00:00Hello and welcome to the Dark Mystery Lounge.
00:03Today we are going to kick off the second annual Halloween Storytime.
00:08Last year I told you about the creepy story of Carl Tanzler
00:11and his obsession with a woman, even after her death.
00:16We are going to explore another Key West legend.
00:20The story about Robert the Doll. A large doll
00:23that has been causing havoc for over 100 years and has showed no
00:28signs of slowing down.
00:34The year is 1904. A man who was visiting
00:37Germany wanted to buy his grandson a present before returning
00:42to the U.S. He noticed a large handmade doll
00:45measuring at 40 inches. It had painted features and
00:49stuffed with wood wool known as Excelsior. It was made
00:54by the Steff Company of Germany, who were known for creating
00:58one of the first teddy bears.
01:00Thinking it was perfect for his grandson
01:01to have a friend, he bought the toy.
01:05His grandson,
01:06Robert Eugene Otto,
01:08who went by Gene,
01:10was given the doll on his birthday.
01:12He was delighted with the toy
01:14and carried it everywhere with him.
01:16He named the doll after
01:18himself, Robert.
01:19Robert was dressed in a sailor suit
01:22that Gene had once worn
01:23and even had his own little stuffed lion.
01:27The origin of the story has been debated.
01:30Some say it was the grandfather
01:31who gave him the toy.
01:34Others have said
01:35that the doll came from
01:36one of the family's young maids
01:38who put a hex on the doll
01:40in retaliation for some wrongdoing.
01:43In fact,
01:44historians say that the doll
01:45was never intended to be a toy,
01:47just a window display.
01:50Either way,
01:50I think we all can agree
01:52that there's something
01:53just off about this doll.
01:55Gene and Robert were best friends.
01:58They went everywhere together.
01:59They played together.
02:01Even Robert sat at the dinner table
02:03as Gene ate his meals.
02:05Soon,
02:06strange things began to happen
02:07around the house.
02:09The first hint that something
02:10out of the ordinary was happening
02:12was one night when Gene,
02:14who was only ten years old,
02:16woke to find Robert sitting
02:17at the end of his bed,
02:19staring at him.
02:20Moments later,
02:21his mother was awakened
02:22by his screams for help
02:24and the sounds of furniture
02:26being overturned
02:27in her son's bedroom.
02:29Gene cried for help,
02:30begging his mother
02:31to rescue him.
02:32When she was finally able
02:34to wrench the locked door open,
02:36she saw poor Gene
02:37curled up in fear
02:38on his bed.
02:39His room was in shambles
02:41and Robert the doll
02:42sitting at the foot
02:43of his bed.
02:45Gene often confided
02:46in Robert,
02:47talking to him
02:48as if he was real,
02:49like most kids
02:50that have had a doll
02:51or imaginary friend
02:52would do.
02:53His parents overheard
02:55Gene whisper,
02:56and to their surprise,
02:57he talked back.
02:58It was a low,
02:59deep voice.
03:01They reported
03:01seeing the doll speak
03:02and witnessing
03:03his expressions change.
03:06Giggling
03:06and sightings
03:07of Robert
03:08running up the steps
03:09or staring out
03:10of the upstairs window
03:11were also reported.
03:14The relationship
03:14that Gene
03:15and Robert had
03:16became an unhealthy one.
03:19As Gene grew older,
03:20Robert became
03:21more malicious
03:22as mutilated toys
03:24started appearing
03:25in the auto's home.
03:26When his parents
03:27would ask Gene
03:28what happened,
03:29he would cry out,
03:30Robert did it!
03:32One time,
03:33a plumber
03:33who had been hired
03:34to make some repairs
03:35around the auto's home
03:36claimed to hear
03:37children's laughter,
03:39though no one
03:39was home at the time.
03:41When he looked
03:42around the room,
03:43the plumber noticed
03:44that Robert had moved
03:45from one side
03:46of the window
03:47to the other,
03:48seemingly on his own.
03:50What's more,
03:51the plumber swore
03:52that objects
03:53that had been
03:54in Robert's lap
03:55ended up on the other
03:56side of the room
03:57as if he'd thrown them.
04:00Gene grew up
04:00and moved away
04:01for college.
04:02After studying
04:03at the Academy
04:04of Fine Arts
04:05in Chicago
04:05in the Arts Student
04:07League in New York,
04:08Gene got married
04:09and they eventually
04:10moved back
04:11into Gene's
04:12childhood home
04:13in Key West
04:14on Eaton Street
04:15after his parents
04:16had passed away.
04:18Gene called it
04:18the Artist's House.
04:20Gene decided
04:21that the doll
04:22needed a room
04:22of his own
04:23and placed him
04:24in the upstairs room
04:25that had a window
04:27overlooking the street.
04:29Robert was often
04:30seen waving
04:31at people
04:31and mocking
04:32school children
04:33as they passed by.
04:35Some of the locals
04:36just avoided
04:37walking by the house
04:38because Robert
04:39would creep them
04:40out too much.
04:41His wife
04:42wasn't too fond
04:43of Robert
04:43and demanded
04:44that the doll
04:45be locked
04:46in the attic.
04:47Well,
04:48Robert was not
04:48too pleased
04:49with his new room.
04:50Soon,
04:52visitors to the home
04:53heard footsteps
04:54in the attic,
04:55the sounds
04:56of someone
04:56pacing back and forth
04:58and devilish giggling.
05:00Robert would
05:00often escape.
05:03When Gene
05:03heard of this,
05:04he immediately
05:04went to investigate
05:05knowing that he
05:06had locked Robert
05:07in the attic
05:08and there was no way
05:09he could be sitting
05:10by the window
05:11of the upstairs bedroom.
05:13But to his
05:14complete shock,
05:15when he opened
05:16the door to the bedroom,
05:17there was Robert,
05:18sitting in the rocking
05:19chair by the window.
05:21Gene locked Robert
05:22back in the attic
05:23several times,
05:25each time
05:25discovering him again
05:27sitting by the window
05:28in the same
05:29upstairs bedroom.
05:32Robert Eugene Otto
05:33died in 1974.
05:36His wife,
05:36Anne,
05:37died two years later.
05:39A woman named
05:40Myrtle Reuter
05:41purchased
05:41the artist's house,
05:43which meant
05:43Robert the doll
05:44had a brand new
05:45caretaker.
05:47Myrtle lived
05:47with Robert the doll
05:48for 20 years.
05:49At some point,
05:50getting tired
05:51of the doll
05:52and his behavior,
05:53she donated Robert
05:54to the Fort East
05:56Martello Museum
05:57in 1994,
05:59claiming that
05:59the doll was haunted.
06:01The museum
06:02accepted Robert
06:03at first
06:04and didn't really
06:05believe that
06:05the doll was haunted.
06:07He was placed
06:08in a glass case,
06:10sitting in a chair
06:10with his stuffed lion.
06:13Staff would hear
06:13what sounded
06:14like footsteps
06:15long after the museum
06:16was locked up
06:17for the night.
06:19In the morning,
06:20Robert would change
06:21positions,
06:22as if he was
06:23trying to escape.
06:25Other employees
06:25noticed that Robert's
06:27expression would change
06:28if anyone disrespected
06:30him in any kind of way.
06:32The staff were experiencing
06:33some strange afflictions,
06:36horrible bouts
06:36of rare diseases,
06:38relationship breakdowns,
06:40and marriage issues,
06:41even psychosis.
06:42But Robert cursing
06:44the staff
06:45was just the beginning.
06:47If a visitor
06:47happened to be
06:48disrespectful,
06:49or even make fun
06:50of Robert,
06:51he would curse
06:52them as well.
06:53Visitors have reported
06:54car accidents,
06:56broken bones,
06:57job loss,
06:58divorce,
07:00illness,
07:00and even death.
07:02Thousands of letters
07:03were written to Robert
07:04apologizing for what
07:06they had done,
07:07in hopes that the curse
07:08would be lifted.
07:09And if you took a picture
07:11without asking for permission,
07:13the camera would stop
07:15working until you
07:16left the room.
07:17So if you just
07:18happened to visit
07:19the Fort East Martello
07:21Museum in Key West,
07:22Florida,
07:23make sure to follow
07:24the three rules
07:25when meeting Robert the Doll.
07:27One,
07:28introduce yourself
07:29in a respectful manner.
07:31Two,
07:32if you are going
07:32to take a picture,
07:34ask for permission.
07:35And three,
07:36when you leave,
07:37make sure to say
07:38goodbye to Robert.
07:40Otherwise,
07:41who knows what kind
07:42of curse Robert
07:43will put on you.
07:45So do you think
07:46the curse of Robert
07:47the Doll is real?
07:48Let me know
07:49in the comments
07:49down below.
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08:08Thank you for hanging out
08:09with me in the
08:10Dark Mystery Lounge.
08:11This is Phoenix
08:12signing out.
08:13Have a good evening
08:14and stay safe.
08:15I'll see you next time.
08:21I'll see you next time.
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