The story revolves around Robert, a life-size doll made in Germany in 1904 by the Steiff Company. Robert was given to a young boy named Robert Eugene Otto, who became inseparable with the doll. However, strange occurrences started to happen, with furniture being tossed around, objects going missing, and the doll seemingly moving on its own. The Otto family believed that the doll was haunted and responsible for the paranormal activity. As time passed, the legend of the haunted doll spread, and people began to report strange occurrences when visiting the Otto's home. Robert was eventually left to a woman who bought the house, and later donated to the Fort East Martello Museum in Florida, where it remains a popular attraction. Visitors are warned to ask for permission before taking the doll's photo, as those who don't often experience tragedy and misfortune.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. Robert the doll was made in Germany in 1904 by the Steif Company.
2. Robert was given to Robert Eugene Otto as a gift from his grandfather.
3. Otto was overjoyed with the doll and took it everywhere with him.
4. The doll got its own wardrobe, including a sailor outfit.
5. Otto's parents grew increasingly exasperated with him as things went missing or were found broken in the house.
6. Otto insisted that the doll, Robert, was responsible for the mischief.
7. Otto's parents started to hear an unfamiliar voice responding to Otto's conversations with the doll.
8. The voice was often accompanied by furniture being thrown around the room.
9. The neighborhood kids were also witnesses to the paranormal phenomenon.
10. Otto grew up and moved out of the home, taking the doll with him.
11. Otto went to art school in Chicago and New York, and eventually moved to Paris.
12. Otto married and moved back to the US, recovering several of his childhood items, including Robert.
13. Robert was given his own special room in the attic, decorated with furniture and toys.
14. Otto's wife took issue with the doll and requested that it be kept locked up.
15. Despite being locked up, Robert would often reappear in unexpected places.
16. Visitors to Otto's home would complain of supernatural phenomenon, including hearing footsteps in the attic.
17. Robert would often move objects on his own, as if pushed by an unseen force.
18. Otto died in 1974, leaving Robert to a woman who bought the house.
19. The woman kept Robert for 20 years before donating it to the Fort East Martello Museum in Florida.
20. The museum staff experienced their own paranormal phenomenon with Robert, including the doll wandering out of its locked display case.
21. Visitors are warned to ask for permission before taking Robert's photo, as those who don't often experience tragedy.
22. The museum regularly receives letters begging for Robert's forgiveness and asking for him to lift the curse he's placed on people's lives.