The Haunted Vessel: Origin

If you ask ten people about dolls, even ten girls, I guarantee you that at least nine of them will relate some creepy story. It might be a personal experience they had with a doll of their own, or even just a story they've heard about a famous haunted doll. Either way, there is something unnerving about them. Even frightening at times.

In their earliest incarnations, dolls walked a fine line between plaything and religious or ritual item. As far back as Egypt children were found buried with dolls next to them, at times even well-loved ones. At the same time dolls were also frequently used for ritual purposes.

Many cultures saw dolls as a unique because they were so human-like, and yet so empty. Again there was a duality here. Due to its emptiness a doll could be a vessel for something. They would be given to children as protection from spirits, with the assumption that the spirit might get trapped in the empty vessel. Conversely the dolls could be a vessel for something good. They could be filled with protective amulets or simply attract protective spirits.

On the other hand dolls could be intentionally filled with a certain kind of energy, as is seen with poppets or voodoo dolls. These kinds of dolls are not so much play things as they are physical representations of a spell or ritual (or even an individual).

Ball jointed dolls (including things like Pullips and Obitsus as well) seem to fall into this "in between" category of toy and spirit vessel. From my own experiences I have found them far from empty. We as collectors fill them with all sorts of energy, intentionally or otherwise. The amount of time and effort people put into them as well as the emotions and details of their characters can seem to literally create that personality. Especially because of the intense realism many of them possess, they are raised to a whole different level. As I sit here typing this with Crow and Dru looking on, I can't help but think they are more than just toys. :)

Links to check out:

Wikipedia- Basic information on dolls and their origins.
Japanese dolls- Wikipedia page on the evolution of dolls in Japan.
The Doll House- A series of episodes of Ghost Hunt, one of my favorite animes. Lots of neat doll details (and it's creepy!).
Haunted Dolls-More on this later, but a great site with many different haunted doll/toy stories.
Ancient and Medieval Dolls