Episode 290: Don't Play with Robert the Haunted Doll!

This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite. On Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. too. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at It podcast. 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild, I mean, it was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to Look Back At It on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the iHeart Radio and Coast to Coast AM Paranormal Podcast Network. Now get ready for Strange Things with Joshua P. Warren. Welcome to our podcast. Please be aware the thoughts and opinions expressed by the host are their thoughts and opinions only and do not reflect those of iHeart Media, iHeart Radio, Coast to Coast AM, employees of Premier Networks, or their sponsors and associates. We would like to encourage you to do your own research and discover the subject matter for yourself. Get ready to be amazed by the wizard of weird. This is Strange Things with Joshua P. Warren. I am Joshua P. Warren, and each week on this show, I'll be bringing you brand new mind-blowing content, news exercises, and weird experiments you can do at home. And a lot more on this edition of the show, Don't Play with Robert the Haunted Doll. In 2010, I visited Key West, Florida for the first time. I flew down from North Carolina by myself specifically to have my first encounter with Robert the Haunted Doll. I would spend numerous days and nights with Robert to produce international radio reports for Coast to Coast AM. I ended up discovering something that I believe had never been discovered before. And when I returned home, I wrote this short book about my experiences. It's called Don't Play with Robert, the World's Most Haunted Doll. And it's currently available as a PDF download in the curiosity shop of my website, Joshua P. Warren dot com. Now, although my book came out in 2011, three years later, in 2014, Florida author David L. Sloan published his book called Robert the Haunted Doll, the true biography of Key West's haunted doll. Now David is the authority on Robert and his book is the authoritative book and it's great So if you really want to dig into the most authentic historic details of the Robert story I highly recommend you read the book by David L. Sloan What I'm about to read to you is simply my personal account of my experiences from my first trip down there And what the people I encountered told me Now, I may pause once in a while to add some updated commentary, and I may edit out some parts in the interest of time. But altogether, here is the story of my amazing personal adventure. Here is Don't Play With Robert, the World's Most Haunted Doll. Introduction The moment I first saw a photo of Robert the Doll, I knew I had to meet him. He now lives in the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida. I hopped on an airplane, and what I discovered in my investigation was amazing. You will learn all about Robert in this book. There is something about his eyes. They are coal black, and yet they shine like dull sapphires. His face shows more than a century of wear, but a youthful glow still surrounds his haggard, pockmarked skin. He has a strange halo, bright at times and dark at others. Perhaps that's the oddest thing. His face seems to change expressions. No one can explain why this doll, around three feet tall, poised in this chair with a toy lion, looks different every day. Of course, some say they have seen him move in an instant, twitch a leg or an arm. I have spoken with those who are terrified of him and those who love him as deeply as a son. He is full of complexity and, dare I say it, life. We shall start with how Robert began, and then you will learn what I discovered as my journey with Robert the Haunted Doll wound into another dimension. Chapter 1. The Curse This is a story that has been told many times. It is difficult to know all the details since no journalist is present behind the closed doors of a private home. But generally, the residents of Key West will tell you this about Robert. In 1904, a four-year-old boy named Eugene Otto was given a wondrous three-foot doll dressed like a little sailor. Eugene was the only child of a wealthy family in Key West, and the doll was made by their servant, a young woman from Haiti. It has long been said the servant was displeased with the family and placed a curse on the doll. She perhaps even took sprigs of little Eugene's blonde hair and stitched them in the back of the skull. But she may have used even more of the little boy. Eugene's first name was Robert, and so he called the doll Robert, a mirror of himself. The young child became eerily and unhealthily attached to the doll. He would not separate from Robert. Eugene talked to the doll all the time, and his parents became unnerved to hear a weird voice speaking back. Neighbors began to claim Robert was running around the house, passing by windows at night. And when Eugene misbehaved, he would grin and utter, Robert did it. These things grew worse when Eugene screamed bloody murder in the night. His parents rushing into the dark bedroom, finding furniture strewn about. He was trying to kill me. Eugene would cry, terrified. These situations endured throughout Eugene Otto's life. Even as a grown man, a successful painter who inherited the grand family mansion at 534 Eaton Street, Robert the Doll stayed at his side. His wife, Anne, almost divorced him. For a while, Robert was locked up in the attic, and Eugene almost went mad. They could hear the doll's footsteps above at night. The painter finally determined to treat the doll better than his wife, devoting an entire bedroom to Robert, complete with a small bed, table, and chairs. Some claimed Anne would appear to be beaten from time to time And when confronted, Eugene said, I didn't do it, Robert did it When Eugene finally died in 1974, Anne quickly moved from the house and put it up for sale For years it sat abandoned Neighborhood children would see Robert's silhouette moving by the attic windows sometimes During that period of time, in 1976, two brothers in their early twenties became the caretakers of the home. What they experienced horrified them. Chapter 2. Robert on the Rampage After Ann Otto sold the house to a man named Bill, he began a project to fix it up. Robert was left inside, as Ann wanted nothing to do with the doll. When Bill needed to travel up north for a while, he required a caretaker for the estate. The job was given to his friend, a young lawyer named Lee Rowe. More than happy to live in a mansion, Lee moved in for a few months with his brother, Richard. Lee and Richard had the entire house at their disposal, except for one room. The master bedroom was to remain locked at all times. However, the only phone in the house was in that room. And as it turns out, the very first night, Lee had to make an important phone call. So, the brothers slipped into the forbidden space. They quickly realized there was another small room attached to that one. Unable to resist his curiosity, Richard opened the door. What he saw sent a shiver down his spine. There it was, quote, this macabre looking doll, end quote, he recalled on my radio program in 2010. He said, quote, it was sitting in a rocking chair and just staring at us, end quote. He went on to say, quote, it even had a mirror, which was real bizarre, and the mirror was mounted down at a child's eye level. After about five minutes, we got the feeling we weren't welcome there at all, end quote. After that night, all manner of mischief broke loose. Richard claimed that, even 34 years later, he was still scared by what happened in that house. Shortly thereafter, on a hot August night around midnight, a wave of clammy cold air suddenly filled his bedroom. Unsettled and unable to sleep, Richard desperately exited the room. He was surprised to find Lee in the hall, armed with an old Civil War sword, eyes big as saucers. Did you hear the moaning and screaming coming from the walls? Lee asked. They sat up the rest of the night. The walls actually started to breathe, Richard said. Quote, I swear the walls looked like they were breathing, end quote. After sitting up for a while, they finally went back to bed. Richard recalls they had the worst night of sleep in their lives, full of nightmares and dark visions. A few days later, as Richard cooked a chicken dinner, he began hearing weird noises upstairs. He next found the kitchen table covered in icy water. As he and Lee tried to eat dinner, cold, sulfur-smelling water dripped from the overhead chandelier. There was no plumbing overhead, so Richard considered it, quote, another greeting from Robert, end quote. Days later, Lee had to make a call in the master bedroom. As he spoke, the door to Robert's room suddenly swung open. Lee yelled for Richard to come. The brothers stared in awe as Robert rocked back and forth in his little rocking chair, and they could not explain how the chair moved so vigorously on its own. All right, time for a break. If you like this show, well, I think you know what to do. Go to Joshua P. Warren dot com and sign up for my free and spam free e-newsletter there on the homepage. takes you two seconds. When you do that, you put your email address in there, you hit submit, and guess what? You will receive an automated email from me instantly with all kinds of free online goodies to help make your life much more magical. And I also sometimes give away things that are pretty darn amazing, and I'll invite you to participate in experiments. You'll get breaking news that you won't hear about on this podcast, all that and more. if you go to JoshuaPWarren.com. There's no period after the P when you type that in. And just sign up for the free e-newsletter. And I hope you'll check out some of the goodies in the Curiosity Shop that you won't find anywhere else in the world, I promise you. I am Joshua P. Warren, and you're listening to Strange Things on the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast AM Paranormal Podcast Network. And I will be right back. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts If you seeking to try to understand the forensic science behind these cases that we hear about in the news Body Bags is where you need to turn. There's no fluff. We do a deep dive into the forensics. Listen to Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan and start listening. Blood Trails is a true crime podcast born in the outdoors, where the terrain is unforgiving, the evidence is scarce, and the truth gets buried under brush and silence. I seen something in the road. I instantly thought it was a sleeping bag, and there was a pool of blood. Somebody somewhere knows something. I'm Jordan Sillars. Season two is out now with new episodes every Thursday. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. life's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How high can it be getting naked at 50 with a new guy? That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to Strange Things, all the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast AM Paranormal Podcast Network. I am your host, Joshua P. Warren, the Wizard of Weird, beaming into your wormhole brain from my studio in Sin City, Las Vegas, Nevada, where every day is golden and every night is silver. Adjiatato zume! And now, back to my story, Don't Play With Robert, the world's most haunted doll. On another occasion, Richard was home alone, and he was instantly unnerved to hear odd noises upstairs followed by the sound of running water. Richard crept upstairs to find the old tub with clawfoot legs pouring icy water from a rickety faucet Upon turning it off, the hairs on the back of his neck stood, and he knew something unseen was looking at him As Richard and Lee began to tell others about their experiences in the home, one friend, whom they called Conk Sister Jeannie, said she didn't believe any of it they invited her over to meet Robert. Ever the skeptic, she was at first nonchalant. And then Richard said, quote, Robert did his thing on her, end quote. She ended up running from the house, as he said, quote, confused, babbling in tongues like she was possessed, end quote. Efforts to comfort her did no good. For a few days, she would not speak to the Rose. and when they finally talked to her again, she did not remember much about that night. Richard said the editor of a local newspaper heard wind of the activity and came to see Robert for himself. The brothers bet him $50 he couldn't stay in the doll's room overnight. He only lasted 15 minutes. The editor left repeating, quote, it's too much, it's too much, end quote. Out of six, he had somehow lost five rolls of film, and of the remaining roll, only four or five blurred photos developed. Afterward, he vacationed to Mexico, where his girlfriend died. After that, he descended into drug addiction until his life ended. As the brothers were experiencing such bizarre activity, the owner of the house, Bill, was enduring bad luck. According to Richard, when Bill bought the house. He had a happy marriage, thriving business, and a wonderful son. Bill was proud of his sailing ship, the Wanderlust. Shortly after buying the mansion at 534 Eaton, he tragically lost his son in a boating accident. And then Bill lost his wife in divorce. And despite the millions of dollars they had to argue about, they were ultimately squabbling over Robert the Doll. At one point, she even, quote, kidnapped Robert but Bill was eventually able to retrieve him quote I thought he was getting called by the doll sometimes end quote Richard said finally he saw Robert move over time he saw the legs crossed he came back later and saw them uncrossed and then he saw the arms move and at one point the right arm would be on the chair and minutes later the left arm would rest on the chair He said, quote, it was like it was watching you and the minute you turned your back, it would move in quote. For a while, Richard even slept with a table leg as a weapon next to his head in case Robert might appear in his room at night. Richard warned me sternly against investigating Robert the doll in person. He said, I am concerned for you. Quote, do you have a life insurance policy when you go down there? Make sure you've got that life insurance premium paid, end quote. Lee Rowe later told me that as he listened to my interview with his brother, the electrical power along the main strip in Key West went out. He also claimed he wrote an article many years ago about Robert in a local newspaper. He said shortly thereafter, a screenwriter contacted him for more info. And that screenwriter later wrote the script for the successful horror film called Child's Play, featuring a sinister Chucky the doll. Chapter 3. Robertstown After the brothers moved out, the auto mansion was eventually leased to a family with a ten-year-old girl named Sarah. She was delighted to find the enigmatic little man sitting quietly in the back room. Soon, Robert was moved into her bedroom, where she played with him constantly, much like young Eugene had so many decades before. And the inevitable happened. One night, Sarah's parents awoke to blood-curdling screams in her bedroom. Frantically, they tore into her room. Almost frozen with fear, Sarah sat starkly upright, shrieking in horror, What's wrong? Her panicked parents stammered. He's trying to kill me, she bawled. Who? Robert, she sobbed, pointing to the floor. There on the wooden boards lay Robert face down, almost as if he'd been crawling across the room. Her parents snatched up the doll and locked him away in a back closet. Even 30 years later, Sarah, as a grown woman, swore that Robert had come alive that night and attacked her Over the years, the house at 534 Eaton Street passed through many hands Each time dealing with Robert and his strange history caused problems Finally, in 1994, the owners of the home had enough They thought about tossing Robert in a garbage bin However, his history and eerie reputation was overpowering, so instead they wisely donated him to his present home, the East Fort Martello Museum at 3501 South Roosevelt Boulevard. It's a powerful brick structure constructed on the shore in the mid-1800s. No one realized that he was now on his way to becoming a bizarre king. In the museum, Robert sat quietly in his chair, along with his little stuffed lion. No one is sure why he has a lion. It's believed that the autos were so wealthy that trips to the zoo were a luxury. Maybe little Eugene loved the lions and perhaps even owned a stuffed one himself, so Robert, his maritime counterpart, was given the prop. or maybe the servant who made Robert was not in fact from Haiti but Africa and had seen lions herself no one can say for sure but altogether the doll with his lion was merely a curious sight for a long time those who saw Robert felt an odd magnetism around him but no one could explain why Then a terrible hurricane swept through, and the island of Key West was evacuated. Everyone was worried about the museum, knowing it was prone to flooding, as is most of the island. It is only a few feet above sea level. Once the floodwaters receded enough, the museum staff worriedly crept into the building, afraid to view the damage. They were instantly disturbed to see several feet of dark water standing on the antiquated floors. And when they finally waded around to Robert's area, they were crushed. He was gone. It seemed all was utterly lost. And then a lady docent named Goody exclaimed, Oh my God, look! The staff stared up in awe to find Robert the doll hanging in the tall wooden rafters of the room's ceiling. They scrambled for a ladder. A staffer carefully climbed up to retrieve him and slowly bring him back down. Everyone was bewildered. Robert was unscathed, not even damp. They stared at each other, speechless. Robert simply had a twinkle in his eyes. Little by little, growing crowds of people came to visit Robert the doll. The sketchy story of his past was retold again and again, embellished here and there. But things seemed calm for years. Museum workers told of how he was used as a scapegoat and everything was blamed on him for 70 years by Eugene. The momentum built until 2004 Robert's 100th birthday When the community decided Robert should go big time They created a kind of Blame it on Robert Day As part of the Fantasy Fest Key West's biggest celebration each October Over the years Robert was put on display Or paraded through streets around Key West He was surrounded by merriment as rollicking partiers released all their problems onto him. Over the years, thousands of people screamed at him, still using him as a scapegoat, broadcasting their most intense frustrations. Many wondered if this onslaught of emotion was too much for the doll. And since then, his energy has grown very serious. It seemed he'd had enough Now, Robert demands respect And if he doesn't get it, bad luck will follow Those who visit Robert now must show extreme respect Or afterward they are beset by strings of bad luck This is especially so if someone takes his photo Without first asking his permission A lucky person might simply endure a camera malfunction or a photo that develops blank But in worst cases, relationships end, cars crash, pets die, fortunes vanish, and lives are ruined The revenge of Robert, perhaps a reflection of all he absorbed, is dire He has gained a new profound respect And as the legend of his aura spreads, thousands flock to see him each year. Yet now, those who visit him are very humble, aware of all those reckless souls who have stood before him. When we come back, my investigation begins. How about you? Would you go down there and spend some time alone with Robert, the haunted doll? I was in for some surprises. I'm Joshua P. Warren. You're listening to Strange Things on the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast AM Paranormal Podcast Network. And I will be back after these important messages. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're seeking to try to understand the forensic science behind these cases that we hear about in the news, Body Bags is where you need to turn. There's no fluff. We do a deep dive into the forensics. Listen to Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan and start listening. Blood Trails is a true crime podcast born in the outdoors where the terrain is unforgiving the evidence is scarce and the truth gets buried under brush and silence I seen something in the road I instantly thought it was a sleeping bag Then there was a pool of blood. Somebody somewhere knows something. I'm Jordan Sillars. Season 2 is out now with new episodes every Thursday. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a perimenopausal chin hair you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be?, with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How hard can it be getting naked at 50 with a new guy? That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter and dive into it unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to Strange Things on the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast AM Paranormal Podcast Network. I'm your host, Joshua P. Warren, and this is the show where the unusual becomes usual. And now, back to my story, Don't Play With Robert, the world's most haunted doll. Chapter 4. Investigating Robert I arrived in Key West with excitement pumping in my veins. The Conch Republic, as they call it, was surrounded by warm, shiny, aquamarine water. It was a tiny dream world in the Atlantic. But my focus was on the barrage of equipment I brought. I had meters to pick up a wide variety of electromagnetic fields, UV lights, and 3D imaging gear. I was there to finally get to the bottom of the strange field surrounding Robert the Doll. The airport is right next to the Fort East Martello Museum, so as soon as I left the plane, I sauntered over, dragging luggage to say hi. It was the sweltering August of 2010 when I dragged into the fort, and right off the bat, I was impressed by the huge portrait of Robert that hung next to the entrance. The lady inside greeted me with a bright smile. No one else was inside the building. After a quick introduction, I turned to leave, prepared to return the next day as planned, and then a surprise. Would you like to go and say hi to Robert now? She asked. I wasn't expecting that, but how could I turn it down? Absolutely, I said. She kept my luggage while I slowly turned the corner all alone, with no camera rolling. And that first encounter will live only in my mind. After turning a bend to the right, I looked left, and there he was, perhaps twenty feet away. It didn't look like a doll. It appeared as though a small man were sitting there, in a rocking chair, under a glass case, his black eyes locked with mine. There was a gravity around him. I felt like audience to a king's court. Slowly I approached. His face looked almost human, skin-like, and filled with energy. I knew if my visit were to be successful, I should ask for Robert's blessing. hello Robert I said stepping up to his soft visage my name is Joshua P. Warren I have come a long way to see you and report what I found to millions of people may I have your permission to photograph and report on you please he seemed to smile I thanked him and then repeated my action, this time with a video camera rolling. Robert is next to a letter written to him from President George W. Bush, produced October 11, 2005, while Bush was in office. It wishes Robert a happy birthday from the President and First Lady. But the walls around Robert were plastered with letters from people begging for forgiveness after returning home without showing him proper respect. One letter read, I should have listened to those who warned me about photographing you. I paid for the few photos I took. Listed below is the trouble you caused me. Number one, my two favorite souvenirs from Key West came up missing. Number two, upon returning my rental car, an unexpected $50 charge showed up on my credit card Number three, the hotel I had a reservation at, well, you gave my room to someone else Number four, on my return flight home, you gave me the same seat number as another passenger Number five, when I went to retrieve my luggage at the airport, it wasn't on the carousel it was assigned to You put it two carousels further down. Mine was the only one that was on the wrong carousel. Number six, you had my loving cat greet my return home by biting me. And number seven, you made me late to work on my first day back from vacation. Nonetheless, I left the museum feeling as though Robert and I were on good terms. The following days, my time in Key West was an adventure in many ways, but certainly everything swirled around Robert the doll. During my first extensive investigation with him, electromagnetic fields were around, measured with a Dr. Goss meter, and they would suddenly pulse from nowhere. It was truly odd. At one point, a married couple from New Jersey walked in, and they were looking at Robert while I prepared some film, and suddenly the woman grabbed me. My God, she exclaimed. He just moved a few minutes ago. I asked if I could photograph him, and he nodded his head. Are you serious? I inquired. Yes, she burst, overcome with thrill. I recorded her saying that on high-def camera. Her husband had been nearby at the time, and he nodded with his own contribution. He just wiggled his right foot a few minutes ago, I swear, said the man. They were absolutely sincere and almost jumping with excitement. Soon after, I shined a UV ultraviolet black light on Robert and found strange stains on his off-white suit. but one thing in particular immediately caught my eye. To the naked eye, his right sleeve looked normal but visible only under UV a small star-like or snowflake-like symbol suddenly appeared on the sleeve. I examined it for a while. What on earth could this be? Why was it there? I have a picture of this in the book. Perhaps most importantly, I had brought a 3D film camera, shooting 35mm film. This is a camera I have used for many years. It has two lenses on the front, capturing slightly different angles, mimicking the angles of two human eyes. A developed print shows two images per print, one on the left and one on the right. When put into a proper viewer, the images are combined into a stunning, detailed stereoscopic picture I definitely wanted to capture some great 3D pics of Robert the doll Just two days before the trip, I shot a test roll that turned out perfectly I brought three fresh rolls of film to Key West, each with 24 exposures One after another, I methodically shot all 72 exposures of Robert from different angles. Then, with rain pouring, I hopped in a cab and went straight to Walgreens to have them developed. Once there, I spoke directly to the lady who develops the film and explained that my role was 3D and would have two images per print, but should be developed just like any ordinary 35mm role. And while the processing was being done, I headed to 534 Eaton Street to personally explore the Otto Mansion. 534 Eaton Street is now an inn, the artist's house, circa 1890. Word had spread that I would be in town, and an innkeeper, Jessica, a lovely young woman with a baby, invited me to visit the fabled estate. As soon as my cab arrived, I felt a small chill, and after seeing so many photographs and videos, it was amazing to have this stately structure towering before me. Instantly, I imagined Robert's scurrying form flitting by the windows of its noble Tourette. And once inside this impressive late Victorian house, I was giddy. Jessica was a wonderful hostess and I was able to explore whatever rooms were not occupied with guests as I meandered upstairs I saw a tight narrow staircase leading up to the attic I slipped up there and found the door locked instantly I scrambled downstairs to Jessica you can go up there if you want she said but I'm not going with you she gave me a small key Trembling with excitement, holding a video camera, I crawled up the stairs. When the lock on the attic door popped open, I knew I was stepping into history. I pushed the door above me open with a creak and was immediately hit by a burst of hot air like opening an oven door from the black space above. Struggling to rise to my feet and manage the awkward space, I stepped alone into the dark, notorious attic at 534 Eaton Street. It was completely and absolutely absent of light up there at first. I turned on a flashlight and could thereby see narrow slices of illumination in the blackness. Initially it was just glimpses of clutter Weird shapes of stored boxes and various junk I noticed to my left a small doorway Through which the attic space continued Watching my head Wary of low-hanging pipes or beams I crouched through the doorway into the next chamber And suddenly A jolt of adrenaline shot painfully through my veins If I'd been 50 years older I may have had a heart attack. The bright circular beam of my light fell strikingly on the face of Robert the Doll. I sure as heck was not expecting that. Like any sensible person in this situation, I was struck numb. As I slowly gained my bearings, I walked up to him. Yeah, where do you think this is going, huh? I will never forget that day. It's time for our last break when we come back to the conclusion of this wild story. And boy, it brings back a lot of vivid memories. I'm Joshua P. Warren. You're listening to Strange Things on the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast AM Paranormal Podcast Network. And I will be right back. I'll see you next time. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're seeking to try to understand the forensic science behind these cases that we hear about in the news, Body Bags is where you need to turn. There's no fluff. We do a deep dive into the forensics. Listen to Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan and start listening. Blood Trails is a true crime podcast born in the outdoors, where the terrain is unforgiving, the evidence is scarce, and the truth gets buried under brush and silence. I seen something in the road. I instantly thought it was a sleeping bag. Then there was a pool of blood. Somebody somewhere knows something. I'm Jordan Sillars. Season two is out now with new episodes every Thursday. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. fantastic BS All of a sudden I had hanginess happening on my own I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that mess was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How hard can it be? Getting naked at 50 with the new guy. That one's kind of hard, you know? Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter and dive into it unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. welcome back to the final segment of this edition of strange things On the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast AM Paranormal Podcast Network, I am your host, Joshua P. Warren. And okay, there I was, standing in the actual attic. This dark attic. The actual, authentic, original Robert Attic, by myself. And I looked there, and lo and behold, it's Robert. You know, you hear these phrases, goosebumps, ice water down the back, hair standing on end. This is the kind of thing from which nightmares are made. Well, here you go. Here is the big conclusion of my story. Don't play with Robert, the world's most haunted doll. Jutting halfway from a box Was a reproduction of Robert That looked a lot like the real thing I chuckled Wondering if this was some kind of a prank Standing there in that attic With a Robert look-alike staring back at me Was a wild moment What on earth was this all about? When I finally made my way back downstairs I greeted Jessica with a smile That doll nearly scared me to death, I exclaimed. Huh? She said quizzically. What doll? After I explained, she left. Apparently, for a past Halloween, Jessica had constructed that doll to put in a display at the house, and she'd forgotten all about it. And then suddenly her head turned in thought, and she said, Huh. But that thing was packed way down in a box. I don't know what to tell you, I replied, but he was hanging out of a box like he was waiting for me. We both got a good chuckle from the entire affair, and I left the house on Eaton Street, feeling as though I'd really stepped back in time to meet Robert, as he once lived in seclusion, imprisoned in the attic of that strange old mansion. From there, a taxi took me straight back to Walgreens to view the photos I had shot earlier There at the film desk, I opened them and scanned through I was stunned Of my 72 exposures, only 5 had developed The rest of the rolls were completely blank As if unexposed I could not believe that so many had not developed Just as I was warned could happen Even though I had asked Robert's permission He apparently did not fully give it Maybe he was just trying to prove his power to me After all In the book I also include some of these 3D photographs As well as instructions on a very simple technique that you can use to see these stereoscopic images with your naked eyes. Similar to some of those old magic eye posters, but I think much simpler than that. So if you get the PDF, you'll be able to see those images and you'll see what I mean. Pretty remarkable to look at them right now, seeing these pictures I took of Robert in 2010 in 3D. Well, word of my experience traveled quickly. The next day, amidst the excitement, the museum directors removed the glass case for the first time in years so I could re-shoot Robert. Once again, only a few of the photos developed. My wonderful experience in Key West with Robert was weird enough. I had no idea it would become even stranger once I returned home to Asheville, North Carolina. Aftermath and Summary When I returned home, I found my wife, Lauren, unsettled to say the least. While I had been gone, Lauren was awoken each night by murmured voices speaking in our living room. The alarm systems in our house, using sensitive infrared detectors, were firing each evening and eventually had to be replaced. Our usually reliable internet service went down, and the repairman was baffled by the problem. It took days to fix. But something even weirder had occurred. Just hours before leaving Key West, after being deeply absorbed in the thick of Robert's energy, I visited the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, displaying the treasures of a massive 1622 shipwreck and others. Their prized display was a heavy gold bar worth $550,000 in an acrylic case that visitors could actually pick up. there was a fist-sized hole in the case. You could slip your hand in there. I picked it up and was amazed that it had been on display over 20 years. However, just days after my visit, bandits slipped into the museum, somehow got into the case, and stole the gold bar. As of this writing, five months later, The FBI are still trying to catch the culprits. Could even this be an example of Robert's bad luck at work? After my visit to Key West, I went on the country's largest overnight radio program, Coast to Coast AM, to deliver a report to millions of listeners. After talking about the strange symbol on his right arm that I could only see under UV light, a man called into the show. He suggested this could be a sigil, a magical symbol a sorcerer would put on an object to seal that sorcerer's ultimate desire. Upon researching ancient symbols dating back thousands of years, I found at least one. From the Sefer Raziel Hamak, an old book of magic that many think looks quite similar. And in the book, you see side by side the strange pattern that appeared on Robert's sleeve only under UV light next to this ancient magical sigil that is apparently used to breathe life into inanimate objects. who knows why the servant who made Robert became dissatisfied with her employers the imagination can run wild and yet she sat down they say and acquired materials to patiently construct some part of a little man a doll that has not only stood the test of time but also grips all those who see him he is a work of durable art Some say Robert is simply stuffed with straw. I'm not sure. I'd like to see an X-ray of Robert. If he was truly the culmination of a conjurer's desire, then maybe he's filled with interesting objects beyond the apparent sigil on his arm. Magic is based on symbolism, and whatever caused this enigmatic servant to create such a fine piece may be represented below the doll's surface as well as above. Either way, the bottom line here is blatant. Whatever he is, Robert does indeed seem to possess something that I described before as, well, life. In the field of paranormal research, it's not often that one can focus on a physical object. Robert the Doll is therefore a wondrous treasure, not only for Key West, but perhaps the world. We have just begun to scratch the surface of Robert's story. I can't tell you how much of this book is mere legend and how much is fact. No one seems to know, since most of private history is not being documented each moment, despite how we now feel in this modern age of miniaturized mass media. But Robert's allure speaks for itself. Even if you purchase one of the dolls that are made in his likeness, tales of strange phenomena soon arise around it as well. He seems to be even more than a doll in a rocking chair with his little lion. He represents an energy field, something that we project our emotions onto, good or bad. We must ask ourselves to define life. Is life something that an object must possess on its own? Or is it something we can give it? Do enough of us project our thoughts onto a human-like mold and inject some strange humanity? Robert the Doll forces us to face and examine all those questions and more. He is a beacon of mystery. More will be discovered about him, no doubt. And in the meantime, we must adhere steadfastly to a principal concept. Each time we peer into his dull, dark, and sparkling eyes. Don't play with Robert. He wants to be taken seriously. All right, there you go. Hope you enjoyed it. And now let's all cleanse our spirits. If you can, close your eyes, take a deep breath. Here is the good fortune tone. that's it for this edition of the show follow me at joshua p warren plus visit joshua p warren dot com to sign up for my free e-newsletter to receive a free instant gift and check out the cool stuff in the curiosity shop all at joshua p warren dot com i have a fun one lined up for you next time i promise so please tell all your friends to subscribe to this show and to always remember the golden rule thank you for listening thank you for your interest and support thank you for staying curious and I will talk to you again soon. You've been listening to Strange Things on the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast AM Paranormal Podcast Network. Well, if you like this episode of Strange Things, wait till you hear the next one. Thank you for listening to the iHeartRadio and Coast to Coast AM Paranormal Podcast Network. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fans, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntauns and wampas on the ice planet Hoth, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at It podcast. In 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I mean, it was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to Look Back At It on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.