 657 00:39:35,655 --> 00:39:37,241 I didn't know that was a rule, Robert. 658 00:39:37,344 --> 00:39:38,310 Nobody told me. 659 00:39:38,413 --> 00:39:39,517 Forgive me. 660 00:39:52,241 --> 00:39:55,551 [Mark] Anne had given up the limelight up in New York. 661 00:39:55,655 --> 00:39:57,241 She had, you know, given up the Rainbow Room. 662 00:39:57,344 --> 00:39:58,827 She was a headliner. 663 00:39:58,931 --> 00:40:02,517 And now here in Key West, Gene was the story. 664 00:40:02,620 --> 00:40:03,896 Gene was the artist. 665 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:06,896 He was the architect extraordinaire. 666 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:09,310 [Jeff] He's starting to get some acclaim, and he's loving it. 667 00:40:09,413 --> 00:40:11,137 He's eating up every minute of it. 668 00:40:11,241 --> 00:40:13,586 And so, imagine that your musical career 669 00:40:13,689 --> 00:40:15,413 is more or less finished, 670 00:40:15,517 --> 00:40:17,448 and now you're stuck in this house 671 00:40:17,551 --> 00:40:19,517 with your husband and this doll. 672 00:40:22,379 --> 00:40:25,310 Gene would place Robert in the window of the turret, 673 00:40:25,413 --> 00:40:28,206 and you could see him from the street when you walk by. 674 00:40:34,206 --> 00:40:37,103 Right below the window is the street out front 675 00:40:37,206 --> 00:40:41,413 and you have school children that are passing by that 676 00:40:41,517 --> 00:40:44,931 will cross the street to avoid the Otto house. 677 00:40:45,034 --> 00:40:47,137 It did feel like he was glaring at you. 678 00:40:47,241 --> 00:40:49,724 I was one of those schoolchildren. 679 00:40:49,827 --> 00:40:51,724 You always felt you were being watched. 680 00:40:51,827 --> 00:40:54,482 No matter where you were, what direction of the house you were, 681 00:40:54,586 --> 00:40:58,137 he was always watching you, glaring down at you, 682 00:40:58,241 --> 00:41:00,344 making you real uncomfortable being there. 683 00:41:02,172 --> 00:41:05,827 [David] It wasn't like Gene was ducking down below him and moving him around. 684 00:41:05,931 --> 00:41:08,172 They would see Gene sitting there 685 00:41:08,275 --> 00:41:10,931 painting in the other window while Robert moved on his own 686 00:41:11,034 --> 00:41:13,275 between the other windows. 687 00:41:13,379 --> 00:41:16,137 [Jeff] At some point, they start avoiding this street, 688 00:41:16,241 --> 00:41:17,620 because they're afraid of something 689 00:41:17,724 --> 00:41:19,482 that's going on inside that house... 690 00:41:19,586 --> 00:41:22,172 something sinister, something that's cursed. 691 00:41:29,275 --> 00:41:32,689 And this is my favorite piece that I've completed so far. 692 00:41:34,689 --> 00:41:36,103 Where do you get your ideas? 693 00:41:36,206 --> 00:41:38,310 It's about observation. 694 00:41:38,413 --> 00:41:40,551 I try to bring life into that which intrigues me. 695 00:41:42,724 --> 00:41:44,551 I must admit, I'm a little envious. 696 00:41:48,137 --> 00:41:49,448 You must be so proud. 697 00:41:53,068 --> 00:41:54,103 I said, you must be so proud. 698 00:41:54,206 --> 00:41:55,241 What? 699 00:41:56,517 --> 00:41:57,724 I apologize. 700 00:41:59,275 --> 00:42:00,482 Yes, I am. 701 00:42:03,137 --> 00:42:04,310 [footsteps] 702 00:42:10,517 --> 00:42:11,827 Who might that be? 703 00:42:11,931 --> 00:42:13,000 It's just our cat. 704 00:42:16,862 --> 00:42:18,275 We don't have any cats. 705 00:42:23,103 --> 00:42:24,344 [objects clattering] 706 00:42:33,517 --> 00:42:34,758 Maybe it's time to go. 707 00:42:35,862 --> 00:42:37,241 We'll come by another time. 708 00:42:37,344 --> 00:42:38,862 It's nothing. 709 00:42:38,965 --> 00:42:40,655 -It's nothing really. -Come on, sweetie. 710 00:42:40,758 --> 00:42:41,827 Thank you. 711 00:42:43,034 --> 00:42:44,344 Have a good night. 712 00:42:44,448 --> 00:42:45,517 You as well. 713 00:42:51,827 --> 00:42:52,965 Really, Anne? 714 00:43:03,206 --> 00:43:05,655 Anne, don't. 715 00:43:05,758 --> 00:43:07,034 Anne, don't you dare. 716 00:43:10,172 --> 00:43:11,413 [Anne breathing heavily] 717 00:43:44,862 --> 00:43:46,241 [Jeff] And that was the last straw. 718 00:43:46,344 --> 00:43:49,172 She had to get Robert the Doll out of her life for good. 719 00:43:51,137 --> 00:43:54,793 But despite their agreement to keep Robert locked in the attic, 720 00:43:54,896 --> 00:43:58,034 the newfound peace in their house did not last long. 721 00:44:02,413 --> 00:44:03,620 [objects rattling] 722 00:44:44,724 --> 00:44:46,034 I won't be afraid. 723 00:44:50,551 --> 00:44:51,896 I'm not afraid. 724 00:45:15,827 --> 00:45:18,275 Gene, Gene! 725 00:45:19,896 --> 00:45:21,862 Open up, please! 726 00:45:21,965 --> 00:45:23,344 Open the door! 727 00:45:25,206 --> 00:45:26,620 Gene! 728 00:45:26,724 --> 00:45:28,103 Gene! 729 00:45:28,206 --> 00:45:29,344 Let me out! 730 00:45:35,344 --> 00:45:37,655 [Mark] Next morning, Gene wakes up, 731 00:45:37,758 --> 00:45:38,931 his wife's not in bed with him. 732 00:45:39,034 --> 00:45:40,896 What happened? 733 00:45:41,000 --> 00:45:42,172 So he starts looking around the house. 734 00:45:50,344 --> 00:45:52,551 -Anne. -Get away from me. 735 00:45:52,655 --> 00:45:53,896 What are you doing down there? 736 00:46:02,655 --> 00:46:04,620 What the hell is wrong with you? 737 00:46:04,724 --> 00:46:06,275 I was up all night screaming. 738 00:46:06,379 --> 00:46:07,793 Anne, I'm sorry. 739 00:46:07,896 --> 00:46:09,275 No, don't touch me. 740 00:46:09,379 --> 00:46:11,344 Why did you do it? 741 00:46:11,448 --> 00:46:13,310 Why did you lock me in there? 742 00:46:13,413 --> 00:46:14,689 Why did you do it? 743 00:46:14,793 --> 00:46:15,965 It wasn't me. 744 00:46:19,241 --> 00:46:20,344 Robert did it. 745 00:46:29,689 --> 00:46:31,275 [David] As much as the people in Key West 746 00:46:31,379 --> 00:46:34,827 might have seen Anne and Gene as a happy couple out in public 747 00:46:34,931 --> 00:46:39,137 behind closed doors, it was a very different story. 748 00:46:39,241 --> 00:46:41,620 Anne and Gene's relationship was so stressed 749 00:46:41,724 --> 00:46:44,448 and so fractured during that time 750 00:46:44,551 --> 00:46:47,310 because of Robert's relationship with Gene. 751 00:46:47,413 --> 00:46:50,517 And Anne moved into her own room, 752 00:46:50,620 --> 00:46:53,758 which happens to be this room that we're in today. 753 00:46:53,862 --> 00:46:58,413 Around 1965, Gene became sick with Parkinson's disease, 754 00:46:58,517 --> 00:47:00,103 and I spoke to some of his family. 755 00:47:00,206 --> 00:47:04,724 They said he spent his last ten years in the turret with Robert the Doll, 756 00:47:04,827 --> 00:47:06,103 slowly losing his mind. 757 00:47:08,931 --> 00:47:13,137 It pains me to think about the way she had to suffer, 758 00:47:13,241 --> 00:47:15,965 and the ending is even worse. 759 00:47:17,931 --> 00:47:23,172 [David] Gene died on June 24th, 1974, and when he died, 760 00:47:23,275 --> 00:47:24,586 Anne was devastated. 761 00:47:27,172 --> 00:47:30,172 [man 1] Anne now lives in the house alone. 762 00:47:30,275 --> 00:47:33,310 But it never felt right, just her and Robert in that house. 763 00:47:34,896 --> 00:47:36,241 And so, when money gets tight, 764 00:47:36,344 --> 00:47:39,206 she decides to sell the house to her neighbor, William Gaiser. 765 00:47:39,310 --> 00:47:45,103 But she makes one thing clear when she sells the home, that Robert comes with it. 766 00:47:47,655 --> 00:47:51,655 [David] I don't think Anne was honoring her husband by having Robert stay here. 767 00:47:51,758 --> 00:47:52,965 I think she wanted to make sure 768 00:47:53,068 --> 00:47:56,103 that it didn't end up being sent to her. 769 00:47:56,206 --> 00:48:00,655 And she died from pancreatic cancer five years later. 770 00:48:00,758 --> 00:48:04,206 It was a tragic ending for everybody involved, 771 00:48:05,517 --> 00:48:06,793 except for Robert the Doll. 772 00:48:13,448 --> 00:48:18,620 Myrtle Reuter and Bill Reuter bought the Otto family home from Bill Gaiser. 773 00:48:18,724 --> 00:48:21,448 It was right around 1976. 774 00:48:21,551 --> 00:48:23,275 Oh, my God. I remember this. 775 00:48:23,379 --> 00:48:24,655 The unpacking is fun. 776 00:48:29,137 --> 00:48:30,413 Let's see what we've got here. 777 00:48:30,517 --> 00:48:32,551 -Hi, honey. -Hi, Mom. 778 00:48:32,655 --> 00:48:34,586 -Hey, Sarah. -Having fun? 779 00:48:34,689 --> 00:48:35,689 Yes. 780 00:48:35,793 --> 00:48:37,103 Have you picked out your room? 781 00:48:37,206 --> 00:48:38,275 [Sarah] Dad, sincerely. 782 00:48:38,379 --> 00:48:40,137 -I love this house. -Nice. 783 00:48:40,241 --> 00:48:41,482 -It is cool, isn't it? -Big. 784 00:49:06,931 --> 00:49:08,275 Look at you. 785 00:49:08,379 --> 00:49:09,758 Aw! 786 00:49:09,862 --> 00:49:11,034 Unbelievable. 787 00:50:09,586 --> 00:50:10,758 How did you get in here? 788 00:50:13,551 --> 00:50:14,896 Are you all alone in here? 789 00:50:18,689 --> 00:50:19,965 That isn't nice. 790 00:50:27,310 --> 00:50:28,344 Don't worry. 791 00:50:28,448 --> 00:50:29,620 I'll take care of you. 792 00:50:33,655 --> 00:50:35,344 Of course we can be friends. 793 00:50:40,448 --> 00:50:44,655 [Mark] Some legends say it seems Robert was waiting for a new friend. 794 00:50:44,758 --> 00:50:50,241 There is again this wonderful connection at start, 795 00:50:50,344 --> 00:50:53,827 but again, the honeymoon does not last long with Robert. 796 00:50:53,931 --> 00:50:55,379 So this is your favorite seat? 797 00:50:56,586 --> 00:50:58,689 Mine too. 798 00:50:58,793 --> 00:51:00,344 I bet my other friends will like it. 799 00:51:18,448 --> 00:51:20,344 What do you think? 800 00:51:20,448 --> 00:51:21,689 I think they like it too. 801 00:51:35,137 --> 00:51:36,413 How did you get back here? 802 00:51:38,965 --> 00:51:40,275 I think it's time to go to bed. 803 00:51:47,172 --> 00:51:48,931 [screams] 804 00:51:55,758 --> 00:51:58,172 [Cindy] By coming to Key West, I'm hoping to understand 805 00:51:58,275 --> 00:52:01,620 why Robert the Doll has had such a massive impact 806 00:52:01,724 --> 00:52:04,793 and a negative impact on so many people. 807 00:52:16,517 --> 00:52:17,551 Hi, Robert. 808 00:52:17,655 --> 00:52:18,724 My name is Cindy, 809 00:52:18,827 --> 00:52:20,827 and I'm here to talk to you about 810 00:52:20,931 --> 00:52:24,689 why you're here and to learn about the story of Robert. 811 00:52:25,862 --> 00:52:27,482 The energy is palpable. 812 00:52:27,586 --> 00:52:28,965 I mean, you could feel the shift 813 00:52:29,068 --> 00:52:30,965 the second I walk through the threshold. 814 00:52:31,068 --> 00:52:34,862 I'm already hearing there really aren't many entities 815 00:52:34,965 --> 00:52:39,172 attached to Robert the Doll. 816 00:52:40,344 --> 00:52:42,103 So fascinating because it's... 817 00:52:42,206 --> 00:52:44,862 it really... he's not just one spirit. 818 00:52:44,965 --> 00:52:46,551 He's many spirits. 819 00:52:46,655 --> 00:52:50,896 It's almost as if the doll itself is a portal. 820 00:52:51,000 --> 00:52:54,482 Whatever spell, for lack of a better word, was done. 821 00:52:54,586 --> 00:52:59,655 It was to create an opening inside the doll to attract in spirits. 822 00:53:02,310 --> 00:53:03,551 [Cindy] In this particular case, 823 00:53:03,655 --> 00:53:05,655 I think it's really hard to close the portal 824 00:53:05,758 --> 00:53:07,103 that surrounds Robert the Doll 825 00:53:07,206 --> 00:53:08,862 because we don't truly understand 826 00:53:08,965 --> 00:53:11,206 how this portal was created. 827 00:53:11,310 --> 00:53:12,724 [David] Do you feel like all of these spirits 828 00:53:12,827 --> 00:53:14,379 were always with Robert or do you think 829 00:53:14,482 --> 00:53:15,862 they've been collected along the way? 830 00:53:15,965 --> 00:53:17,758 They've definitely been collected along the way. 831 00:53:17,862 --> 00:53:20,448 So it's like wherever Robert goes, 832 00:53:20,551 --> 00:53:23,551 more spirits attach to Robert 833 00:53:23,655 --> 00:53:26,482 and they just accumulate and accumulate. 834 00:53:26,586 --> 00:53:31,206 And I know that people have seen Robert move. 835 00:53:31,310 --> 00:53:33,620 But again, it's also the spirits 836 00:53:33,724 --> 00:53:38,517 that are around Robert that are able to manipulate the doll itself. 837 00:53:38,620 --> 00:53:41,793 Wherever this doll is, there are lots of spirits coming in, 838 00:53:41,896 --> 00:53:44,586 lots of them, and especially children. 839 00:53:46,448 --> 00:53:48,344 I keep seeing handprints on the glass, 840 00:53:48,448 --> 00:53:51,000 little children's handprints. 841 00:53:51,103 --> 00:53:54,000 The little girl, I feel, really is a strong presence 842 00:53:54,103 --> 00:53:58,275 around this doll and her story hasn't been told yet. 843 00:53:58,379 --> 00:54:00,827 [David] Why do you think the spirits around Robert 844 00:54:00,931 --> 00:54:03,517 are angry or sad or... 845 00:54:03,620 --> 00:54:04,724 They have unfinished business. 846 00:54:04,827 --> 00:54:06,172 Their story hasn't been told. 847 00:54:06,275 --> 00:54:07,448 I mean, this is... 848 00:54:07,551 --> 00:54:09,586 this doll is a portal to attract in a lot of spirits, 849 00:54:09,689 --> 00:54:13,896 and in particular, spirits of unfinished business that are sad, 850 00:54:14,000 --> 00:54:18,827 that are angry because that creates a darker presence. 851 00:54:18,931 --> 00:54:20,551 Not all of them are bad. 852 00:54:20,655 --> 00:54:25,655 Some of them are mischievous, but there is, in particular, one who is negative. 853 00:54:27,379 --> 00:54:30,379 I definitely feel like there is an aggressive 854 00:54:30,482 --> 00:54:33,586 male spirit that's very attached 855 00:54:34,965 --> 00:54:37,137 to this doll that I feel is dark 856 00:54:37,241 --> 00:54:40,586 who is the one that shoves people, who scares people. 857 00:54:43,448 --> 00:54:44,758 Open up! Please! 858 00:54:44,862 --> 00:54:46,793 There's definitely a very angry, aggressive, 859 00:54:46,896 --> 00:54:49,413 and violent spirit attached to Robert the Doll. 860 00:54:49,517 --> 00:54:52,034 And I do believe that he is the cause 861 00:54:52,137 --> 00:54:53,379 of a lot of the negative activity 862 00:54:53,482 --> 00:54:54,758 that people have experienced. 863 00:55:40,379 --> 00:55:41,655 I don't know what to do. 864 00:55:43,034 --> 00:55:45,034 She was fine before we moved here. 865 00:55:46,896 --> 00:55:49,068 Why would she be acting like this now? 866 00:56:16,724 --> 00:56:18,000 [screams] 867 00:56:22,689 --> 00:56:23,758 -Sarah. -No. 868 00:56:23,862 --> 00:56:25,379 -Sarah. -Hurry. 869 00:56:27,551 --> 00:56:29,379 Mom. Help me. 870 00:56:29,482 --> 00:56:30,758 Help me. Mom! 871 00:56:30,862 --> 00:56:32,000 Help me! 872 00:56:32,103 --> 00:56:33,310 [Sarah screams] 873 00:56:35,724 --> 00:56:37,413 Give me that. 874 00:56:37,517 --> 00:56:38,586 Are you okay? 875 00:56:38,689 --> 00:56:39,931 Are you okay? 876 00:56:41,689 --> 00:56:43,620 The doll's fighting with me. 877 00:56:43,724 --> 00:56:46,689 A fake fight with your doll? 878 00:56:48,931 --> 00:56:50,482 What the hell is going on around here? 879 00:56:51,758 --> 00:56:53,413 This nonsense... 880 00:56:53,517 --> 00:56:55,655 this nonsense, Sarah, it ends now. 881 00:56:55,758 --> 00:56:57,068 It ends now! 882 00:57:03,241 --> 00:57:05,206 Are you okay? 883 00:57:05,310 --> 00:57:06,551 I don't know. 884 00:57:06,655 --> 00:57:11,068 Part of the legend says that the father locked the doll away 885 00:57:11,172 --> 00:57:13,517 after it had tried to attack his daughter. 886 00:57:13,620 --> 00:57:16,551 And shortly after he did that, he was found dead. 887 00:57:32,103 --> 00:57:33,310 William, are you out there? 888 00:57:35,068 --> 00:57:37,586 What on earth are you doing out there? 889 00:57:46,758 --> 00:57:48,689 William. 890 00:57:48,793 --> 00:57:50,206 William! 891 00:57:50,310 --> 00:57:52,241 William, open the door! 892 00:57:52,344 --> 00:57:53,620 William, open the door! 893 00:57:55,620 --> 00:57:57,724 William! 894 00:57:57,827 --> 00:58:00,137 No, no. 895 00:58:00,241 --> 00:58:01,379 William, no. 896 00:58:01,482 --> 00:58:03,103 Wake up, honey. Wake up. 897 00:58:03,206 --> 00:58:04,275 Wake up, honey. Wake up. 898 00:58:04,379 --> 00:58:05,413 Wake up. Wake up. 899 00:58:05,517 --> 00:58:07,000 -[sobbing] -Wake up! 900 00:58:10,689 --> 00:58:12,206 [Hayley] The legend surrounding 901 00:58:12,310 --> 00:58:17,137 William and Robert says that he had passed away 902 00:58:17,241 --> 00:58:18,896 from carbon monoxide poisoning. 903 00:58:20,655 --> 00:58:22,793 Was it a tragic accident 904 00:58:22,896 --> 00:58:27,344 or was this the curse of Robert claiming another victim? 905 00:58:29,310 --> 00:58:32,275 [Hayley] If you ask a local like me, 906 00:58:32,379 --> 00:58:35,758 I'm gonna tell you, that's Robert. 907 00:58:35,862 --> 00:58:38,379 And he will get his revenge. 908 00:58:38,482 --> 00:58:39,655 And he got it. 909 00:58:40,896 --> 00:58:43,655 [Mark] So now Myrtle is a widow. 910 00:58:43,758 --> 00:58:46,551 Two years later, decides to sell the house. 911 00:58:46,655 --> 00:58:50,482 She can't afford to keep it, but as she moves away, 912 00:58:50,586 --> 00:58:54,137 she decides, strangely, to keep the doll. 913 00:59:32,620 --> 00:59:33,758 Robert. 914 00:59:35,862 --> 00:59:37,586 So this is where he put you. 915 00:59:40,758 --> 00:59:42,068 Oh, you poor darling. 916 00:59:43,310 --> 00:59:45,206 You must've been in so lonely. 917 00:59:47,413 --> 00:59:48,448 Oh, Robert. 918 01:00:02,068 --> 01:00:03,379 Oh. 919 01:00:05,689 --> 01:00:06,793 It's okay. 920 01:00:09,103 --> 01:00:10,172 I'm here now. 921 01:00:12,379 --> 01:00:13,689 You're gonna come with me now. 922 01:00:18,068 --> 01:00:19,724 We're gonna have so much fun. 923 01:00:24,275 --> 01:00:27,689 The legend around Robert and Myrtle continued for years. 924 01:00:27,793 --> 01:00:30,068 [Jeff] One such legend included Myrtle 925 01:00:30,172 --> 01:00:32,241 getting ready for bed in her Key West apartment. 926 01:00:35,103 --> 01:00:36,862 How's my darling doing? 927 01:00:54,275 --> 01:00:55,896 No. Where have you gone? 928 01:00:59,620 --> 01:01:02,000 I know I put you in your chair. 929 01:01:41,137 --> 01:01:42,275 Let me out! 930 01:01:46,965 --> 01:01:52,206 [David] Myrtle Reuter, she had Robert up until August 19th, 1994, 931 01:01:52,310 --> 01:01:55,896 and that's the morning after she was attacked. 932 01:02:00,655 --> 01:02:05,379 Whoever is out there, stop this now. 933 01:02:51,137 --> 01:02:52,827 [Jeff] That was the last straw. 934 01:02:52,931 --> 01:02:56,310 She had to get Robert the Doll out of her life for good. 935 01:02:56,413 --> 01:02:57,931 And after that, she donates Robert 936 01:02:58,034 --> 01:03:00,310 to the Fort East Martello Museum. 937 01:03:00,413 --> 01:03:01,793 [David] I think she brought him there 938 01:03:01,896 --> 01:03:05,310 because this was the main museum in Key West. 939 01:03:05,413 --> 01:03:07,482 It was rich with Key West history, 940 01:03:07,586 --> 01:03:10,034 and it was also the museum 941 01:03:10,137 --> 01:03:12,344 that Gene Otto had helped create. 942 01:03:12,448 --> 01:03:15,034 When this was turned over from the military 943 01:03:15,137 --> 01:03:17,103 to the Key West Art & Historical Society, 944 01:03:17,206 --> 01:03:21,034 Gene was very active in making the galleries. 945 01:03:21,137 --> 01:03:23,689 And I talked with Joe, who checked Robert in. 946 01:03:23,793 --> 01:03:25,482 He said Myrtle came through that front door, 947 01:03:25,586 --> 01:03:26,793 and she was frantic. 948 01:03:26,896 --> 01:03:27,931 She was clutching the doll. 949 01:03:28,034 --> 01:03:30,586 She set him down on the desk and she said, 950 01:03:30,689 --> 01:03:32,137 "This is Robert the Doll. 951 01:03:32,241 --> 01:03:35,000 He belonged to Gene Otto, and he's haunted. 952 01:03:35,103 --> 01:03:36,655 I need you to take him." 953 01:03:36,758 --> 01:03:38,724 They filled out the paperwork. 954 01:03:38,827 --> 01:03:42,620 Myrtle left the fort, and she died 101 days later. 955 01:03:44,206 --> 01:03:47,517 [Mark] The museum director gets this doll 956 01:03:47,620 --> 01:03:48,724 and doesn't know what to do with it. 957 01:03:48,827 --> 01:03:50,586 He's so unnerved by her story. 958 01:03:50,689 --> 01:03:52,310 So he puts it away. 959 01:03:52,413 --> 01:03:53,931 He locks it away from public view. 960 01:03:54,034 --> 01:03:55,344 It's just part of the collection. 961 01:03:56,586 --> 01:04:01,517 When we first took possession of Robert in 1994, we... 962 01:04:01,620 --> 01:04:04,448 you know, it was like a lot of things in our collection. 963 01:04:04,551 --> 01:04:06,241 People have dropped things off at the door. 964 01:04:06,344 --> 01:04:07,379 People have... 965 01:04:07,482 --> 01:04:09,172 you know, some of it's quality, some of it's not. 966 01:04:09,275 --> 01:04:11,379 And so Robert kind of fell into that, 967 01:04:11,482 --> 01:04:13,068 and he went into a storage room 968 01:04:13,172 --> 01:04:14,482 with a lot of other things. 969 01:04:15,793 --> 01:04:17,448 They're not quite sure what to do with him yet, 970 01:04:17,551 --> 01:04:20,206 so they just kind of lock him up and keep him in a closet. 971 01:04:20,310 --> 01:04:23,862 But this is the perfect place for him because, number one, 972 01:04:23,965 --> 01:04:27,103 they used to display Gene Otto's art in this museum. 973 01:04:27,206 --> 01:04:29,172 I mean, so there's that connection. 974 01:04:29,275 --> 01:04:31,896 And now you've brought in arguably 975 01:04:32,000 --> 01:04:34,965 the world's most haunted doll with a place 976 01:04:35,068 --> 01:04:37,137 that's also connected to the doll's first owner. 977 01:04:40,827 --> 01:04:43,413 [Mark] There were plumbing troubles at the fort 978 01:04:43,517 --> 01:04:45,172 after Robert had arrived. 979 01:04:45,275 --> 01:04:47,413 So they called in a specialist who comes in. 980 01:04:47,517 --> 01:04:49,517 The plumber comes in and starts working on the pipes. 981 01:05:08,000 --> 01:05:09,206 Frickin' rats. 982 01:05:31,724 --> 01:05:33,000 He flips out. Done. 983 01:05:33,103 --> 01:05:35,103 I'm out. You know, I'm not... 984 01:05:35,206 --> 01:05:36,724 Get me the hell out of here. 985 01:05:36,827 --> 01:05:41,758 He says had anyone told him that there was a ghost doll in this building, 986 01:05:41,862 --> 01:05:43,137 he never would have come. 987 01:05:44,448 --> 01:05:47,413 Unfortunately, these attacks were just the beginning. 988 01:05:48,689 --> 01:05:50,241 [Jeff] As the story of Robert the Doll 989 01:05:50,344 --> 01:05:52,000 starts to circulate around the museum 990 01:05:52,103 --> 01:05:54,344 and as people are becoming more interested in it, 991 01:05:54,448 --> 01:05:56,862 employees are starting to notice strange things are happening 992 01:05:56,965 --> 01:05:59,413 and the reputation starts to spread quickly. 993 01:06:01,620 --> 01:06:03,482 Well, you know, there's a ghost story that's going well. 994 01:06:05,068 --> 01:06:06,310 -What? -Sorry. 995 01:06:06,413 --> 01:06:08,758 But I just, I don't really believe in that stuff. 996 01:06:08,862 --> 01:06:12,137 It's all just a bunch of made-up island tales. 997 01:06:16,413 --> 01:06:17,586 What was that? 998 01:06:20,172 --> 01:06:21,482 I didn't see anything. 999 01:06:21,586 --> 01:06:23,448 Something just went down the hallway. 1000 01:06:25,068 --> 01:06:26,241 It's probably just a mouse. 1001 01:06:28,689 --> 01:06:31,206 It looked hell of a lot bigger than a mouse. 1002 01:06:31,310 --> 01:06:32,896 All right. I'm gonna go check it out. 1003 01:06:33,000 --> 01:06:34,034 I'll be right back. 1004 01:06:35,310 --> 01:06:36,448 Okay. 1005 01:07:24,137 --> 01:07:26,482 You picked the wrong day to sneak in here, rat. 1006 01:07:34,482 --> 01:07:36,206 [screams] 1007 01:07:43,862 --> 01:07:46,206 You see that little case there? 1008 01:07:46,310 --> 01:07:47,344 That's Robert. 1009 01:07:47,448 --> 01:07:49,241 The world's most haunted doll. 1010 01:07:49,344 --> 01:07:52,448 He's received thousands and thousands of letters 1011 01:07:52,551 --> 01:07:55,793 from people asking for his curse to be removed. 1012 01:07:57,275 --> 01:07:58,482 Who here believes in curses? 1013 01:08:00,000 --> 01:08:03,586 Robert is just like visiting the lion at the zoo. 1014 01:08:03,689 --> 01:08:05,137 You don't go in the cage. 1015 01:08:05,241 --> 01:08:08,344 And one of my goals tonight is we take precautions 1016 01:08:08,448 --> 01:08:12,862 so you can get out of here without suffering the wrath of Robert the Doll. 1017 01:08:18,517 --> 01:08:23,000 [Cori] Once, Myrtle brings Robert to us in 1994 1018 01:08:23,103 --> 01:08:25,068 and he got put out on display, 1019 01:08:25,172 --> 01:08:28,585 he goes from being recognized and known probably 1020 01:08:28,689 --> 01:08:32,033 by handfuls of people that are here on Key West to, 1021 01:08:32,137 --> 01:08:35,655 within a few years, having an incredible reputation 1022 01:08:35,758 --> 01:08:39,274 and acknowledgment from all over the country. 1023 01:08:39,379 --> 01:08:42,137 I can't imagine that Myrtle would have thought 1024 01:08:42,241 --> 01:08:43,655 that that would have been possible. 1025 01:08:44,862 --> 01:08:46,931 [David] Shortly after Robert went on display, 1026 01:08:47,033 --> 01:08:49,413 visitors started experiencing problems with their cameras. 1027 01:08:49,517 --> 01:08:53,827 Batteries of all types were draining around Robert the Doll. 1028 01:08:53,931 --> 01:08:56,413 This led to the legend that you better ask his permission. 1029 01:08:58,517 --> 01:09:01,033 [Jeff] Weird things continue to happen to Robert the Doll, 1030 01:09:01,137 --> 01:09:02,550 in and around that display. 1031 01:09:02,655 --> 01:09:04,550 Objects moved, the doll moves. 1032 01:09:04,655 --> 01:09:06,965 People swear they see the doll move on its own. 1033 01:09:08,585 --> 01:09:12,206 [David] There was a chair kept beside Robert the Doll's case. 1034 01:09:12,309 --> 01:09:13,931 They'd come in in the morning and find the chair 1035 01:09:14,033 --> 01:09:15,965 facing Robert, as if somebody was sitting 1036 01:09:16,068 --> 01:09:17,862 and having a conversation with him. 1037 01:09:17,965 --> 01:09:19,827 They'd hear Robert whisper their name 1038 01:09:19,931 --> 01:09:21,482 as they walked by him in the morning. 1039 01:09:24,000 --> 01:09:27,033 [David] One staff member noticed that Robert's feet were dirty. 1040 01:09:31,482 --> 01:09:33,103 And then she looked down. 1041 01:09:34,931 --> 01:09:35,896 And in front of his case, 1042 01:09:36,000 --> 01:09:38,344 she saw little Robert's-sized footprints 1043 01:09:38,448 --> 01:09:39,620 in the dust of the fort. 1044 01:09:41,585 --> 01:09:43,309 [Jeff] The reputation of Robert the Doll 1045 01:09:43,413 --> 01:09:45,309 is that it's haunted, it's possessed, 1046 01:09:45,413 --> 01:09:47,862 that there's something inside of it. 1047 01:09:47,965 --> 01:09:49,206 What happens if you go there 1048 01:09:49,309 --> 01:09:51,550 and you take a picture and you didn't ask permission 1049 01:09:51,655 --> 01:09:54,413 and you go home and some horrible thing happens to you? 1050 01:09:54,517 --> 01:09:57,517 Suddenly, the legends have a lot more truth to them. 1051 01:09:57,620 --> 01:09:59,379 It's not just a ghost story anymore. 1052 01:09:59,482 --> 01:10:00,585 It's your reality. 1053 01:10:14,103 --> 01:10:16,275 [producer speaking] 1054 01:10:18,931 --> 01:10:20,379 Feels a lot different this time. 1055 01:10:20,482 --> 01:10:23,482 Got to be honest with you, than it did 13 years ago. 1056 01:10:24,793 --> 01:10:27,344 [Dan] Key West is one of my favorite places to go. 1057 01:10:27,448 --> 01:10:30,413 I live about four hours away. 1058 01:10:30,517 --> 01:10:33,034 I used to drive here all the time, 1059 01:10:33,137 --> 01:10:40,068 and I have not been back here for 13 years. 1060 01:10:40,172 --> 01:10:43,206 You come to this place, and, you know, we did a ghost tour, 1061 01:10:43,309 --> 01:10:44,931 and that was fun, and everything was fun, 1062 01:10:45,034 --> 01:10:47,931 and just, you know, we had a few drinks, that was fun. 1063 01:10:48,034 --> 01:10:50,793 And then the next day, we come here, and this was fun. 1064 01:10:50,896 --> 01:10:52,862 But as soon as you turn the corner 1065 01:10:52,965 --> 01:10:57,896 and you see basically this little kid's toy 1066 01:10:58,000 --> 01:11:01,896 that's all beat up and looks like hell. 1067 01:11:02,000 --> 01:11:05,550 I mean, honestly, and, you know, the Robert the Doll legend. 1068 01:11:05,655 --> 01:11:07,068 But I'm also pretty sarcastic. 1069 01:11:07,172 --> 01:11:10,482 And when somebody says, "Don't do this," 1070 01:11:10,585 --> 01:11:12,896 I just thought, "Well, I'm gonna do this 1071 01:11:13,000 --> 01:11:14,241 and I'm going to turn it up a notch 1072 01:11:14,344 --> 01:11:17,000 and just going to just be a jackass 1073 01:11:17,103 --> 01:11:20,000 and mess around with the little stupid kid's toy." 1074 01:11:21,344 --> 01:11:24,896 I saw this plexiglass, you know, little cage. 1075 01:11:25,000 --> 01:11:28,000 And I thought, "Oh, boy, this is pretty ridiculous." 1076 01:11:29,482 --> 01:11:30,724 And everyone's freaked out. 1077 01:11:30,827 --> 01:11:32,413 And I remember looking at the wall 1078 01:11:32,517 --> 01:11:34,793 and there are all these letters pasted. 1079 01:11:34,896 --> 01:11:37,793 And I just remember, like, you know, looking at my wife, 1080 01:11:37,896 --> 01:11:39,965 just going, "Wow, people are weird. 1081 01:11:40,068 --> 01:11:42,482 Like, they really buy into this." 1082 01:11:42,585 --> 01:11:44,827 And so I just started being a jerk. 1083 01:11:47,965 --> 01:11:51,068 The first rule is don't mock him. 1084 01:11:51,172 --> 01:11:52,206 Did it? 1085 01:11:55,000 --> 01:11:58,034 If you're gonna take a picture, ask his permission. 1086 01:11:58,137 --> 01:11:59,206 Didn't do that. 1087 01:12:08,620 --> 01:12:09,965 So without a doubt, 1088 01:12:10,068 --> 01:12:12,689 everything that I did while I was here 1089 01:12:12,793 --> 01:12:15,241 was 100% wrong in my opinion. 1090 01:12:17,206 --> 01:12:20,137 After we left the museum, within 20 minutes, 1091 01:12:20,241 --> 01:12:21,585 bad luck started happening. 1092 01:12:23,965 --> 01:12:25,827 At first, it was just minor car stuff, 1093 01:12:25,931 --> 01:12:30,034 and then it turned into families being in accidents, 1094 01:12:30,137 --> 01:12:32,689 my dog dying, my mom getting sick, 1095 01:12:32,793 --> 01:12:36,517 my mom dying, me losing a job, 1096 01:12:36,620 --> 01:12:40,379 me losing a huge contract, me getting sick. 1097 01:12:40,482 --> 01:12:42,931 I mean, it just went on and on and on. 1098 01:12:43,034 --> 01:12:46,206 More pets dying, me getting sicker to the point 1099 01:12:46,309 --> 01:12:50,068 where me almost dying one day. 1100 01:12:57,827 --> 01:13:00,344 So I thought, "Well, what do I have to lose?" 1101 01:13:00,448 --> 01:13:02,517 I'm gonna write him a letter. 1102 01:13:02,620 --> 01:13:03,758 And that's what I did. 1103 01:13:05,034 --> 01:13:10,068 And after that, like really, within days, 1104 01:13:10,172 --> 01:13:12,689 it seemed everything changed. 1105 01:13:12,793 --> 01:13:16,172 I guarantee people are going to look at me and think, 1106 01:13:16,275 --> 01:13:17,620 "Look at this idiot." 1107 01:13:17,724 --> 01:13:21,931 But this idiot was basically like you idiots that don't believe. 1108 01:13:22,034 --> 01:13:25,517 Like I truly, truly believe this right now. 1109 01:13:25,620 --> 01:13:28,448 I was a jerk. I did everything wrong. 1110 01:13:28,550 --> 01:13:31,206 I did everything that the legend says I shouldn't do. 1111 01:13:31,309 --> 01:13:32,448 I did. 1112 01:13:32,550 --> 01:13:35,137 And I ended up paying the price for it. 1113 01:13:41,275 --> 01:13:42,965 [Jeff] There are thousands of people begging 1114 01:13:43,068 --> 01:13:44,862 for forgiveness from Robert the Doll 1115 01:13:44,965 --> 01:13:49,103 to this day because they believe they're cursed. 1116 01:13:49,206 --> 01:13:51,206 It really doesn't matter if you believe 1117 01:13:51,309 --> 01:13:53,103 this is for real or not for real. 1118 01:13:53,206 --> 01:13:56,206 It's a reality for thousands of people 1119 01:13:56,309 --> 01:13:58,689 who have fallen under the spell of Robert. 1120 01:13:58,793 --> 01:14:00,517 And while you can say there's no such thing 1121 01:14:00,620 --> 01:14:02,448 as curses, this is superstition, 1122 01:14:02,550 --> 01:14:05,034 there's no such thing as a haunted doll, that's fine. 1123 01:14:05,137 --> 01:14:06,275 But tell that to them. 1124 01:14:06,379 --> 01:14:08,517 Tell that to the people, the thousands of people 1125 01:14:08,620 --> 01:14:12,550 who have written letters about all the bad luck that's befallen them 1126 01:14:12,655 --> 01:14:15,896 after they went there and didn't take it seriously. 1127 01:14:16,000 --> 01:14:17,758 [Hayley] As your parents probably told you, 1128 01:14:17,862 --> 01:14:20,344 if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. 1129 01:14:20,448 --> 01:14:23,034 It's very important when it comes to Robert. 1130 01:14:23,137 --> 01:14:26,862 If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it to him. 1131 01:14:26,965 --> 01:14:29,517 Don't even say it out loud and don't even think it 1132 01:14:29,620 --> 01:14:31,585 in the same room 'cause he's going to know. 1133 01:14:33,862 --> 01:14:35,344 [David] I went through some really rough times 1134 01:14:35,448 --> 01:14:37,103 when I was writing the book about Robert the Doll. 1135 01:14:37,206 --> 01:14:39,758 I used to think I was Mr. Ghost Guy 1136 01:14:39,862 --> 01:14:43,585 and that I knew more about them than anybody, 1137 01:14:43,689 --> 01:14:46,517 but I was put firmly in my place. 1138 01:14:46,620 --> 01:14:49,034 It started with losing four hard drives, 1139 01:14:49,137 --> 01:14:50,585 and after the first one, of course, 1140 01:14:50,689 --> 01:14:53,275 I have everything backed up every way you could imagine. 1141 01:14:53,379 --> 01:14:55,724 The entire versions of the book were disappearing, 1142 01:14:55,827 --> 01:14:59,206 and it was as if somebody didn't like something 1143 01:14:59,309 --> 01:15:01,896 I was putting in the book and I couldn't figure out why. 1144 01:15:02,000 --> 01:15:03,309 I was shedding light on Robert. 1145 01:15:03,413 --> 01:15:04,724 I thought he would be appreciative. 1146 01:15:06,620 --> 01:15:11,309 What became terrifying, you know, losing hard drives, 1147 01:15:12,931 --> 01:15:15,379 it's not scary, it's frustrating, it's weird. 1148 01:15:17,034 --> 01:15:19,724 What became terrifying was a few days after this, 1149 01:15:24,413 --> 01:15:26,172 I was yanked from my bed. 1150 01:15:26,275 --> 01:15:30,793 And when I realized nothing was below me, I became terrified. 1151 01:15:30,896 --> 01:15:33,793 And that's when I said, "Oh, God, help me." 1152 01:15:33,896 --> 01:15:38,620 And when I said that, boom, I dropped. 1153 01:15:38,724 --> 01:15:40,448 I wasn't even over my bed. 1154 01:15:40,550 --> 01:15:42,620 I was about six feet to the left of it. 1155 01:15:42,724 --> 01:15:47,758 And I don't know how high up I dropped from, but I hit hard. 1156 01:15:47,862 --> 01:15:50,137 And after the encounter with Robert, 1157 01:15:50,241 --> 01:15:52,000 that woke me up, 1158 01:15:52,103 --> 01:15:55,585 and it put a seriousness on the spirit world. 1159 01:15:55,689 --> 01:15:57,482 I don't expect anybody to understand 1160 01:15:57,585 --> 01:15:59,689 that until they've been through it themselves. 1161 01:15:59,793 --> 01:16:02,965 And the best I can do is try to warn them until then. 1162 01:16:06,655 --> 01:16:09,206 [Cindy] Overall, honestly, Robert the Doll is not evil. 1163 01:16:09,309 --> 01:16:11,724 -[David] Right. -[Cindy] I don't feel Robert the Doll is evil. 1164 01:16:11,827 --> 01:16:15,344 I feel there's a portal, there's an entry point, 1165 01:16:15,448 --> 01:16:18,309 and it's the person's intentions 1166 01:16:18,413 --> 01:16:22,137 coming towards the doll that create the outcome. 1167 01:16:22,241 --> 01:16:24,517 How you approach Robert the Doll 1168 01:16:24,620 --> 01:16:26,827 will determine your experience with the doll. 1169 01:16:26,931 --> 01:16:28,655 [David] Do you know why Robert is haunting the people 1170 01:16:28,758 --> 01:16:30,550 who break the rules to this day? 1171 01:16:33,931 --> 01:16:35,793 Because they deserve it. 1172 01:16:35,896 --> 01:16:38,241 That's just literally what I heard, 1173 01:16:38,344 --> 01:16:39,965 because they deserve it. 1174 01:16:41,965 --> 01:16:46,034 And I just heard I curse people 1175 01:16:46,137 --> 01:16:49,137 who don't believe that I'm true, that I'm real. 1176 01:16:49,241 --> 01:16:50,275 That's the thing. 1177 01:16:50,379 --> 01:16:52,413 People that come in and say this is just a joke, 1178 01:16:52,517 --> 01:16:56,034 this is all fake, they're the ones who get hit the hardest. 1179 01:16:58,965 --> 01:17:04,309 I don't feel like Robert the Doll is out to hurt people. 1180 01:17:04,413 --> 01:17:06,550 But if you don't respect, 1181 01:17:06,655 --> 01:17:10,379 then you have something coming for you? 1182 01:17:10,482 --> 01:17:11,550 Yeah. 1183 01:17:13,482 --> 01:17:14,620 [Cindy] In this particular case, 1184 01:17:14,724 --> 01:17:16,689 I think it's really hard to close the portal 1185 01:17:16,793 --> 01:17:18,585 that surrounds Robert the Doll. 1186 01:17:18,689 --> 01:17:20,620 What we need to do, and what people need to do, 1187 01:17:20,724 --> 01:17:25,000 is acknowledge all of the spirits connected to Robert. 1188 01:17:26,172 --> 01:17:27,206 It's not just one. 1189 01:17:27,309 --> 01:17:29,585 They all need to be acknowledged. 1190 01:17:29,689 --> 01:17:30,896 [David] It's powerful. 1191 01:17:31,000 --> 01:17:34,137 Yeah, some really powerful spell work was done, 1192 01:17:34,241 --> 01:17:35,965 and I do not see it being reversed. 1193 01:17:36,068 --> 01:17:38,793 I think people just need to be respectful and live with it. 1194 01:17:38,896 --> 01:17:40,172 It's not going away. 1195 01:17:40,275 --> 01:17:43,034 I mean, I certainly would not want to disrespect the spirits 1196 01:17:43,137 --> 01:17:44,827 connected to this doll. 1197 01:17:44,931 --> 01:17:47,103 I think that people that are being haunted 1198 01:17:47,206 --> 01:17:48,448 by the curse of Robert the Doll 1199 01:17:48,550 --> 01:17:50,793 need to apologize to the spirits 1200 01:17:50,896 --> 01:17:53,620 for something that they probably did to disrespect them. 1201 01:17:54,896 --> 01:17:57,689 Being here today, I truly believe that 1202 01:17:57,793 --> 01:17:59,620 if you disrespect the spirit 1203 01:17:59,724 --> 01:18:03,275 attached to Robert the Doll, you will feel its wrath. 1204 01:18:04,931 --> 01:18:07,034 [Jeff] A legend is a living, breathing thing. 1205 01:18:07,137 --> 01:18:10,206 It's a thing that becomes bigger than the object itself. 1206 01:18:10,309 --> 01:18:15,068 And as you approach this, this case where Robert sits, 1207 01:18:15,172 --> 01:18:18,275 you can't help but think of all the stories you've heard. 1208 01:18:18,379 --> 01:18:21,517 Each one of those stories gives Robert more power 1209 01:18:21,620 --> 01:18:25,344 and it makes his legend grow, makes it bigger and bigger. 1210 01:18:25,448 --> 01:18:28,655 When a company makes a one-off display doll, 1211 01:18:28,758 --> 01:18:31,517 it's not like someone's gonna think to save 1212 01:18:31,620 --> 01:18:33,344 all the records of that, right? 1213 01:18:33,448 --> 01:18:34,448 It's a throwaway. 1214 01:18:34,550 --> 01:18:36,931 It's something you put up on display somewhere 1215 01:18:37,034 --> 01:18:38,275 and then you forget about it. 1216 01:18:38,379 --> 01:18:41,103 How could you know that 100 years from now, 1217 01:18:41,206 --> 01:18:43,309 this thing that you made would become something 1218 01:18:43,413 --> 01:18:46,275 so prominent that people come from all over the world 1219 01:18:46,379 --> 01:18:49,482 to see it and test the legend? 1220 01:18:49,585 --> 01:18:54,206 [Mark] To this day, thousands of people come to visit him every day. 1221 01:18:54,309 --> 01:18:56,724 [Cori] Robert is enormously popular. 1222 01:18:56,827 --> 01:19:00,103 Over the past ten years that I've been with this institution 1223 01:19:00,206 --> 01:19:01,620 and working with Robert, 1224 01:19:01,724 --> 01:19:04,965 we've seen his popularity grow exponentially. 1225 01:19:05,068 --> 01:19:07,585 When people say the most haunted doll in the world, 1226 01:19:07,689 --> 01:19:09,758 that's a pretty big claim. 1227 01:19:09,862 --> 01:19:11,034 With Robert the Doll, 1228 01:19:11,137 --> 01:19:14,793 people experience things every single day of the year. 1229 01:19:14,896 --> 01:19:17,550 That's what makes the world's most haunted doll. 1230 01:19:17,655 --> 01:19:22,137 [Mark] Is Robert possessed by the spirit of a child 1231 01:19:22,241 --> 01:19:27,379 born of this illicit affair between Thomas and Emeline? 1232 01:19:27,482 --> 01:19:30,896 And could this child's tragic death 1233 01:19:31,000 --> 01:19:34,896 be the source of the curse of the energy 1234 01:19:35,000 --> 01:19:36,862 that possesses Robert the Doll? 1235 01:19:36,965 --> 01:19:38,550 That's the legend. 1236 01:19:38,655 --> 01:19:41,965 [Jeff] We have all put our fears and our energy into this thing. 1237 01:19:42,068 --> 01:19:44,896 Anyone who believes it, and even who disbelieves it, 1238 01:19:45,000 --> 01:19:47,344 we have created Robert the Doll. 1239 01:19:47,448 --> 01:19:50,068 We make monsters, and then we can't control them 1240 01:19:50,172 --> 01:19:51,827 when they get out into the world. 1241 01:19:51,931 --> 01:19:53,241 Who knows what's next? 1242 01:20:10,758 --> 01:20:11,827 He looks creepy. 1243 01:20:13,172 --> 01:20:14,413 I don't know. 1244 01:20:17,000 --> 01:20:18,413 You don't think he's creepy looking? 1245 01:20:21,206 --> 01:20:22,275 Look at the face? 1246 01:20:24,034 --> 01:20:27,000 I think he's just misunderstood. 1247 01:20:29,482 --> 01:20:30,482 Maybe. 1248 01:20:30,585 --> 01:20:31,655 Come on. 1249 01:20:45,689 --> 01:20:47,585 [indistinct voices] 1250 01:20:49,620 --> 01:20:51,965 [evil laughter] 1251 01:20:54,034 --> 01:20:56,344 [indistinct voices] 1252 01:21:01,862 --> 01:21:03,344 Jill. 1253 01:21:03,448 --> 01:21:04,585 Jill, come on. 1254 01:21:05,896 --> 01:21:07,620 Hey, I was talking to you. 1255 01:21:07,724 --> 01:21:09,206 Let's go. 1256 01:21:09,309 --> 01:21:10,413 Okay. 1257 01:21:13,103 --> 01:21:14,379 Bye, Robert.