Robert the Haunted Doll
Robert the Doll is world-famous as one of the most notoriously haunted physical artifacts in existence. Housed in a glass case inside the historic Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida, the 40-inch straw-stuffed doll was manufactured by the Steiff Company of Germany around 1904 and given to young Robert Eugene Otto, an eccentric Key West artist. Over more than a century, Robert has accumulated a dark global reputation for malevolent poltergeist activity, facial expression shifts, electronic interference, and cursing visitors who disrespect him. Every year, museum curators receive thousands of apology letters from visitors worldwide seeking to lift bad luck incurred after taking photos without asking Robert's permission.