Dolls inhabited by spirits or energies—good, evil, or neutral—have a long history across diverse cultures. Here are just a few examples.

Japan
One of the unifying ideas about haunted dolls across millennia is that they have either been created to be, or been made into, spiritual vessels. For instance, as early as the tenth century, there was a vast wealth of folklore surrounding tsukumogami, which were utilitarian household objects that were said to be granted a soul after one hundred years of service. These objects included pots, cups, musical instruments, tools, containers, and even dolls. After becoming ensouled, the tsukumogami were prone to tricking people. In one folktale, the spirits resented being neglected by their human masters after serving them for so long, and they become spiteful and murderous. After the tsukumogami wreaked havoc, they sought out a Buddhist priest, who began to teach them precepts. This eventually led to the spirits' enlightenment.

North America
Elemental spirits can inhabit doll-like figures crafted by Native peoples like the Hopi and Zuni. For the Hopi people, katsinam are benevolent spirits that surround them, both in the physical world and the supernatural or spiritual world. Katsina (also spelled kachina) spirits can bring abundance, favorable weather, and wellness if treated with respect. Dolls carved as representation of the katsinam are called tithu or kachina dolls. One of the earliest known kachina dolls was found on the Gila River; the doll was made of wood, and experts believe it was created around 1200 CE¹.

Kachina dolls are not playthings, but prayer objects. They draw the spirit associated with them, as the spirit will be attracted to an image of itself. The dolls also serve as a reminder to respect the kachina spirits as family. Traditionally, men carve kachina dolls, with each doll serving as a representation of a specific spirit. Kachina dolls are always carved from the roots of cottonwood trees, an easy wood to work with. Cottonwood trees have special significance due to their water-seeking roots and association with water (and, thus, life). After a doll is complete, it is given to a girl or young woman in the village to connect them to the benefits the kachina can bring.

Central Africa
Spirits who can either act as divine protectors or wield the power of divine retribution inhabit the nkisi nkondi, literally "spirit hunters."² These vessels are created by Kongo sculptors. Nkisi nkondi are carved wooden figures empowered by the various materials placed inside them as well as the decorations done by a nganga (a spiritual specialist) on the figure's head, eyes, stomach, and back. After the figure has been made into a satisfactory vessel, a spirit is called in to protect, to heal, to uncover wrongdoing, and to punish oath breakers and practitioners of evil.

The process starts with the carving of a figurine. Though some figures may take the shape of an animal, human forms are the most common. The figure is then given to a nganga, who may place specific medicinal or magickal herbs, glass, soil, nails, claws, or other objects into the figure and/or its cavities. Then, the nganga invites the spirit into the finished figure. Community members who seek advice or arbitration from a nkisi nkondi bring additional items to add to its exterior, such as cowrie shells, strips of cloth, twine, beads, pegs, and nails. Nails are a common addition to nkisi nkondi, as they are inserted to activate the spirit and request its help. With each addition to its exterior, the nkisi nkondi becomes more powerful. This practice dates as far back as the 1500s.

Ancient Egypt
For even earlier examples of spirit-inhabited dolls, look no further than ancient Egypt. Egyptians of high status in the Old Kingdom (circa 2700–2200 BCE), both noble and commoner, used ka figurines as vessels for themselves in the afterlife. These statues were so named because they were made to contain the ka, meaning spiritual aspect, of the deceased. Through the ka statues, the deceased could be animated by priestly spells to participate in funerary rituals.

Modern Fear of Dolls
Although enspirited dolls have been around for centuries, the fear of dolls is pervasive today. Currently, there are five categories of specific phobias in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: First, there are animal phobias (snakes, spiders, etc.)—you know, the friends who shriek if they see a snail. The second category is natural environment phobias, such as heights, water, or lightning. Following that is the third category: fear of blood, injections, or injury. This includes the fear of needles and the fear of medical procedures. The fourth category consists of situational phobias (i.e., enclosed spaces, crowds, or airplanes). Last is a catch-all category known as Other. That's where you can find a fear of clowns, fear of costumed characters, and fear of dolls.

Pediophobia
The intense, irrational fear of non-haunted, run-of-the-mill dolls is known as pediophobia. Like all phobias, it can induce excessive, persistent, unreasonable fear and crippling anxiety. While there's no specific phobia associated with haunted dolls, pediophobia coupled with phasmophobia, or the fear of the supernatural, sounds truly terrifying.

A couple of years ago, I was doing a séance around my dining room table. When I brought my haunted doll, Belle, into the room, one woman absolutely froze. She couldn't talk. She couldn't move. We all noticed the change in her immediately. When the woman could speak again, she said she'd had a dream just the night before where a doll that looked exactly like Belle was talking to her in her bedroom.

The woman was so shocked when I brought Belle into the room that she wanted to bolt out of her chair and leave. No matter how much I assured her that Belle was a good spirit and that the séance would be positive, the woman would not stay unless I put Belle in another room. I respected her wishes. Please remember to respect the wishes of anyone who wants to avoid a haunted doll.

Why Are People Fearful?
While dolls may have a higher association with hauntings in the collective consciousness, as noted in the introduction, this association ultimately stems from a combination of various psychological factors as well as an individual's cultural influences and personal experiences. These factors shape beliefs about dolls and similar inanimate objects.

It's also important to note that the very belief in the existence and validity of haunted dolls is also subject to personal belief and interpretation. Though it is common in modern times to encounter people who recoil at the thought of a haunted doll, this has not always been the case. In fact, haunted dolls and poppets have filled important roles in many cultures.

Here are some of the influences on both belief and fear:

• Lifelike Without Being Alive: Dolls often possess expressive and recognizable features associated with living human beings, such as eyes, noses, mouths, lips, hands, feet, and even fingers and toes, yet they are not quite life-like. This uncanny resemblance can trigger a sense of unease or discomfort in some individuals. The slight imperfections, fixed expressions, and artificial movements can create a feeling of something being "off" or unnatural, leading to fear or aversion. The very idea that a spirit might inhabit that "unnaturalness" is absolutely terrifying to those who have other associated fears.
  
  
• Fear of the Unknown: Back to phasmophobia, the fear of the supernatural. Haunted dolls represent both the unknown and the supernatural. They blur the boundaries between the inanimate and the living, challenging our perception of reality. The idea that an object can harbor a malevolent spirit or possess a hidden presence taps into primal fears of the unexplainable.
  
  
• Cultural and Media Influence: Frightening haunted dolls have become a trope in modern media—they're everywhere. Haunted dolls in popular culture have become sensationalized, leading to horrific, twisted, and terrifying tropes in horror movies, on social media, on television, in books, and via urban legends, reinforcing the association between haunted dolls and fear. Pervasive media depictions showcase dolls as demonically possessed, animated by evil spirits, or, at the very least, involved in sinister activities. The barrage of these portrayals in modern media have reinforced society's negative perception of haunted dolls and contributed to the fear and unease associated with them.
  
  
• Childhood Associations:
  As mentioned previously, many people develop an emotional attachment to their childhood dolls, considering them companions or protectors. Fond memories of doll voices, playtime, hugs, and assigned personality traits created a deep, intimate, and special connection between a child and their plaything. Those with a fear of haunted dolls look at them as a betrayal of those earlier happier memories, seemingly corrupted by a perceived outside force. The disruption bleeds into the innocent and nostalgic associations tied to childhood. The collision of something familiar and comforting with the unknown or sinister intensifies fear and anxiety.
  
  
• Supernatural Beliefs and Paranormal Experiences: For individuals who believe in and fear the binary existence of absolute good and absolute evil, or for those who have a sincere distrust of the supernatural, the idea of a haunted doll can be particularly distressing. These are people who perceive evil lurking around every corner. What could be worse than a childhood relic and symbol of innocence occupied by an outside force? Reports of paranormal encounters involving dolls, such as movements, changes in expression, or unexplained phenomena contribute to the perception that dolls harbor not just energies, but malevolent and destructive energies. Reports of paranormal encounters contribute to this perception regardless of intent.

The Dangers of Haunted Dolls
Can a haunted doll be dangerous? This subject is often debated. Personally, I think haunted dolls can be dangerous. Peggy the Doll, for example, allegedly gave two people heart attacks.

I have seen dangerous haunted dolls firsthand. I had a problematic doll that was gifted to me by a friend; he had originally gotten the doll for himself. It was one of those little dolls typically sold in the French District of New Orleans as a memento; it had a wooden cross body, an oblong head with a painted-on face, and brightly colored feathers for hair. But after buying the doll, my friend realized he didn't like it—it was just too spooky, he said.

I happily took the doll in and kept it in my home office. It just sat there. For two years, everything was fine. Suddenly, I noticed that I no longer wanted to spend time in my office anymore. I had been picking up my laptop and working at the dining room table instead. I wanted to be anywhere but my office. I could not stay in my beautiful little workspace—a place I had always loved.

One day, I entered my office and looked around. I was drawn right to the little doll my friend had given me. I blurted, "Oh, it's you! I don't want you in my house. I don't want you in my office. You are negatively affecting my life, my home, and my work!"

I had to figure out what to do with the doll. I could, of course, banish the dark spirit—or I could get rid of the doll. Fortunately, I happen to know someone who really loves darkly haunted dolls and has the appropriate place to keep them: Zak Bagans. I had spent enough time with him (and in his haunted museum) to know that he would be the perfect person to adopt this little dolly.

I called Zak right away and let him know about the haunted doll. He asked, "Well, Patti, what is it? Show me a picture." When he saw the photos, Zak excitedly said, "Oh, it's a nail fetish hate doll. Yes, I want it." I immediately went to see him at his museum in Vegas and handed it over. He put it in a hallway cabinet near another New Orleans haunted object gifted to him by our mutual friend Bloody Mary. The day after I dropped the doll off, one of the museum's tour guides told me that it had started acting up that very first night.

The nail fetish hate doll had found its perfect and appropriate home in Zak's museum, a place where people go to experience haunted objects. It's well-curated like any good museum should be, but from a haunting and energetic perspective. The museum is like a roller coaster ride at an amusement park: it's wild enough to scare the pants off you, and while it might make you a little nauseous or dizzy, you know you are not going to die. Zak's museum is set up very much like that. Luckily, nobody has to live there.

Your home must be your sanctuary. It is no place for dangerous haunted dolls.

Excerpted from Dollcraft by Patti Negri.

¹Wright, "Hopi Kachinas," 113.
²Harris and Klemm, "Power Figure (Nkisi Nkondi), Kongo peoples."