Unraveling the Mystery of Robert the Doll

Welcome to another intriguing episode of Fringe Beyond Limits! This week, our hosts dive into the eerie legend of Robert the Doll, a seemingly innocent toy with a sinister reputation. Join us as we explore the doll's origins, its unsettling history, and the many strange occurrences that have surrounded it over the years.

We'll discuss the psychological theories behind the doll's malevolent influence and hear firsthand accounts from those who have encountered Robert and experienced his wrath. Is Robert truly haunted, or is it all a powerful product of belief and suggestion?

Plus, we share some listener stories and dive into the fascinating cultural impact that Robert the Doll has had on popular media and the paranormal community. Don't miss this spine-chilling episode as we unravel the mystery of one of the most infamous haunted dolls in history.

Stay tuned next week for a special interview with award-winning author Sylvia Shults as she shares her insights into the dark and mysterious stories of Illinois hotspots.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Music.

(00:37):
Hello, and welcome back to another episode of Fringe Beyond Limits.
Well, hi guys. Howdy.
How was everyone's week?
It was good. A little busy, but good. You know, I feel like every week I have a shit week.

(00:58):
So keeping on trend, it's been a shit week. Okay.
Do you think that that could maybe be a user problem? It might be a me problem. I don't know, but yeah.
Do you think that maybe you just have a shitty outlook?
So every week is going to be shitty because of your outlook?
No. No. So this is other people's doing? It's everybody else.

(01:18):
I work with a lot of lead paint chips. Oh.
That's what I describe. That's what I describe the people I work with.
Not all of them, but there's a.
I used to eat lead paint chips. I can tell.
Really? Yeah. Is it the brow?
Is it? But what is it about me that kind of... Your brain works like nobody else's brain.

(01:41):
So... That's very true. Probably lead chips lodged up in there somewhere.
You're saying there's a chance.
No, not at all. Really? That's shocking.
You know, I really do think I have a great personality, that I'm funny,
and I have, you know, I'm good looking.

(02:01):
Like i may not be you know hot but i'm
at least mildly attractive so maybe i can trick someone in bed keep telling
yourself these stories yeah i mean jesus i mean what a funny way to kick me
when i'm down guys jesus christ well i'm happy to start this fucking train wreck just just like that,

(02:25):
so everyone's had either a shitty week or a busy week how was your week yeah
my week was full of just dumpster fires at work oh yeah it was just one fucking thing after another and,
I drink a lot Thursday, Friday, Saturday, so I am feeling great.

(02:45):
That's how I deal with my week. You're a new man. Yeah. I mean,
I'm averaging two bottles of wine a night. Jeez.
Yeah. That's probably why you keep going to the bathroom today.
Probably. My stomach is a wreck.
You shouldn't have had all the alcohol. Dude, that's not all.
I think I pooped something out from like the sixth grade today.

(03:06):
Like it's been it's been
a rough morning and early
afternoon so it sounds like a you problem oh it definitely it's me and listen
it's a misty problem too because she's got to deal with it i never knew how
strong porcelain was until today like why are we not making

(03:29):
spaceships, cars out of porcelain, because the thunderous activity and things
that are hitting it at such a velocity and force,
I think they're indestructible.
I have nothing to say to that.
Did it make your week better? Slightly. Thank you. You're welcome.

(03:50):
You're welcome. All right.
So we used to start off with an article, right? And we kind of switched that up.
And I kind of like it. I wonder what our listeners, all four of them,
think about it. If you guys want to, go ahead and let us know.
Frank at FringeBeyondLimits.com. Send me an email. I'll send you a feet pic.

(04:12):
Did you say feet pic, not foot? No, feet pic.
Oh, okay. Yeah, because it's more than one. I have more than one.
Well, I thought you'd just picture one foot, and then now you're going to do both.
Well, it's also multiple pics, so it would be feet pic.
No, it would be foot pics. No.
If it's one foot, it'd be a foot. No, I'm taking both. I'm taking both feet. And feet pics.

(04:36):
So then you can compare and contrast. You can take a look at one normal foot
and one with a nub. But I don't think either of your feet are normal. Not like the other.
So, yeah. So I'll send you those. If you send Brianna an email,
she'll probably send her some of her hair to you.
And if you send Lynette an email, she'll send you some probably toe clippings.

(04:58):
I had a feeling you were going to say that. but sure yeah
all right i mean we're game so so yeah
things that keep us up at night brie do
you have one this week a little bit
a little bit so i got one that's a little bit kind of it's a thinker ready is
it is it sexy no oh all right go ahead did yankee doodle name the feather hat

(05:22):
town or his pony macaroni his pony macaroni right no because it says stuck a
feather Feather in his cap.
Yankee Doodle went to town, ran in on the pony, stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni.
Yeah. Is it hat?
I think it's pony's macaroni. I would think hat.

(05:42):
Well, every time somebody rides me, they call me macaroni and I'm the pony.
It's just not the same thing. Not angel hair? Not, no, not, no.
Egg noodle. Egg noodle. Floppy disk.

(06:03):
What other euphemisms can we throw in there? Yeah, I don't know.
So what do you think? What do you think it is?
I think it's hat. He called his hat macaroni? Yeah, because that's at the end
and it followed the last item on that list. Okay.
I think he stuck his, the feather he called macaroni.
I'm still going with pony. Okay, so we have one for each party here.
All right so email us and you guys let us

(06:26):
know who's right and who's wrong yeah so that keeps you
up at night so yankee doodle it's
one of those things that keeps you thinking and thinking and thinking and thinking and
thinking and thinking you don't know the answer to right but kind
of like what comes first chicken or the egg i do have
an answer it's actually a scientific answer what is
it it would be the egg but where does a come from the egg
came from whatever was before a chicken and what

(06:49):
was that a relative of the chicken so for today's chicken you don't have scientific
proof though there's anything that comes before that no i do what is it i i
do have scientific proof so whatever the direct ancestor of a chicken is is
what laid an egg that that had the deformity but then what created that don't interrupt.

(07:09):
Okay that had the deformity of what not but not deformity and it was different
enough from its predecessor that it was correct it right but wouldn't it need
a second one to make a chicken Yes, I'm saying, where does that come from?
Well, correct. Well, yes.
So like humans and Neanderthals bred together to make other humans, right?
So it's the same thing here. So this chicken that is new and diverse to all

(07:33):
other of its relatives bred with whatever the other relative is,
and it eventually became a chicken.
So for the chicken, today's chicken to be born, it had to have started off with an egg.
But whatever created it, where did they come from? I mean, do you want to go
down the evolutionary line? I'll get you a book. You know, this keeps going.
It's like you just keep asking where to come from, where to come from,

(07:55):
where to come from. And this is why she's five. This is what a five-year-old does. That's not true.
It's like, why? She wants you to make it make sense. Why?
Yeah, until it makes sense. Why? Exactly, why? Why? Jesus. Jesus.
Don't look at me like that oh i will i will
look at you in this tone of voice i'm pretty sure they're blobby people

(08:16):
on my side you're right five-year-olds and
i don't think we have five-year-olds listening and if
we do i judge the parents harshly yeah harshly all right well thank you for
that yankee doodle song to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day there
you go that will keep you up at night now it is yeah yeah what what keeps me
up at night knowing brianna exists oh just that Matt keeps me up at night.

(08:39):
You're welcome. Yeah, thanks.
Well, Matt, we're going to just move right on. Well, mine, okay,
this is true, like, this week, trying to fall asleep, I, for the life of me,
cannot think of a synonym for the word synonym.
You can't think of a synonym for the word synonym. A one-word synonym. A lake.

(09:01):
For a synonym. A lake. The same.
Similar. similar it kept me up all night i was
like i couldn't think of a word and here she is three seconds she thought
of a word the dummy of the podcast just no
no no you're not a dummy but you're the
dummy of this podcast oh stop i'm joking

(09:22):
that's me yeah that's me i'm stupid no ours what's the synonym the synonym what's
the synonym for synonym were you trying were you Were you confusing synonym
for something that sounds like synonym? No. Not at all.
Like cinnamon would have been what I thought of. No. No.

(09:45):
Straight up. I was just. Straight up. See.
I can sing. Yeah. Dave, I'm sorry. You missed your casting call.
The only fans casting call or the couch casting
call i mean i i
yes to everything i i don't turn

(10:08):
any roles down so well that was that was horrible both of those i did not wait
what keeps you up at night you don't even have anything no you know you know
what's kept me up at night lately is knowing that someday,
you guys will be sitting in this podcast studio without me.

(10:33):
It might be a better podcast. And that will be the end of this podcast.
The talent will have gone away to a higher place and you guys will be sitting
here just staring at each other and notes. Yep.

(10:54):
Be like, I finally get my weekends back. God damn it, yes. I can finally do
a podcast without somebody making fun of me. I make fun of both of you.
Oh, I know. Okay. Her sentence still stands true. Oh, no. I wasn't trying to.
So, all right. Well, that was a horrible segment. I am very happy to be part of that.

(11:15):
You're welcome. We'll continue doing this later in more episodes.
But I did have an event I went to Thursday night. So we go to this wine tasting
room in Geneva called Up North Wine Tasting Room.
And one of the places in Geneva had an electrical fire and burnt and lost everything.

(11:40):
So they had a fundraiser. So my wife and I went to support, got to meet the
owner and one of her employees.
The place is called Parla. it's a
curated collection of vintage
jewelry home decor crystals antiques music designer handbags wearables and much
much more so everything they have will be line sales now for the foreseeable

(12:05):
future until they get everything back in working order so if you'd like to shop and go ahead and
support them, you can go to parlajeneva.com.
There is a bunch of stuff that you can purchase and support a place that had some misfortune.
So Parla is P-A-R-L-A, Geneva, G-E-N-E-V-A dot com.

(12:33):
And yeah, let them know that Fringe Beyond Limits sent you.
And go ahead and support some pretty great people with a little unfortunate event.
So that's all I have. Yeah, that's all I have. So aside from that,
guys, what are we doing today?
We're talking about Robert the Doll.

(12:55):
Isn't that the doll that your husband was too chicken shit to go say hi to? Yep. So?
So I'm very disappointed I never got to see it. I mean, you went all the way,
is it in Key West? Key West, yep. Okay, so you guys. 24 hours.
You guys went down to Key West and you had an opportunity to go.

(13:16):
This is like a dream of yours, right? Did you say bucket list?
I wouldn't say bucket list, but I think it would be like a perk.
Like a paranormal bucket list. Sure. Sure. Right.
And he said, no, my vagina is way too dry to go in. Yep. Sounds about right.
Jesus. All right. Well, you know what? I'm happy that you married him and not

(13:40):
someone else, I guess. Thanks.
Maybe he saved you from misfortunes. That's what he was paranoid,
that we would do something wrong or in some way, shape or form and something bad would happen.
And it's just
stupid just a hundred percent stupidity so anyway
today robert the doll do you guys know anything about robert i mean we know

(14:02):
brie does because she researched and was across the street from the museum and
wanted to go in and pay homage and respect and brian peed himself,
Yep. Yep. Okay. Lynette, did you know? I've heard of Robert the doll.

(14:22):
I had a vision in my head of creepy porcelain dolly type of thing.
But when I Googled it, I was like, oh, that doesn't look that scary.
No, it kind of looks like the monkey.
Like a sock puppet monkey or whatever you call those. Right?
Yeah. He looks harmless. So I don't know much about him.
So I'm kind of interested to see what we find out.

(14:44):
Out but yeah so we'll jump right into the origin
of robert well can i ask a question of course is brian
afraid of all dolls or is just the haunted
ones just i'm pretty sure he
would freak out like with annabelle okay yeah
i think oh we should go to
mexico city and take him to the island of dolls oh 100 well

(15:05):
yeah yeah that would be awesome that's great that's actually
that place is on my bucket list yeah so i got an
idea podcast trip sponsored by brian jones
all all expenses so nice of you brian i know you know so i think that's a great
way of doing this yeah that's not fair because part of his money is my money
so yeah it doesn't make any sense it does it's not free for me though it is

(15:29):
no it's not because it's parceled by money all the money and trips he spent go
golfing just comes out towards supporting
the podcast it's still
it's an investment brian it's an investment it's an investment into
the podcast we're trying to create better content for the
podcast because when we surpassed joe rogan in podcast superiority he'll reap

(15:56):
those benefits so this is just an investment for him right i'll try to justify
with the reasoning next time just Just don't, no, don't talk to him. Just do it.
It's easier to receive forgiveness than it is to receive permission.
That's why I live my life. Is that not the way you do it?
I'll never forgive you. I think it depends on the situation.
What are you going to forgive me for? Nothing.

(16:19):
I'll never forgive you. But what did I do that warrants forgiveness?
Just everything. Everything I do? Like, so breathing? Yeah, it's offensive. It is. All right.
You know, I'm going to tell you something. next time we go to
an investigation and we need to like sleep and if we're
close to each other i'm just going to roll over and just open
mouth breathe into your mouth that's all i'm going to do i'm just right into

(16:47):
your mouth that's that's what's going to happen shove a sock in your mouth that's
fine but but you've already gotten the frank chlamydia and or whatever else
i have Better you than me.
Oh, you're, you've already gotten it. And I've done that to you many times.
So probably. Yeah. I can't wait. Yeah.
All right, so any more questions before we start with- No, I just- Yeah.

(17:09):
No, I like it. It was interesting.
No, it was a very interesting question on what makes Brian scared,
which is everything. It's a relevant question. It is. For every episode. Yeah.
We should end, would Brian be scared? Yes.
What would Brian do? You know, the Brian scare factor. That's what we needed.
Oh, yeah. We should call and put him on speaker and be like,
Brian, would you be scared? Yeah.

(17:30):
Yes, we should do that. We should make that a new segment. Oh.
How many shits would you take in your
pants if you experienced x like robert
the doll would probably be two i would put that in a two shit
factor yeah we're just creating new things in i love it all right so our story

(17:54):
about robert it begins in the early 1900s like we mentioned in key west florida
the otto family a well-to-do household lived in a beautiful mansion on and Eaton Street.
The family consisted of Thomas Otto, a prominent doctor, his wife Minnie Otto,
and their young son Robert Eugene Otto, affectionately known as Gene.

(18:16):
In 1904, Gene was given a peculiar doll by a bohemian servant who worked for the family.
The doll, about 40 inches tall and stuffed with wood wool known as excelsior,
was dressed in a sailor suit similar to the ones gene wore as a child gene named
the doll robert after himself and from that day an inseparable bond was formed

(18:38):
between the boy and his doll question did you guys have dolls,
growing up i didn't i had action figures but they were like you know he-man and,
skeletor and you know they're dolls.
They're action figures. They're dolls. On the package it says action figures?
It's a doll. No. So you're saying,

(18:59):
well, never mind. I was going to answer my own question in my head.
Oh, what was the question? I was going to say you're saying a Barbie is a doll,
but then again, they're called Barbie dolls, so never mind. Yeah, there you go.
What about you? I mean, I physically had them. I wouldn't say I was, I was more of a tomboy.
I didn't really play with dolls much.
Did you name yourself? They usually like cut their hair off or took nail polish

(19:22):
remover to their face to get their, to draw my own face on.
Like Sid or whatever it was from Toy Story. So you're like a borderline psychopath.
Sure. Okay. Okay. Brianna, you were going to say something?
Going back to your action figure thing, the definition of a doll,

(19:44):
a small model of a human figure.
Typically, one of a baby or girl are used as a child's toy. Okay.
So action figure, human figure. Is it? Yeah. Are you sure? He-Man was human?
Yeah. I don't think he was human. He's shaped as a human, though.
But what about Ninja Turtles? Because I used to have a Ninja Turtle.
I mean, I guess he physically walked like a human.

(20:07):
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You're singing like a human. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That's turtles in a half shell. Turtle power. Ugh.
Then you got Transformers, too. Yeah. All right, so...
All right, so, but Robert the doll wasn't just any ordinary toy.
From the moment he entered the Otto household, strange and unsettling things began to happen.

(20:32):
Gene's parents would hear him talking to the doll in his room,
and disturbingly, they would hear a deep, guttural voice responding.
At first, they thought Gene was simply using a different voice to reply to himself,
engaging in an elaborate play, but as time went on, they began to suspect something
far more sinister at play.
Objects around the house would move on their own, rooms would be found in disarray,

(20:54):
and Jean would often be found in a state of terror, insisting that Robert had caused the mischief.
Toys were mutilated, furniture was overturned, and eerie giggles echoed throughout the halls at night.
Jean's insistence that Robert did it became a common refrain in the Otto household.
The situation escalated when neighbors reported seeing the doll move from window

(21:15):
to window when the family was away.
They claimed to see Robert glaring out from different parts of the house as if keeping watch.
These unsettling occurrences led the Ottos to believe that something malevolent
had attached itself to Robert the doll. Question. Answer.
Do you think if I circled around my house and St. Robert did it,
would I forget Brian? No.

(21:36):
No, but you should create a different character and do that. Ooh.
I might have to test this theory out. So this is what you should do.
You should go to, like, I don't know, a flea market or a garage sale and just
buy the first doll you see. It doesn't even have to be creepy.
Just any doll. And then just have it moved around your house and just deny that you moved it.

(22:01):
With my luck, it thought we actually haunted it. That's fine.
That's fine. and then we can we can pretend to
do a an evp session you kind of like off on the shelf but yeah right exactly
and then we can do an evp session and then as we review it we could just doc
you it up as like a creepy voice coming and saying heather i don't know you

(22:22):
know like ginger you know yeah and totally freak brian the fuck out and fuck with him that way,
i'm down yeah we should figure this out so okay
i'm thank you for let's hope he doesn't listen into this
before it happens yeah no that's fine that's
right i mean he'll probably forget about it anyways forget about it
he's like an episode three he has

(22:43):
42 more episodes before he gets to this one all
right so as gene grew older his attachment to robert the doll only intensified
he took the doll everywhere even after he became an adult gene pursued his passion
for art and and studied at the
Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago and the Art Students League in New York.

(23:05):
Despite his travels and education, Robert the doll remained a constant companion.
When Gene inherited his family's home after his parents' passing,
he returned to Key West with his wife, Anne.
Anne was a pianist from Boston, and she found Gene's attachment to Robert peculiar and unsettling.
Gene insisted that Robert needed his own room in their new home.

(23:27):
Complete with a window overlooking the street, he even created a special chair
for Robert, placing it by the window so the doll could enjoy the view.
Anne often... Did you have a question? If I dated a guy and he starts talking
about a doll and stuff like that, I would be like, goodbye.
I'm trying to figure out how she married him without knowing that first.

(23:48):
Yeah, it's kind of a red flag. Do you think that maybe at some point Robert
the doll put some moves on Anne?
Moves like Jagger? i can move like jagger i can move like an 80 year old no
problem i got that maroon five.
I've got the blues like Jagger. Okay, no more song references. You have sung every...

(24:10):
Because I know all the songs. Anne often felt uneasy around the doll,
sensing something malevolent about it.
She would hear footsteps when no one was around, and she often felt a pair of
invisible eyes watching her.
Ooh, I feel like somebody's watching me. Oh boy, we're never going to get through this episode.
I'm going to just keep doing this. Jean, however, was adamant that Robert was more than just a doll.

(24:33):
He was his confidant and muse. Jean even claimed that Robert influenced his
artwork, attributing his most inspired pieces to the doll's presence.
Visitors to the Otto home reported hearing footsteps, giggling,
and seeing Robert's expression change before their eyes.
Some claimed the doll's gaze followed them around the room.
The Otto family's servants and even Anne herself reported strange occurrences linked to Robert.

(24:57):
They would hear laughter, footsteps, and whispers when no one else was around.
Some even said robert's expression would change
depending on the mood in the room despite the eerie
happenings gene remained devoted to robert he
would spend hours alone doll's room often painting and talking to his old friend
this behavior strained gene and anne's relationship but gene was unwavering

(25:19):
in his dedication to robert and feeling increasingly isolated and fearful salt
solace in her own pursuits and tried to avoid robert as much as possible.
So as women, would you, would you push yourself further away from them?
Or would you try to be like friends with the doll as well?

(25:43):
I, I just like, like I mentioned before, I just be a red flag.
I wouldn't even pursue it.
You'd be pushing the man away, not the doll part. I'd be pushing the man away.
Okay. So let's say you did. I would like completely ignoring Robert and pushing Jean away.
Okay. So let's say you did. Let's say you married him. Let's say it's a thing
that didn't come up till after marriage. Right.

(26:05):
Then shame on me for not asking enough questions during the dating process.
You need to go through a whole season to at least figure out as many red flags as possible.
All four seasons. Ask for a divorce or fake my death and move somewhere else. Okay.
All right. So, Jean. Yeah. But, like, paranormal person now.

(26:30):
Right. I mean, maybe I'd try to get in on doll's good side.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And steal the doll away from Jean. Do you think it's like...
Who do you like more? like i mean that's like do you think it's a genie like
it's gonna grant you wishes no no no like so here we go so when i met my husband

(26:50):
he had he has a dog we still have the dog today but the dog loves me more now
so yeah i would do the same thing with a doll maybe that would do my bidding okay if
frank if you're a woman what would you do well i mean if i mean yeah i i have a vagina i mean or like,
It wasn't Ann, it was like Andrew or something. Yeah, I would try to get the

(27:14):
doll to try to finger blast me and then be like, listen, dude,
your doll put the moves on me and he needs a go.
His hands just look like mittens. Okay.
And he's stuffed with wool, so he's not going to do anything.
He can take both hands, put them together and go like this. See,
she knows what she's thinking.

(27:35):
She's thought about this on
her way to see Robert the doll and was kind of hoping to get some action.
And instead, Brian just shit all over those plans. Mm-hmm. He cock-blocked me.
He did. Your husband cock-blocked you. Oh, what a piece of shit.
I'm fired. Fucking asshole.
All right, so Gene Otto passed away in 1974 and Ann left the home shortly after leaving Robert behind.

(28:01):
The new owners of the house are soon introduced to Robert's eerie presence.
So you move into a house and there's a fucking doll there or creepy looking
doll, you guys just leave it in the house? I would throw it away. Right.
Doesn't make sense. Right. Set the bitch on fire.
Right. Whether you believe it or not, you're either going to throw it away or
ask someone to come and remove it.
Right. Or put it in a garage sale or take it to Goodwill, something like that.

(28:25):
Yeah. Fucking dropkick the shit out of it.
The new owners were a family with a young daughter who was 10 years old at the time.
The girl found Robert in the attic and almost immediately she began experiencing
into the same terrifying incidents that Jean had described.
She would wake up in the middle of the night screaming that Robert was moving
around her room and trying to attack her.
The girl's parents initially thought it was just her imagination,

(28:48):
but they soon experienced unexplainable events themselves.
Robert the doll had become an unwelcome member of the household once again. Why?
Yeah. We need to talk about parents not squashing when kids say they see something
and just writing it off, oh, it's just your imagination.
I agree. agree that needs to stop i agree it's just my

(29:08):
but it happened so much back then though it still
happens today but you know more people are more open to it
today than they were back then yeah i agree
but parents do still need to you know shut the
fuck up and let the kids right be creepy little kids exactly
i mean true or not you're gonna create trauma within the

(29:28):
kid if you're telling their kid you're psycho or you're right just be
quiet you're not seeing anything or could be
missing out on some like fantastic information that we don't know anything about
right i agree yeah i agree so when you guys do do that i'm gonna have to remind
you not to squash their dream you said do do dude i i my stomach is so messed

(29:48):
up yeah do do on your mind yeah i do.
So the girl's parents initially thought it was just her imagination,
but they soon experienced unexplainable events themselves.
Robert the doll had become an unwelcome member of the household once again.
Did I already read that? Yes, you did. Awesome.
The new owners decided to store Robert back in the attic, but this did little

(30:10):
to quell the strange occurrences.
The family heard footsteps coming from the attic, objects would move on their
own, and the oppressive feeling of being watched pervaded their home.
Finally, unable to cope with the relentless disturbances, they decided to find
a more permanent solution for Robert.
What do you think that solution is? I don't know.
Bury him. That's what I would say. Six feet under, permanent solution.

(30:32):
Yeah, no. Oh, shoot it with a gun.
Dude, I would drop kick that fuck. I would punt it so far into a fucking bonfire.
I have an idea. Yeah. Get the cult from the supernatural and use that because it kills everything.
Okay, let's try something in reality. Oh. Yeah.
Encase it in concrete and bury it underground. Oh, make it sleep with the fishes.

(30:52):
All right. All right, so let's see what they did, okay? You asked what I would
do. That's what I would do. I would say I think we're getting ignored.
Those are great ideas, but let's find out what really happened. Okay.
Eventually, the new owners decided to donate Robert to the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West.
This is where Robert resides to this day, encased in glass, yet still reportedly causing chaos.

(31:15):
The Fort East Martello Museum is a historic site originally built as a Civil
War era fort. The museum now serves as a repository for local history and artifacts,
with Robert being one of its most famous and infamous residents.
The decision to house Robert in the museum was not taken lightly.
The staff prepared a special display case for him, hoping to contain whatever

(31:37):
malevolent force was attached to the doll.
Visitors to the museum have reported a variety of strange experiences.
Cameras malfunction, electronic devices go haywire. people often feel an overwhelming
sense of dread in Robert's presence.
Some have even claimed to see Robert's expression change or to have heard him giggle.
Museum staff members have their own stories as well.

(32:01):
They have found Robert in different positions inside this case and have heard
knocking sounds coming from within.
One staff member even claimed that Robert locked her in a room only to be freed
by a fellow employee after several minutes of panic.
I mean, several minutes of panic. Panic.
Like, is that, like, for real? Like, I could understand being,
like, distraught and nervous. Like, all right, this fucking door. But, I mean, panic?

(32:25):
Isn't that a little extreme? No? I'm not trying to, like, downplay it.
I'm just... I'm asking. No, I just...
I don't know. I'd have to see the thing. Like, are people just getting wound
up in their head about it?
If she was locked in a room, what if someone that's like claustrophobic,
like if the doors are locked and they can't get out, they start feeling claustrophobic
so I can see where the panic comes in.

(32:46):
Yeah, but it's not a small room.
Well, people's definition of... Sometimes when like something,
you're locked in, like you feel like things are getting smaller and they're not.
It's a mental thing. That's how I feel when I wear turtlenecks.
Wait, what? I didn't think they'd still be turtlenecks. That's why I don't wear them.
I feel like I'm suffocating. In a turtleneck? Yes. Same thing with socks.

(33:10):
I hate socks. I feel like I'm being suffocated. I'm like that with socks.
It's the worst. I feel claustrophobic with socks. Okay. So have you voluntarily
worn a turtleneck before?
Well, like as a child. Okay. And they all ended up...
They become loose necks.
That's how the cowl neck was invented.

(33:31):
Jesus. okay and okay
let's go to your socks thing like your socks are
around your feet right you're not putting them around your neck no but
it also still feels suffocating if it your feet
yeah yeah like are they are they knee highs
no just like when i have to wear socks
they have to be as thin as possible because

(33:53):
if there's any thickness to it if i could feel it i maybe it's a a neurodivergent
thing i don't know but i freak out it it feels like walking on rocks like rocks
in your jelly shoes folks we have gone off the rails are you crying.

(34:15):
It looks like you're about to start crying. Are you okay? I'm great. Okay.
Bree, what about socks for you before? I just, when I wear socks,
I feel claustrophobic, so I have to take them off. And then I feel better.
It's a thing. Okay. I don't know. It's just, I don't know how else to explain
it. I just feel claustrophobic.

(34:36):
Okay. There's an R there.
Claustrophobic. Oh, there is? Yeah. Oh. Not claustrophobic.
Claustrophobic never knew that i've been
saying it wrong my whole life there's a lot of things you've been saying on
your whole life all right
so back to robert the museum has embraced

(34:58):
robert's eerie reputation incorporating his story into tours and exhibits despite
the unsettling nature of the doll or perhaps because of it robert has become
a significant draw for the museum attracting visitors from all over the world
who are eager to experience the paranormal for themselves.
Before we get on to the story, just so listeners know, documentaries that I

(35:21):
watch and listen to about Robert O'Dell, when you go visit him, they have five rules.
First one is basically introduce yourself, say hi. Second one, don't be rude.
Third, ask for permission to take a picture. And fourth is when you leave,
Eve, make sure you say goodbye.
So that's just before we keep going. So people understand why people have different

(35:46):
reactions to different things.
How do you think they've figured out what are the steps like trial and error?
They never really explain it, but that's what they've always said.
You have to be respectful towards them. I was going to ask the exact same question.
I've always wondered that myself. off like do you think
that maybe they got like

(36:07):
a psychic and the psychic talked to the robert
on whatever plane they can
maybe yeah and then robert was like
bitches please you say please you say thank you you say goodbye that's right
oh i was my oh i hunt you down and carry i'm gonna shove have my foot straight
up your vajayjay right no no oh i think he has other ways of being menacing,

(36:35):
i think that's pretty menacing yeah but i don't think he does that but not everyone
has a vajayjay no no have i been told some people have and he's not a predator
like that or a wee wee i mean he He is a sexual predator. No. Yeah.
In Frank's dreams, it is. I mean, yeah.

(36:55):
Yeah. I mean, like, what does he do, Bree? He puts his hands, like, in a cone shape?
You know when a dog holds something, they just, like, put their two paws together
like that and just move it up and down. Move it up and down the slit?
Sure. No. Oh, then where? Where are we moving this up and down? On the stick.
On the stick. Yeah, but I'm talking about, like, the vajayjay. The vajayjay's a...
Oh, I don't know about the vajayjay. I haven't figured that one out yet You

(37:18):
haven't figured out your vajayjay yet Jazz hands I don't know with mitten hands
though Mitten jazz hands What does Brian do? He wears mittens before he goes to bed, right?
How does he work it? I mean like mittens But mittens do have a thumb, right?
It's like the mitten part is for the fore Yeah, it's a thumb A thumb So do you

(37:40):
think he just shoves the thumb up the hole?
Maybe Or is that saved for the butthole?
You think it's almost like a shocker? Yeah. Like four in the pink and a thumb
in the stink. There you go.
I think we figured it out. We have a new thing now.
Four in the pink and a thumb in the stink. I love this. I can't wait to draw a picture.

(38:04):
All right. One of the most intriguing aspects of Robert the Doll's story is
the number of letters he receives.
Yes, you heard that right. Letters.
Visitors who have had negative experiences with Robert often write to him asking for forgiveness.
These letters are now part of the museum's collection. People apologize for
taking photos without permission, for mocking him, or for not respecting his space.

(38:27):
They believe that their misfortunes, car accidents, relationships,
breakdowns, illnesses are a result of offending Robert.
The letters range from brief notes to lengthy heartfelt apologies.
Some visitors send gifts along with their letters, hoping to appease the doll's spirit.
The museum staff diligently collects and catalogs these letters and offerings,

(38:48):
understanding the depth of fear and belief that Robert inspires in people.
It's fascinating and terrifying to think that a doll could wield such power over people's lives.
But for those who believe, the consequences are all too real.
The sheer volume of letters is a testament to the enduring and potent legend of Robert the Doll.
In one letter, a man recounted how he mocked Robert during a visit,

(39:12):
only to suffer a series of unfortunate events shortly after,
including losing his job and experiencing severe health issues.
He wrote to Robert begging for forgiveness and claimed that his life began to
improve after sending the letter.
Another letter from a young woman detailed how she and her friends took photos
of Robert without permission.

(39:33):
They experienced car trouble on the way home, and one of them fell seriously ill.
They returned to the museum to apologize in person, and their misfortunes ceased.
The museum even receives letters from people who have never met Robert,
but have heard his story and felt compelled to reach out.
These letters often express a mix of fear, curiosity, and respect for the doll's enigmatic power.

(39:56):
We need to send a letter. I was just going to say, what if you,
so everyone who said that they have met him and they sent a letter begging for
forgiveness, they were miraculously.
Like their luck changes or something? Their luck changes. So what if you sent a mean letter? Ooh.
Would Robert telepathically send you bad luck?

(40:20):
I don't know. Well, would he know that we sent a letter that was mean or do
the museum people read the letters to him?
That was another question I had is how does Mr. Robert know?
Right. Like story time with Robert. Right.
We're opening your mail today. Hey, Robert.
Oh, look. You got a photo. This one's from Bobo Baggins.

(40:43):
He fucking hates you. He says he wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire.
Her sincerely Bobo Baggins Robert I think you should haunt the shit out of this motherfucker.
And fucking make him I don't
know do bad things to himself he would just make an episode out of it and then

(41:04):
you would just get him money for that that's fine if I could watch support this
I do want to support that I want to support Bobo Baggins shoving a pineapple
up his ass I think I think Robert should make him do that. What do you guys think?
That would just be in bonus clip footage, you know, be real.
Yeah. Robert, you know, I'm going to send him.

(41:27):
So here's the thing. Like, again, if you send him a letter, how does he know?
So do thoughts do the same thing?
What is the difference between writing something on a piece of paper and something
happening miles or states or countries away because you visited and you left?
I wonder if like when they get the letter, they actually read it too.

(41:48):
Like the employees read it to Robert Dedele.
Well, I think what Lynette is saying is that what's the difference of thinking
something or writing your thoughts down and sending it?
It should have the same impact, whether it's in a written form or in a thought form, right?
That's essentially, I was asking what's the difference. You would think, yeah.

(42:12):
Because you have to think the thought, you put it on paper or whatever,
but could you resolve your own issue?
Well, I guess it just depends on what your belief system is.
So having a thought written down on paper and sending it, you have just manifested
that into the physical world. True.
Where a thought just staying in your head goes to wherever thoughts go.

(42:38):
I mean, I don't know. I mean, to
the universe. Love to know where your thoughts go. Oh, I know you would.
So yes, I mean, I guess it all just depends, you know. I mean,
I do think that thoughts are energy separate from us.
I think they get- They just blast out in every direction.
Yeah. I mean, there's, which could be, going back to last week's episode,

(43:01):
could be why and how there are pyramids all around the world from eras that
people didn't have communication with one another and they built these same
structures because for whatever reason there was this- The thought energy was out there.
Exactly. you know yeah so i mean that is a possibility so i mean if that's the

(43:21):
case everyone who is a non-believer of robert and has heard this story has put
out there this is bullshit,
and robert had to have picked up on it right so maybe robert whatever stuck
in robert can only interact with the physical world because he's stuck in the
physical world so it has to be something done to him in front of him,

(43:44):
written down and sent to him.
Maybe that's also a difference as well. Yeah, I'd be interested.
To explore that i don't know yeah so interesting thought yeah so i'm gonna write a letter from,
bobo from bobo and
yeah or i'll write

(44:04):
him from me asking to please fuck
with bobo oh like i'll give him like what do you give him as a i'll give him
an offering do you have to give him an offering feed pick he might come back
and get you though after that he might be into to some you know nubby nubby
feet you know i mean i know right he's already got mitten hands,

(44:26):
that's true it is just one toe on one foot so it's nubby foot yeah but i mean
you know what it's the middle toe so it kind of my foot kind of looks like the
shocker like we talked about earlier,
i'm just saying i mean you guys are the ones that bring this up i'm just playing
off of you guys you guys should know better hey all right yeah listeners you

(44:49):
should blame them too it's not me.
So are we done with this whole thought and writing
for now yeah all right no it was a good
question i liked it because i think we kind
of answered all the possibilities and i think one of
them is right and if anybody thinks we're wrong they're wrong
so all right cool so what could possibly explain

(45:09):
Robert the doll's eerie behavior what do you
guys think well I
noticed that the gift you mentioned was
given to him from a bohemian servant so
I was curious like what are the native religions of
the Bahamas and surprisingly it was
predominantly you know Christian Protestant Presbyterian

(45:31):
evangelical so I was wondering if there was any like
voodoo or any religion in there but if
the gift was made and it was given by a servant could
that servant maybe done some sort
of ritual or curse or took some of the little
boy's hair you know use it when they stuffed it and kind
of forever tied this like putting their spiritual essence yeah yeah and those

(45:54):
servants could have also been not been treated well kind of like you know not
sure how familiar you guys are with the story of the myrtle's plantation but
like you know with the back then it was they were slaves It was,
you know, pre-Civil War, but they.
The man of the house would, you know, would rape and treat the women or the

(46:15):
girls in the house that were slave girls horribly.
And that's how the Myrtles Plantation got started. It was like by a curse,
like some sort of voodoo curse put on them.
Going back with the Bohemian Servant, another story that they say why Robert
is what he is, is she had a daughter and something happened to the daughter. Thank you.

(46:37):
And somehow the servant put the spear of the daughter into the doll.
Like something evil, like something bad, like she died in some bad way.
The servant lost a child? Yes. Oh.
She used to play with Jean. Mm. Okay. Oh. Yes.
Do you think they played doctor? No. No. Okay.

(46:57):
They played let me stuff your soul in this doll. Wait, what are we stuffing?
Your soul. Oh, all right. Can you feel it?
Nope. I didn't think so. All right. Well, some suggest that the doll is possessed
by a spirit, possibly that of a servant who gave it to Jean,
or that of the servants who gave it to Jean.
The Bahamian servant was rumored to have practiced voodoo, and some believe

(47:21):
she imbued the doll with dark magic to get back at the Otto family he perceived
wrongs, or for perceived wrongs.
Others think that Jean's intense emotions and energy were somehow absorbed by
Robert, giving the doll a life of its own.
Gene's childhood was marked by isolation and fear, and his strong bond with
Robert may have created a psychic link between the boy and the doll,

(47:41):
allowing Robert to channel Gene's emotions and intentions. Wouldn't it be kind of like a tulpa?
Well, that's what I was wondering, if all the ramifications from him are part of a tulpa.
But, I don't know, it kind of goes back to, what was it, episode one or two
that we were chatting about?
Psychic imprinting in buildings and stuff like that could have...

(48:04):
Highly charged situation if this kid really had a bad life
or some sort of trauma that they
couldn't overcome that they went to this doll
and then it became a life of its own a top of its
own like you're saying yeah no that that was episode two
goes just want to have fun go back in our history and check out that episode
if you haven't already thank you uh there are also theories rooted in psychology

(48:29):
some experts believe that the stories surrounding robert are a result of collective
suggestion where people's expectations and fears manifest as perceived paranormal activity.
This phenomenon is known as the placebo effect.
It can be incredibly powerful, especially when dealing with something as culturally
charged as a haunted doll.
Do you guys really think haunted dolls are real? I don't know.

(48:53):
I just know that dolls tend to creep me out sometimes.
Okay. Going on the paranormal side, that if like.
In theory everything is true some people obviously believe it's true some people
don't but like let's just say it is true that's why doubts freak me out it's
you don't know what's in there you don't know if it's like a demon you don't
know if it's a spirit you don't like you don't know,

(49:15):
So in that case, yeah, a doll could be haunted, but I also think it's because
with that placebo effect, like it's just in people's head, they are taught to think it's haunted.
So they go home, things happening coincidentally right after.
So they just think, oh, it's because of the doll.
So I have mixed feelings on this. Yeah. I can tell. Yeah. It happens a lot.

(49:43):
Why not? yeah i don't know either
yeah i i i don't know if i believe in haunted dolls yeah i i think it's,
perhaps a manifestation of the person okay i don't think it's placebo effect
or whatever like the psychologist or something or suggestion suggesting i have

(50:07):
a question with like would Would that also go in effect with,
do you believe in spirits being attached to an object? Because would that be
the exact same thing as a doll?
But they just call it a haunted doll instead of it being attached.
Yeah, I don't know. My personal beliefs have been evolving over the last few years.
Even haunted locations, I don't know if I believe that spirits are attached to things. Yeah.

(50:36):
Okay. So do you think these locations, spirits just choose to be there,
or do you not even think spirits are even there?
I think it's the observer having some sort of connectivity with a location or
a thing that they can perceive through veil,

(50:58):
time, space, and connect with whatever is on the other side.
So what if in a future state, this doll is being, some kid is playing with this
doll and, you know, Gene is connecting with the other owner of this doll?
Well, that's interesting. I don't know. And like, we've been to haunted locations

(51:19):
and sometimes they're duds and sometimes they're not.
Is it just our inability to connect with whoever's on the other side of that veil?
Or our ability to be in harmony and then
we have crazy things happen that we
can't explain so i totally took
this in a weird direction that's kind of where i'm at no it's fine that's that's
your truth so do you think that do you think that we even have a soul or a spirit

(51:45):
to talk about or do you think it's just whatever energy we put out there in
from these bodies that just travel on
through different slips of time or veils of existences.
I'm trying to understand your question, I'm sorry. You should be.
So do you think that we still have some sort of soul energy in us,

(52:11):
or do you think that whenever someone experiences the paranormal,
it is just the energy that we produce in this life with our physical body that
gets sent and travels through either different times,
as in time slips that we've talked about, that check
our archives for that episode as well or just slips

(52:34):
in dimensions talking to someone else
or interacting with something else
someone else from a different so i i don't have a specific answer to your question
because i think where i'm at is something completely well i shouldn't say completely
different maybe it's closer to akin to your latter example but i know the common

(52:56):
Common vernacular is you are a physical person and your soul is inside you.
I'm kind of moving to a place where your soul is outside of you and your physical
body is an extension of your soul.
So think of your body is a TV.
Okay. Your soul is watching a channel, watching a TV channel.

(53:19):
So your body is that station, that channel.
And you're connecting to it.
And you have multiple channels multiple stations would it be akin to maybe.
Me having a playstation 5
building an avatar of myself

(53:39):
and being able to play in multiple games as that avatar that's probably pretty
close i wouldn't say exactly but yeah sure sure i'm just I'm just trying to
get close to and be able to fit it inside of my head how I can understand it. Sure.
Yeah. Okay. All right. That's interesting.

(54:01):
Yeah. That's interesting. I definitely want to talk on that further,
but I need to get my- Your thoughts.
Well, it makes sense in my head, but when you try to translate it to words,
it sounds- Stupid? Disjointed. Fuck you.
Your face is stupid. It is. 100%. All right.

(54:23):
I love you guys so much, like with all my heart. Well, another angle to consider
is the power of storytelling.
The legend of Robert the doll has grown over the years with each retelling,
adding new layers of mystery and fear.
This can amplify people's experiences and beliefs when they encounter Robert in person.
The more people hear about Robert's malevolent influence, the more likely they

(54:46):
are to experience something unusual when they see him.
Skeptics often point to the possibility of pranks or the power of suggestion
to explain the strange occurrences associated with Robert.
They argue that the human mind is highly suggestible and that people who visit
the museum are primed to experience something unusual due to the doll's notorious reputation.

(55:06):
However, even among skeptics, there is an acknowledgment that the legend of
Robert the Doll is an extraordinary example of how folklore and personal experiences
can intertwine to create a powerful and enduring myth.
The psychological impact of believing in Robert's powers can be as real as any physical phenomenon.

(55:29):
Something like a phenomenon. Something
like a phenomenon. Something like a phenomenon. All right, sorry.
Regardless of the explanation, Robert the doll has undeniably made a significant
impact on popular culture.
He has inspired horror movies, books, and countless discussions on the paranormal like ours.
In fact, some say that Robert the doll was the inspiration for the infamous

(55:54):
Chucky doll from Child's Play series.
The idea of a malevolent doll wreaking havoc is a theme that resonates deeply
with audiences. The notion that an innocent-looking toy could harbor such malevolent
intent taps into a primal fear, making it a perfect subject for horror stories.
Robert has also become a popular figure in the paranormal community,
with many investigators and enthusiasts visiting the museum to see him in person.

(56:18):
His story has been featured on numerous TV shows, podcasts, like this one,
and articles, cementing his place in the annals of haunted history.
Beyond the realm of entertainment, Robert's story serves as a compelling case
study for those interested in the psychological and sociological aspects of belief and fear.
The phenomenon surrounding Robert the Doll highlights how deeply ingrained and

(56:41):
influential supernatural beliefs can be even in our modern skeptical age.
Robert's influence extends to social media where countless posts,
videos, and discussions continue to keep his legend alive.
Live the hashtag robert the doll
frequently trends around halloween as people
share their experiences and theories about the infamous doll so

(57:03):
question would you guys
bring a haunted doll into your house no and keep it for a long period of time
no i would have a shed and put it in the shed yeah no i don't know whether i
believe it or not i wouldn't want to risk it oh that's why i I would put it
in a different building, in a different area.

(57:25):
What about you? I would. You'd probably put it right on your kitchen table?
I'd fucking sleep with it. I'm gonna sleep with you.
Dude, I would put it in bed. I'd cuddle, you know? Looks like you might probably get that divorce.
That's fine. I would try to be the little spoon in this scenario,
you know? Robert's not that big.
You know, I stopped making fun of me and my size. They said he's only like,

(57:50):
what, 40 inches or something?
Yeah. Yeah, 40 inches tall. That's pretty impressive.
I don't have a tape measure.
You're going to need one.
Just saying. I have a size 14 foot.
You know what that means. Big socks. Ew.

(58:10):
Yeah. I hate socks. I knew that. I was going to go there. You thought I was
going to go somewhere else. I was going to say big feet pictures.
Well, yeah, that too. Guys. I was going to ask before or after the toe.
The shoe size changed. you know surprisingly the
shoe size did not change okay yeah but it
but i i really can't stand toe-to-toe with
many people oh you oh

(58:35):
geez as we delve deeper into the lore of robert the doll it becomes clear that
his legacy is far-reaching and continuing continues to grow over the years robert
has been featured in documentaries books various media and explore or haunted
objects in the supernatural.
His story has become a staple in discussions of haunted dolls and cursed artifacts.

(58:56):
The museum receives a steady stream of visitors year-round, all eager to see
Robert and perhaps experience the paranormal for themselves.
Some come out of sheer curiosity, while others hope to find answers to their
own unexplained experiences.
The staff at the Fort East Martello Museum are well-versed in Robert's history
and the myriad of tales surrounding him, offering guided tours that delve into the doll's dark past.

(59:21):
Additionally robert has inspired a range of merchandise from postcards
and t-shirts to replicas of the doll himself these items
serve as tangible reminders of robert's eerie presence and
the fascination he holds over those who hear his story
for many owning a piece of robert's legacy is
a way to connect with the mysteries and the
unknown and i know what i'm getting brian for christmas yeah

(59:43):
it's just the exact same thing the podcast
is we're gonna pool together our money and we're
going to get a replica of the doll for him yes done oh
i can't wait to see his face when he
opens robert we should get like a wood
box and fill it with like straw paper nail

(01:00:04):
it shut you know super museum-y style
or like a coffin like
a wood coffin for robert bird i suppose oh
that'd be so awesome in the world wait
where was it yeah in the world of paranormal investigation robert doll
remains a topic of intense interest and debate

(01:00:25):
investigators and mediums frequently visit the museum hoping
to capture evidence of robert's alleged powers some claim to have recorded evp
sessions with where robert seems to respond to questions while others report
feeling a palpable energy in his presence robert's story also serves as a cautionary
tale about the power of belief and the unknown.

(01:00:46):
Whether viewed as a haunted object or a psychological phenomenon.
Robert the Doll continues to captivate and terrify, reminding us that some mysteries
are destined to remain unsolved.
But he's just so cute.
Is he? He doesn't look that bad. I mean... I've seen like Chucky dolls and stuff.
He just looks like a little stuffy sailor with like pockmarks on his face.

(01:01:12):
You know that's gary yeah he just looks
stupid well we say that about you
but we keep you around yeah well that's just because of my personality is that
that what you keep telling me no well it's that and i think i just make you
guys feel better about you oh do you you pick on us all the time i know but
that doesn't make anybody feel better i know that's a lie because then you look

(01:01:34):
at look at me and like my life and you're like oh thank god i'm not fucking
him that's there's both ways.
That's the story that you think that we're thinking about you?
It not you're yeah you're off i don't know i'm speaking for myself i'm confused we know,
we you haven't stopped being confused

(01:01:56):
see and this is why we're supposed to feel good about yeah
that's fine yeah so did we
learn anything about robert today he's not so scary he's got looking hands he's
got men hands he's got mittens it's just a little bernie sanders oh what if

(01:02:17):
what if robert's like his grandfather oh.
Robert bernie's granddad that'd be awesome so we have some stories here about
Robert. First story is from Reddit.
The username is tidbits1192.

(01:02:38):
I visited Robert in 2018 with my family. My dad likes to joke around,
and he obviously didn't believe anything about Robert, and to this day likes
to tease me with random Robert pictures.
Anyways, my dad thought he was going to be clever and get a picture of Robert
without permission and also without directly aiming a camera at him.
When we were there, there was also an old hearse in that same room.

(01:03:00):
So my dad figured he could take a picture of Robert's reflection through the window of the hearse.
I really scolded my dad and begged him not to take any photos.
And he finally decided to not take any in that room of Robert or otherwise.
I still wasn't satisfied and went to the little old donation box in the room.
I said, dear Robert, I'm sorry my dad is dumb and doesn't believe in you.

(01:03:20):
Here's $5. Please don't curse my family and slipped the only cash I i had in
the box the rest of the trip in the fort was pretty uneventful we go back to
the hotel which we had only left maybe an hour before and the hotel was extremely close to the fort,
we came in to find that both elevators were out
of order this wasn't an issue for me as i'm young and

(01:03:41):
climbing stairs isn't an issue for me yet but my dad
who is in his 60s definitely prefers elevators overall i got more of a mischievous
vibe coming from robert i feel he understands Understands the power he has over
us and likes to play tricks and pranks unless you really make him mad.
All right, so what do you guys think of that one?

(01:04:03):
Coincidence. I agree. Coincidence, yep. I agree. That's just stupid.
Makes me wonder what hotel they have. I agree.
This is from Reddit username jmad. My brother, my sister-in-law,
and I went to Key West in 2021.
Before we left, I made the drive to his house, Illinois to South Carolina, and stayed a few days.

(01:04:25):
While staying there, the plumbing in the basement backed up,
and we had to call an emergency plumber, which cost nearly $4,000.
We saw Robert, and while I was tempted to take a picture, I did not.
My brother thought the whole thing was silly, and while my sister-in-law and
myself were respectful to Robert, my brother-in-law was making little jokes.
I scolded him, and he piped down. When you leave Robert's exhibit,

(01:04:47):
you are supposed to thank him.
I thanked him, my sister-in-law thanked him, and so did my brother by saying,
Thank you, Robert, in a sarcastic tone.
Immediately after visiting the museum, he went to the beach.
My sister-in-law got a phone call saying that the plumbing for their rental
property backed up. When I came back from the trip, I found my job was shutting down that week.

(01:05:08):
Six months later, my brother and my sister-in-law divorced.
Dang. So she believed it. She believed.
I wonder if the sister-in-law believes it. So what if it wasn't like a bad thing,
but Robert did something good for the sister-in-law and said, you know what?
I'm going to have you divorced. And that's like a good thing for her.

(01:05:29):
Maybe that's what Robert does. He's just an eye opener. opener
people think it's bad because it's not convenient and
bad things happen but what if he just puts you on your right path maybe maybe
he's an oracle and not like a voodoo scary you should write a letter to him
and ask oh yeah yeah right yeah right yeah if he responds back with his like

(01:05:50):
he's gotta put his mittens together to hold the pencil.
Yeah let's do that,
All right, now this next one is from Reddit user TheOneTruckChuck.
That's so fucking stupid.
TheOneTrueChuck. Sorry, I can't read.
TheOneTrueChuck, which is still stupid. My sister-in-law and her family went

(01:06:12):
to see Robert a few years ago. He's a cop.
The whole family is ultra-conservative Christians, so not inclined to believe
in anything supernatural at all.
It's plainly stated that you have to ask for permission to take the photo.
I can't recall if there's a sign posted that says
this or not he was kind of an asshole and
may have been a bit drunk at the time get out

(01:06:33):
i don't believe this at all a cop and a family who's ultra conservative christian
and he's drunk oh this is how could he it's church wine yeah that's true it's
okay if it's god's juice and may have been so he may have been a bit drunk at
the time and took several shots without asking permission.

(01:06:53):
Every single one has a blur or other anomaly on an otherwise focused picture,
all digital, naturally taken on a digital camera.
When he asked permission, he got a perfect picture. He insists that this is
the only time he's ever encountered anything truly inexplicable.
And again, this isn't something he'd likely hoax. He wouldn't want the attention

(01:07:16):
from going public with something like this to potentially affect his job.
Super conservative town. And it would also potentially raise questions about
religion that a southern evangelical would rather not acknowledge.
Stupid. Right? Just a little. Yeah. Yeah.

(01:07:36):
All right. So, anyway, as we wrap this up, what are you guys' overall thoughts on Robert the Doll?
I think it's just coincidence that bad stuff happened to these people because it gets in their head.
So they're thinking it's robert that's doing it and yeah it's kind of like when
uh you'd think about something and all of a sudden it's there every place you see,

(01:07:59):
so like you're it's like i tell you hey guess what there's a bear shitting all
over the place and then the next day the bear is following you around pretty
much yeah okay yeah okay yeah.
I kind of agree. I think it's probably more coincidental, but looking closer
at this picture of this guy, and we'll obviously share a post of what this doll

(01:08:21):
looks like, but nobody mentions why he's holding a dog.
What's a dog about? And it's attached to him, I think. It's attached to him.
But what if Robert is not the bad guy and it's Cujo?
Is it a St. Bernard he's holding? I don't know what that is.
It looks like a little golden retriever mixed with something.

(01:08:45):
No, actually, no. It looks like a terrier. It looks like a chihuahua.
It looks like a child's toy that's been through the washing machine.
It actually looks like a chihuahua.
I don't know, but he looks scarier than Robert.
The dog looks scarier than her? The dog looks scarier than Robert. Okay. Yeah.
So what if it's the dog that's possessed? That's what I'm asking.
Yeah. What if the stuffed dog possessed Robert the doll who's now like doing the dog's bidding?

(01:09:11):
So he's son of Sam? Maybe. We don't know. Nobody talks about the dog.
This is true. We'll just have to get Brian one and see what he thinks.
Yeah, I agree. Yes, please.
I agree. So I think there's truth behind it.
Again, I think it's whether or not you choose to believe in this thing or not.

(01:09:31):
That you know i always come from the
aspect of only things
that you allow to affect you will affect
you when it comes to the paranormal and supernatural so if
you have that belief system then you're
going to reap rewards and the

(01:09:52):
not so rewards i can't think of the antonym for rewards words right now good
thing you're not trying to think of a synonym no no not thinking of that either
that's why i said that so all right so that was robert the doll peeps yeah anything
else that we missed today.

(01:10:12):
Yeah no i think so all right well well not
for this episode but yeah but yeah so next
week we have a very special guest
we sit down with an award-winning author sylvia schultz yes sylvia schultz local
history enthusiast who has published 11 books documenting and bringing to life

(01:10:37):
the dark and Mysterious Stories of Many Illinois Hotspots.
Yep, and she's got another book on the way.
Nice. She's co-writing, so I'm going to dive into some of her findings and ask
her some questions, and it's going to be a good conversation.
I look forward to it. Yeah, me too. Me too. Very exciting.
Very, very exciting. And two of her books are getting turned into a podcast series as well,

(01:11:05):
so that's that'll be exciting we could
probably uh post that up somewhere after
the after the interview with her so yeah
and if you're interested in checking her out before her website
is sylvia schultz at dot wordpress.com s-y-l-v-i-a-s-h-u-l-t-s

(01:11:26):
dot wordpress.com check her out she's got a lot of books out there it's pretty
cool very cool well guys we love you dave if you happen to listen i'm sure you're
kind of taken aback by my singing and maybe he can borrow some of your singing and.
Synthesize it and music in his next songs yeah no i'm good with all this just

(01:11:49):
like justin bieber and the dolphin noise.
Maybe he... I have no idea what you're talking about.
One of Bieber's songs, he samples the sound of a dolphin and it gets all distorted,
synthesized, whatever.
Really? So maybe you can be the next dolphin noise on the next Dave song.

(01:12:10):
Okay. I'm going to harpoon you. We need to put you out of here.
I can't wait. Is that code?
No. I think this episode's done. yeah let's wrap that up all right well listen
next week for sylvia schultz and me being harpooned so,
again this is frank this is brianna and this is lynette love you guys thanks bye.

(01:12:38):
Music.