About Robert the Doll
Robert The Doll is one-of-a-kind, handmade doll created around the turn of the 20th century. He was created by the Steiff Company around 1904 and gifted to a Key West boy by the name of Robert Eugene Otto who developed an unusual relationship with the toy.
Standing 40 inches tall and stuffed with wood wool known as excelsior, Robert the Doll is dressed in a sailor suit that once belonged to Otto and once bore painted features not unlike those of a jester. His unusual size indicates he may have been fashioned in the image of his constant companion. The doll took Robert as his name, while the Otto simply went by ‘Gene’. Together they would go on to make history…
A BOY & HIS DOLL
Gene and Robert were ‘best friends’ growing up. Legend speculates voodoo played a part in Robert’s formative years, while interviews with those close to the Otto family indicate a great deal of emotional energy was placed upon the doll during Eugene’s lifetime. It is said that young Gene would shift blame when he misbehaved as a child, pointing to the doll and saying, “I didn’t do it. Robert did it”.
While Robert seemed like an ordinary cloth doll, it wasn’t long before Robert was involved in strange and somewhat alarming events. It is not known how or why this child’s toy could genuinely torment humans, but weird and inexplicable events happened to people surrounding Gene and the Otto family. Gene’s parents often heard their son talking to the doll and getting a response back in a totally different voice. They also described seeing the doll changing expressions when they spoke in his company.
Robert continued to live with Gene throughout his lifetime and after Gene’s parents died, he moved his wife, Anne into the home. Anne felt uncomfortable with Robert in the house. She demanded that Gene lock the doll up in the attic where he could do no harm. Gene consented to locking up the doll. Some believe that Robert was not happy with the new living arrangement.
Soon, visitors to the Artist House reported hearing footsteps in the attic and childish giggling. Neighborhood children described seeing Robert watching them from the attic window. Those same children gave accounts of the doll actually mocking them as they walked in front of the house.
THE ARTIST HOUSE
The home where Gene lived, now called the Artist House, is located at 534 Eaton Street and was built between 1890 and 1898. It was in that house that Gene was given Robert The Doll.
Gene Otto went on to become a prominent artist in Key West and beyond. He designed the art gallery at the Fort East Martello Museum and had plans to make his own home a museum complete with a wax imprint of ‘the artist’s hands’ as a focal point. Though this dream was never realized, his home became known as the Artist House.
Stories of the Robert the Doll’s strange behavior became commonplace with those who encountered him at the Artist House after Gene’s death in 1974.
robert the doll stories circulate
Following Gene’s death, tenants renting rooms at the Artist House heard footsteps in the attic room above them where Robert was kept. A plumber heard giggling and turned to find the doll had moved across the room on his own!
Solares Hill newspaper reporter Malcolm Ross visited Robert and had a very eerie experience with the doll. Ross’ friends told him Robert’s backstory and pointed out the children’s furniture that had been purchased by Gene. It was at this point Malcolm noticed a change in the doll’s expression as if he was following the conversation. One of the men made a comment about what an old fool Gene Otto must have been. Robert’s expression turned to one of disdain. “There was some kind of intelligence there. The doll was listening to us.”
ROBERT GETS A NEW HOME
A woman by the name of Myrtle Reuter purchased the Otto home on Eaton Street in 1974. She became Robert’s companion and kept him when she moved to Von Phister Street six years later.
In 1994, she donated Robert to the Fort East Martello Museum claiming he moved around her house on his own and was haunted. Myrtle died a few months later, but Robert remained active.
Museum staff noticed a shift in energy at the fort after Robert arrived. Though Robert was not initially on display, he started receiving visitors as word spread about his new residence. Once he was put on exhibit, cameras and electronic devices malfunctioned in his presence, and soon letters addressed to the doll began to arrivie offering apologies for disrespectful behavior or asking for Robert’s forgiveness.
These letters continue to arrive daily. Ghost hunters, TV shows, psychics, skeptics and believers visit Robert on a regular basis to witness first-hand the strange stories they have heard. Is Robert cursed by voodoo? Thriving on the energy placed upon him? A misunderstood doll with a playful spirit? Or perhaps just a doll joined by the spirit of his lifelong companion?
