Story and Photos by Terri Lynn Vignes
When I get a reported haunted doll to investigate, I do a lot of research on them. From who owned it to who purchased it and where it has been over it's life time. Some dolls have traveled the world others have witnessed many tragedy's. And in my own senses of being I wonder what paranormal memories and effects these dolls tend to embody.
In the begining I use to buy them from several haunted doll auctions on Ebay , then from local thrift stores. Then as time went on friends would bring me their own treasured heirlooms to study and verify. Some dolls I have found are only haunted when in possession of the owner. Some just become inanimate when in possession of strangers where I find that others become more active when in the possession of a stranger. And there are still those that have dolls in their attics or basements and ask me to ... Please get her out of our home! Some tell strange stories of dolls walking talking and witnessed the doll levitating and flying through the home! In my private investigations I try to validate these claims, and in some cases I find that the Haunted doll Phenomena is very real! Such is the case of Pupa.
It is not uncommon for children to have imaginary Doll friends. Often times, a mischievous child will blame some wrongdoing on a spectral presence or a favorite doll, and parents will dismiss it as a bright imagination. But what happens when the doll begins to torment the child and terrorize anyone who lives within the household?
Often I consider if If doll has never done anything away from the house where it is kept, or away from it's owner, then I'd be more inclined to associate it with one of the entities within the persons house itself, and it probably is a separate entity attached to the doll, then the above observations could be used. I always consider this first in all paranormal objects I investigate. I never rule out a spirit, or a specific spirit associated exclusively with the doll, my gut is telling me that it's probably a mundane item being acted upon by one of the spirits in the persons house.
Pupa is said to move by herself. Often she is said to push things around in the display case where the family who owns her keep her. Since the passing of the original owner in 2005 the family reports that the haunted doll has become very active and seems to want to be released from where she is kept.
Still dressed in his blue felt suit, she has also reportedly pulled pranks aplenty on those who care for her. Often, Pupa was placed differently than when the family last saw her. More than once, the family have reported hearing a sound like someone tapping on glass as they pass Pupa's display case. When they turn to look, they have seen Pupa's hand pressed against the glass or her legs crossed when they were not before.
The particular doll in this article was original made in the exact likeness of the child in Trieste, Italy for the original owner. This custom has been around for ages. Some even made with the actual hair of the child in question. Some dolls of this type actually were made using hair of the child who's likeness it was copied. Or the hair that someone sold to a doll maker such is the case of Pupa. For reasons unknown, dolls seem to attract spirits. More troubling, dolls seem to become easily imbued with the spirit of the child to whom it most closely connected. And there is ample evidence to at least provoke suspicion that some dolls stay connected via this childhood link for years, even generations after their childhood playmate has grown to adulthood or succumbed to early death.
The Haunted Dolls History
The original owner had it from the age of 5 or 6 (1920's) until she died in July of 2005. The doll survived World War II, and many, many close calls to it's destruction over the years. The owner cherished it always through out her long life. The doll traveled from Italy to the United States then back to Italy and across Europe and finally to the USA once again where it is now.
Also if you look at the photos in this article you can see where Pupa's face changes. It seems to me that she either reacts or shows emotion. None of these photos have been altered except cropped for the story.
The haunted doll is 14 inches tall and was made in the 1920’s. The head, arms, and legs and clothes are made out of felt, and are moveable, the hair is real human hair. The button sewn to her collar was from the owners Grandmother who died and was sewn on at the end of World War II.
The Doll who she lovingly called Pupa was even photographed with her and her brother in Italy Circa 1928.
Always she would say Pupa was alive and had a mind of her own. She even told her grand children stories that it was her best friend and most beloved confidant. She told them Pupa talked to her over the years and even saved her life.
I take photographs. I use my EMF’s which I have a few of, and I also take infrared videos of the dolls. I have recently started a new method of studying the dolls recording EVP's and videotaping them as they sit alone on shelves or in rooms with people to see what the doll might do or how they interact. Pupa seems to move by herself changing position and at times even changing her painted expression. Sometimes her painted on eyes seem to open wider others times they follow you around the room.
I usually place a small video camera focused on the doll I am investigating and film it for hours against a dark background. Pupa's head seems to move at times as well as change directions, her arms and legs do the same. Often very slowly but the effects can be measured.
The University of Washington's developmental psychologist Stephanie Carlson thinks imaginary friends can be a positive experience for children. She says, "There's a certain amount of control over a relationship with an imaginary friend that you don't have with a real friend. It's a practice ground". It is also believed that negative companions can help children work out conflicts. Carlson also says, "These are not all smooth interactions, but can still be useful and functional in development, even if they're not all friendly". I wonder could this apply to dolls as well? Do we unintentionally fill them with a life force? Could a haunted human hair doll spark a ghostly connection to the long dead donor.
Other dolls are created for the enjoyment of the collector, and although they are never “played with” in the traditional sense they still can become objects of devotion and even obsession. Any avid doll collector will tell you that it can be hard to pass up the opportunity to purchase or obtain a beautiful, desirable doll. These dolls are no less loved and the emotional connection is no less intense; often these collectible dolls are the objects of the most terrifying haunted events.
"Her eyes follow you as you walk past! And she gives you a feeling of fear and wonder that I can't even describe!" "I don't think the Photos convey this."
