As Halloween approaches, it’s time to embrace the spooky season by delving into the world of eerie vintage dolls. The History Center of Olmsted County in Rochester, Minnesota, is hosting its annual Creepy Doll Contest for the sixth year in a row. This year’s theme, “Circus After Dark,” introduces visitors to a collection of terrifying toy dolls that were left behind when the circus departed.
The museum’s curators have carefully selected eight dolls, each with a unique circus-inspired persona. From contortionists to animal tamers, the dolls have taken on the tricks of the trade in their own eerie way. Among them are the Trapeze Twins, Babette and Brisbane, and a clown named Roland. Madame Bell, the fortune-teller doll, promises to reveal only the good bits of the future she sees.
These fearsome figures are on display at the museum’s ongoing exhibition and were featured at the annual fundraising party on October 19. The public is encouraged to vote for the most terrifying doll either online or in person by October 31.
The History Center of Olmsted County’s creepy doll contest first gained attention in 2019 when photos of the vintage dolls went viral, attracting a global fanbase. With over 100 historic dolls dating from 1825 to 1985, the museum’s collection offers a direct link to the county’s history.
Other museums across the country are also joining the spooky fun with their own exhibitions and interactive experiences. From the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson, Mississippi, to the Bend Ghost Tours in Oregon, creepy dolls are making their mark in various settings. The Hancock Historical Museum in Findlay, Ohio, is running a creepy doll contest, and even a Creepy Doll Museum in Ontario, Canada, is dedicated to the unsettling allure of these toys.
Dolls have long been a source of fear in popular culture, with movies like “The Doll’s Revenge” from 1907 setting the tone for eerie portrayals of these humanoid figures. The uncanny resemblance of dolls to humans, combined with their porcelain or plastic faces, creates a sense of unease that taps into deep-seated fears.
So, if you find yourself spooked by dolls, you may be experiencing pediophobia or automatonophobia. These fears are rooted in the unsettling nature of dolls that blur the line between human and inanimate object. As Halloween approaches, embrace the creepy side of vintage dolls and explore the haunted history they hold.
