Gene Otto was born in 1900 in the Florida Keys, he passed away in the 1970's after a life spent making art. What he's probably best known for though, isn't his art but his childhood and lifelong companion: Robert. See, Robert was a nearly 4 foot tall stuffed doll and like many toys of this era, he's creepy as they come. Oh.. he's also cursed? Or a demon? I don't know, but when weird things started happening in Gene Otto's home, it was pretty easy for everyone to see the doll had something to do with it. Even after Gene passed, Robert has maintained a sort of reverence and respect amongst Key West folks, and even beyond. So how does a 1900's kid manage to avoid polio but wind up with a best friend who is a posessed doll? Well, here's hoping we find out on today's special episode of Idiopathic!
References
1. News ABC. Divers find underwater hospital, cemetery off coast of Key West. ABC News. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://abcnews.go.com/US/divers-find-underwater-hospital-cemetery-off-coast-key/story?id=99011906
2. Luhrmann TM, Alderson-Day B, Chen A, et al. Learning to Discern the Voices of Gods, Spirits, Tulpas, and the Dead. Schizophr Bull. 2023;49(Suppl 1):S3-S12. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbac005
3. Robert Eugene “Gene” Otto (1900–1974). Accessed February 14, 2025. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LH8K-CX3/robert-eugene-%22gene%22-otto-1900-1974
4. Robert The Doll: The Real Story Of Key West’s Haunted Toy. Accessed February 14, 2025. https://allthatsinteresting.com/robert-the-doll
5. Robert the Haunted Doll. Historic Houston. April 23, 2015. Accessed February 14, 2025. https://historichouston1836.com/robert-the-haunted-doll/
6. Robert’s Story | Robert the Doll. February 6, 2024. Accessed February 14, 2025. https://robertthedoll.org/story/
7. Eyman S. The legend of Otto’s doll. The Palm Beach Post. Accessed February 14, 2025. https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2017/10/19/the-legend-otto-s-doll/7356820007/
8. The Story Behind the World’s Most Terrifying Haunted Doll - Atlas Obscura. Accessed February 14, 2025. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/story-behind-robert-the-doll
9. Di Natale AF, Simonetti ME, La Rocca S, Bricolo E. Uncanny valley effect: A qualitative synthesis of empirical research to assess the suitability of using virtual faces in psychological research. Computers in Human Behavior Reports. 2023;10:100288. doi:10.1016/j.chbr.2023.100288
10. Said S, Kang M. Viral Encephalitis. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2025. Accessed February 22, 2025. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470162/
11. Krubiner CB, Schwartz DA. Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers in Pregnant Women and the Vaccine Landscape: Comparisons Between Yellow Fever, Ebola, and Lassa Fever. Curr Trop Med Rep. 2019;6(4):186-196. doi:10.1007/s40475-019-00194-x
12. Simon LV, Hashmi MF, Torp KD. Yellow Fever. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2025. Accessed February 21, 2025. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470425/
13. Piket C. Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1899. January 14, 2013. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://www.miami-history.com/p/yellow-fever-epidemic-of-1899
Additional Resources
Episode 6: The Human Hair Version and the Worst Social And That's Why We Drink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEuKGLJpzas
REMASTERED – Episode 15: Unboxed - Lore Podcast: https://www.lorepodcast.com/episodes/remastered15
The Curse of Robert the Doll | Episode 105 | Sinisterhood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3ZIsmDGzyE