What would be a birthday present, became Andy’s worst nightmare and that of thousands of children and adults all over the globe… Since 1988, Chucky from Child’s Play has been responsible for millions not being able to turn off the light at night and never seeing our toys in the same way again. Behind this sentiment is the director Tom Holland, who brought to cinemas (and our collective imagination) the story of a diabolical doll, who was actually possessed by the spirit of a deranged serial killer.
The film depicts the life of Andy, a boy who found it hard to socialize, but finally finds a friend in the gift he receives on his birthday. All this world of happiness would end when the little boy discovers that his toy and new best friend is not as innocent as he looks, but indeed has the soul of a criminal inside. Of course, this evil spirit has no good intentions as he tries to kill him to take his body and continue his crime spree.
The Real Story of Chucky
For years, our parents fed the false idea that Chucky was just a movie, nothing real. Despite the sense of him being a potential danger to us all, somehow he only lived behind a screen… or did he? This argument would be nothing more than to put the kids to sleep, because, behind it all, there is a real diabolical doll that inspired this iconic red-haired character, with short hair, blue overalls, a colorful T-shirt, and a pair of little red sneakers.
Meet Robert, a doll that belonged to the painter Robert Eugene Otto and which is currently kept in the Fort East Martello Museum, in Key West, Florida. Legend has it that this toy came into the painter’s life as a gift in 1903 when he was just a child like Andy. The doll previously belonged to a woman who worked with the boy’s family for a long time. What few knew is that she resorted to voodoo to take revenge on the people who mistreated her.
This toy, bearing the same name as the painter, seemed harmless, wearing a sailor’s suit and in his hand, a stuffed animal in the shape of a lion. Otto was enchanted by the doll and began to refer to it as if it were a real child until several abnormal things began to happen in his house. Furniture would move, broken toys would appear, and every time something like this happened, Eugene’s family would find their son in a corner trembling with fear and crying.
Some neighbors reported witnessing Robert the doll blinking, laughing, and even walking around the house. No one really knew what was going on and Otto was able to free himself from his doll when he grew up and left home. Years later, the painter received the sad news that his parents had passed; he inherited his old home and met Robert again, who passed into the hands of a woman named Myrtle Reuters.
Robert was still the same diabolical doll and ended up attacking Myrtle’s daughter. Reuters knew something wasn’t right about the toy and that the incident hadn’t been a coincidence, so she decided to donate it to the Fort East Martello Museum in 1944. Since then, Robert has remained there, and legend has it that he curses anyone who disrespects him or takes a picture of him without asking permission.
Would you dare to visit this fearsome evil doll and take a photo without permidsion? We definitely wouldn’t!
Story written in Spanish by Nayeli Parraga in Cultura Colectiva