Halloween Week: Robert The Doll

Ladies and gentlemen, and of course theyse and them's welcome to Halloween Week with Wicked and Grim. My name is Jacko and I will be your master of ceremonies for the next seven days through the exploration of paranormal, the weird, the murderous, the wicked and Grim. Now to introduce your hosts, Ben and Nicole.

Well, well, well.

What's up, guys think thank you for that intro, Jacko.

Welcome Jacko. That was quite the introduction. Now I feel like I'm little because like I can't do that ship.

You can't give it a try, give it a try.

Oh goodness, we're not going there. Maybe on another episode. Practice.

No, Jacko, you're the ship MANI the bomb.

We should just leave it to Jacko.

No ship, he should just he should be Wicked and Grim. I don't know if you guys can hear it, but it's raining, it's pooring, and we got like a little tin roof in our little studio here, so it's uh, you might be picking that up, but it just adds to the vibe of Halloween Week. You guys, welcome.

Yes, this is epic, this is exciting.

We got so much lined up for you.

Guys in days of awesomeness.

Seven days of epic, Wicked and Grim.

To celebrate the best of holidays.

Yes, is it a holiday. It fucking should be. It should be like three yeah, for sure. But we got to start with thanking our patrens.

We have so much.

You guys are absolutely freaking incredible. As of this moment, we are at forty two patrons.

Like, who are we? That is amazing?

No kidding. I think a lot of them signed up as soon as we announced the Drunk, Wicked and Grim. Yeah, like we want to see that shit.

We recorded Drunk, Wicked and Grim last night. Yeah, it was a wild ride.

Yeah, for sure, there will be.

We didn't hold back. We actually were like drunk.

Yes, so we are sorry to our patrons who are going to watch that. It is video. It is video, but we will also put it up an audio form on our patron our Patreon platforms. If we want to go check it out, sign up. It'll be up there in the next few days.

Yeah, so it's definitely worth check it out.

Okay, let's shot up those patrons.

Oh my goodness. Okay, so I'm gonna fly at this here, you got this. I'm not wearing my glasses, So this is kind of fun.

I got you back to some kids.

We have Riley, mal Whitney, Roman, Lisa M. Snyder. Pretty sure that's how you'd say her.

Name, Schneider.

I think Snyder anyway, Awesome, Emily Leech, Michelle Bachman.

Bachman, Buchanon, you can't canon.

Okay, this is just wicked and I'm so sorry. We should have practiced. Stephanie Harris, Ramel Sales, Hayley Edwards, Marley Harper, Michelle Bischard, Heather Shroop, Ashley Melissa Sargent. Sorry there's a little bit of emphasis because she's actually our friend. Riley cross White, Raquel low Zano, Crystal Lamb, Tiffany Martin, Celia Meglia Oh I think I actually really and Cassie Stanley.

You guys are incredible, thank you.

Oh my goodness. Sorry for butchering names, but you're all awesome, and we just we honestly, we're going to showed out our patreons this episode, but we're not going to show any new ones until well, like we go back to our normal programming or maybe maybe on Sunday or something.

Yeah, but we're not going to do it. Every day, not every day this Halloween week. Once we're back to a regular schedule or something like that, we'll do it.

Again, but you will be recognized. It just might not be every.

Day, might not be immediately this week.

Something else is super duper fun. As we did our pumpkin head photo shoot.

Ye, that was epic. It was super cool, and we're going to be putting some some of those photos up on Instagram and Facebook to come in the next few days as well, So watch out for that shit.

Yeah, we have so much cool stuff going on. I'm really pumped.

It's going to be epic. Yes, speaking of epic, what are we doing? I get to talk about an epic case, not even a case, but a story that I said that I was going to be doing for like a month now and since the creation of Wicked and Graham, I wanted to talk about this. This is Robert the Doll.

Oh yeah, you've mentioned this so many times.

Robert the Doll is who. It's a crazy story. There's there's not like there's anything one big thing about it. It's just like a lot of like holy shit, little things.

So what a good way to kick it off?

Yes?

I like it?

So if you are ready, let's dive in.

I'm freaking ready to Robert the Doll.

All right. So Robert the Doll is literally world renown, just so you know, he is known as the world's most haunted doll.

That's quite the title, right, wow.

Like good luck, good luck that no shit?

Okay.

So he's like he's like this childlike figure. He stands about forty inches tall, and he's dressed in like an old timey sailor's outfit, like you know, the ones with like a little like it's all white and the little sailor hat, like little blue lines and everything. Yeah, totally wearing that the sailor's outfit, which was totally not supplied by the company that made him. Actually it was probably an outfit that was actually worn by his child's owner.

Oh, by his child owners. There we go.

So, yeah, he's actually he's stuffed with wool and wood chips, and his eyes are small, beady and black, and they stare blankly into the direction of whichever way he ends up happened to be facing.

That's creepy. I don't know why, just how you said that kind of grewped me out.

Well, I mean, he's fucking creepy. So in his hands is a small toy of his own, a toy dog that seems really happy to be in his owner's lap, with its oversized tongue hanging out.

Aw.

Robert's face is covered with nicks and scars that show the age of the fabric skin on his face, and the time that Robert has seen gaining all these scars has been one hundred and seventeen years.

Ooh the things he has seen.

Robert is one hundred and seventeen years old.

Wow. Yes, that's actually a pretty long life for it, all right, Like really, yes, So.

We're going all the way back to nineteen o six here, Okay, So Robert was the property of a young boy by the name of Robert Eugene Auto, an eccentric artist later in his life and a member of a prominent Key West family. So yes, Robert, the doll and his owner shared the name Robert. However, the young boy whose name was Robert, he decided to give his name to his new found friend and decided he would go by his middle name instead, Eugene, So he began to go by

So how old was this kid?

I don't know how old he was when he got Robert, but he would have been fairly.

Young, because it's interesting that he would just change his name like that, Yes, as a kid, Yes, okay, because I find that very interesting.

I find it really fucking weird. Yeah, creepy, like super creepy to me. That's one of the creepiest things about this case, as if best child willingly gave up his first name for his doll for his doll and went by his middle name instead.

Pretty creepy, Pretty creepy.

So Robert was purchased by Jean's grandfather while he was on a trip to Germany in nineteen oh four, and he was given to young Jean as a birthday gift. The doll was reportedly manufactured by the Stef Company of Germany. Now we're going to go back into a little bit of history here. The Stef Company is a German based plush toy company which was founded in eighteen eighty by Marguerite step a steamstress. And then hold on what I have here. That sentence doesn't make sense, Okay, the seamstress.

Interesting, Just an fy i there, that's cool.

When Marguerite step was just eighteen months old, she contracted polio and would spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair, you know, sewing and clearly building toys.

But that's that's really cool though, that she still like went and built this like empire, right.

And I'm sure there's a whole quack load of stuff on her story, but that's a whole other story. So Robert was most likely never intended to be sold as a toy at all. In fact, according to a Stiff historian, they told a museum that now holds Robert that he was probably part of a set fabricated for window displays for like clowns or gestures, which is perfect because Robert has a personality that is something quite similar and all on its own.

Huh. Give me the shivers.

Yeah, this whole fucking case gives me the shivers. Like I say, there's nothing like grandiose about it, but it's just all this little fucking shit.

That adds up.

Yes. Yeah, So Gene always treated Robert special, in fact, so much so that Gen Robert wasn't a doll to Gene. Gene always talked about Robert as if you were a person, as if you were alive. The story goes that Gene would frequently blame things and mishaps on Robert quote unquote, Robert did it. It's Robert's fault. Huh. He would say all this to the adults, and they would just kind of laugh and brush it off as if it were just child's play.

Oh my goodness. Okay, that's so interesting. Yeah, okay, I'm just really thinking that through. And okay, I mean, okay, it's a kid. I can kind of see it. I can kind of see it. That's not terrible. You can keep going.

It's not terrible. But again, once you add up.

All those little things, it's just like another tick. That's a little odd. Yeah.

So Jane eventually went on to become a prominent artist in his adult years. As I said earlier, he often escaped to the turret suite in his house, where the light was much better for painting. Okay, Ever, present was his doll and best friend, Robert. Robert spent his days propped up against the southwest window in the turret suite while Jane painted.

And sorry, is he still a child or not?

No, he's an adult now.

He's an Okay, I thought you said he was an adult, but no, he's.

All grown up. But Robert's still by his side. Another little tape.

Yeah, oh my gosh. Okay, it's not super weird because, like, I still have toys from when I was a kid, but they're literally tucked away in like a keepsake bin. I don't have them.

There's nothing weird of an adult having a toy or a keepsake. I've got some action figures, I've got some collectibles and stuff.

I guess at that age to keep carrying it around with you.

Maybe I don't know, even to each their own. But it's just on its own, it's not weird, but maybe compiled with all these other little things, it's kind of fucking weird. Yeah, it's just odd. It's creepy. I went compiled with everything.

If they were dating, I'm not sure if the person they were dating would think that's super cool. Well, he was married, oh, and still had this little doll yes, Okay. So if I had this little doll and you were like wanting to marry me or like inter would you not think that was a bit odd If I was like, okay, like I have to bring this, Yes, I feel like I even did that.

Maybe probably, I don't know. Anyways, Jane actually designed the gallery at forest Fort East Martello Museum and had plans to make it his own home museum through what never did happen, though, his home went on to become known as the Artist's House, and stories of the doll's strange

Okay.

Other visitors to the house would describe how Robert's face and his expression would change according to the conversation in the room.

Okay.

Reports of Robert have been said to have moved from one side of the room to another when people's backs were turned.

Oh, gosh, that's some creepy ship.

And the sound of giggling in the room have been made year after year when Robert is present. You good, Yeah, I'm good.

It's like toy story ish, but like not not as fun, not near as fun.

So after Jean's death in nineteen seventy four, a woman by the name of Myrtle Ruder. I really hope I said that, right, really hope. Wake it a gram. We fucked it up all the time. What am I gonna do?

He would just own it nineteen seventy four. Would he have been like older? Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, because he was born like the early nineteen hundreds.

Yes, okay, I'm assuming he probably would have been around the age of like four or five or six when he got Robert. He got Robert somewhere in the vicinity of like nineteen oh five.

Yeah, okay, okay.

So in the death of Jane in nineteen seventy four, a woman by the name of Myrtle Ruder purchased There we Go, purchased Eugene's home, and she became Robert's new companion as she inherited Robert with the home.

Oh lord, that is not something she would have probably wanted.

Well, she ended up keeping him as she moved out of that house into on Fister Street six years later. Okay, and she kept him in fact into nineteen nineties. In nineteen ninety four, she ended up donating Robert to the Fort East Martello Museum, claiming quote unquote that he moved around her house on his own and was haunted.

Oh my gosh, that's so creepy.

To point, just to put this into perspective. Robert though, too, He's not a small doll forty inches tall, like he's child he's child size.

Yeah that's pretty tall.

Well I don't know sick child size, but he's like prety inches.

Are you kidding me? Because a ruler is like twelve inches right? Yeah, holy shit, that's a huge doll.

Yeah, Robert, Robert's large.

Oh my gosh. That makes it even more creepy.

So after though Myrtle donated Robert to the museum, she ended up dying only a few months later. Whether that's part of this, I don't know. It could just be coincidence, but that's what happened.

Oh gosh, like she's cursed or maybe the.

Museum staff at Robert's new home quickly noticed a shift in quote unquote energies at the Fort East Martella Museum. Robert wasn't initially on display there, but even still, word began to spread about him, and he started receiving visitors to his new residence. Once he was put on an exhibit, electronics and cameras began to act strange would malfunction in

Huh oh goodness, okay visitors from visitors, yes, wow, so they're thinking that they got cursed from seeing him or something.

Pretty much, Robert's lore kept growing and growing. He's been visited by ghost hunters, mediums, and he's inspired TV shows and movies, and he was even the inspiration behind the infamous Chucky doll in the Child's Play movies and series. So Chucky is literally based off Robert the doll.

Okay, that's really cool. So through the.

Years, visitors come to see Robert and have experience a variety of things, most of which have been misfortune, bad luck, you know, after leaving, in particular, after taking pictures of Robert without asking permission, because you see, Robert doesn't like his photo taken without permission.

Well, how the hell do you get permission?

You ask him permission?

But then how do you know he says yes, You just assume, I guess. So what if you asked but he said no and then he took it?

Well, you're you're gonna get some fucking bad luck.

Okay, I don't even think. I don't want to risk that.

I want to go see him, and I want to risk.

It taking his picture. Yes, Oh gosh, there such daredevil.

So there's been like thousands of letters come into Robert. Many of the letters that have flooded in asking forgiveness are from these visitors that have just done that, taking photos without permission. They believe that the bad luck is from some sort of hex somehow from Robert, and forgiveness is the only way to reverse it.

Interesting.

Every year, the curator of the museum removes Robert from his glass case as he sits in the museum to assess his condition and keep them in tiptop shape. It's reported that Robert isn't the only spirit inhabiting the Key West Museum, though in total It's reported there are over forty spirits that dwell there, from soldiers to slaves and

Okay, this museum sounds like crazy.

Yeah, I want to fucking go there. Robert the Doll's bucket listening for me?

Is it? Okay? So sorry? I should not?

Where the heck is a uh at Key West, Florida.

Oh okay, okay, dang were we near that?

No? We were not.

Okay, well, I mean we were closer when we were in Florida than we are now.

Yes, okay.

And I also feel like if you felt that you had gotten somewhat.

Cursed from this doll, yes, Robert, I.

Think you gotta freaking go back and ask for forgiveness in person. And you think not be a letter?

What one thing that is really cool? Though they don't have them all on display, they do have all of them that they have received, but they do have many of the many letters displayed in the museum surrounding Robert. So even if you just google a picture of Robert the Doll. You will find him sitting there on his little pedestal in his glass case, surrounded by letters.

Wow.

Okay, that's really really, really really wild.

Yeah, that is a story of Robert the Doll.

Oh. I mean, I guess if you're like, they're on vacation, it's not easy to get back there, so you're think and no letters. Okay, but go in person.

There is one more thing. Actually, do you want to add there is a photograph out there. I didn't research it, I didn't look into it. Feel free to if you guys want to on your own, let us know what you find. But Robert's aura has actually been photographed. Oh wow, there is a photograph of Robert with an aura surrounding him.

Holy.

I don't know who or how or what, but that is a thing.

Oh my gosh. Okay, I think we do need to go and visit this Smithie. Fuck y'all, fuck y'all, let's do it.

All right, I need I need a reciss peanut butter cup.

Of my own. I know. Oh well, I don't even know if they know this. Right before we were recording, I like shoved too in my mouth. They're pretty delicious.

Yeah, and I'm looking at the Halloween candy bowl over there, and I'm just like, we need to.

Not have our Halloween candy up here.

We need more Halloween candy.

Right, Yeah, it's going to be a week long of epic nous. So get your Halloween.

Candy into yes, get your Halloween candy, get your Halloween costumes on, get Halloween DUTs. Yes, we've carved pumpkins today, in fact, so you guys, we appreciate you being here. We look forward to talking you to tomorrow. Don't forget to follow our Instagram, Facebook and all that good stuff. Links down below for Patreon, even where you can find the drunk wickeding Graham right boom, Yeah.

That's gonna be posted soon. And then tell them my friends, stay wicked, Stay Wicked,