Cursed dolls from around the world

Dolls are often at the centre of the phobias of adults and children alike. This is supposedly because of their very human-like appearance which, together with other imaginative elements, causes unease or even terror. But some dolls terrify people because of their tormented history, often linked to a curse.

Here is a list of all the known cursed dolls in the world:

The Joliet doll

It is a doll handed down in the current owner’s family, from mother to daughter. It is said to hold the souls of dead babies, so much so that the owner can hear them crying. Read the full story.

Robert the cursed doll

A late-19th-century doll that carries a voodoo curse. It is currently at the East Martello Museum in Florida, USA, and it is said that you must ask its permission before photographing it, or you will be struck by a curse. It inspired “Child’s Play” and the more recent “The Boy”. Read the full story.

Annabelle

Surely one of the best known, Annabelle is a rag doll (not as shown in the 2014 film of the same name) that was possessed by a demon. It is now in the Warrens’ museum, in a special case protected against evil spirits. Read the full story.

The Peggy doll

Certainly not one of the best known, but certainly one of the scariest. It is said that the Peggy doll can cause a heart attack in those who look at it. After its owner began having horrible nightmares because of the doll, she asked a paranormal investigator for help, who is trying to work out who the ghost possessing Peggy is. Read the full story.

The Okiku doll

The Okiku doll comes from Japan. It is said to host the ghost of the little girl it had been given to, who died at just 3 years old. It is now in a temple, and its hair has to be cut regularly because it grows like a person’s. Read the full story.

The possessed voodoo doll

Today you can find anything on eBay. Even a real voodoo doll. One unlucky person decided to buy it, thinking it was a joke. But they had to think again after strange things began to happen. Read the full story.

Mandy the doll

Mandy is a Canadian cursed doll made in Europe in the early 1900s. Its owner, tired of the strange events that began after she acquired it, donated it to a museum. Read the full story.

The Jenglot

This strange name belongs to a strange doll from Indonesian folklore. Some say it is actually a small mummy but… a mummy of what, exactly? Read the full story.

Letta

Letta is a cursed doll found in an abandoned house. It is said to be possessed by the spirit of a boy who drowned about 200 years ago, and it has appeared on several TV programmes. Read the full story.

Pupa, the Italian cursed doll

One of the most interesting cursed dolls, being Italian. It is a possessed doll that, according to its owners, changes position by itself in its case and sends messages of hate. Read the full story.

The Barbie of Pulau Ubin

A Barbie doll specifically requested, according to legend, by the spirit of a girl who died about 100 years ago. The Barbie is now in Singapore, where a shrine has been dedicated to her. Read the full story.

Samantha, the doll that hates men

Samantha is a Victorian doll that, according to its owners, hates men. It supposedly hates them so much that it wounds them with its nails. Its story has featured on several British TV programmes. Read the full story.

The Singapore doll

In 2014 a ceramic doll with a strange blindfold over its eyes was found in Singapore. On the blindfold was a phrase in Arabic, which locals think serves to keep an evil spirit imprisoned. Read the full story.

The Island of the Dolls

An island in Mexico, very sinister because of the hundreds of dolls there. The story behind these dolls is very sad and involves the drowning of a little girl. Read the full story.

Sweet nightmares!