18 Mar 2025
E41.1 Gene Otto: Robert the Doll (Part 1)
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
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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
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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
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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
