Annabelle Doll

The Annabelle doll is a Raggedy Ann doll that is allegedly haunted. According to urban legends spread by paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, the doll is possessed by an evil spirit. However, there is no credible evidence that the doll is truly haunted or supernatural. The stories of Annabelle appear to be an urban legend intended to creepily suggest that dolls can be evil or possessed. The legend of the Annabelle doll has been amplified by its appearances in the horror films The Conjuring and Annabelle, though the doll's powers are fictional in these movies. The real Annabelle doll is considered a regular Raggedy Ann doll, despite legends of its haunting.

## History

The doll is claimed to be responsible for a woman's death in the 1970s. The Annabelle doll story was popularized in the horror film The Conjuring and led to a spin-off movie called Annabelle about the evil doll. However, the stories of the real Annabelle doll's supernatural powers are considered an urban legend, and there is no evidence that a doll was actually responsible for any deaths. The doll itself now resides in the Occult Museum of controversial paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. According to accounts from Ed and Lorraine Warren, the Annabelle doll was given to a nursing student in the 1970s. Shortly after, the student and her roommate began to notice strange phenomena surrounding the doll, including finding it in different positions and rooms than they left it in. They believed the doll was possessed by the spirit of a dead girl named Annabelle. The Warrens claim that a psychic medium held a seance and determined that the doll was actually possessed by a demon, not a human spirit. The demon supposedly attacked and tried to strangle the medium. The roommates had a priest perform an exorcism on the doll. The Warrens then took the Annabelle doll and housed it in their occult museum. Again, there is no concrete evidence that the Annabelle doll story is truly supernatural or that the doll caused anyone harm. The Warrens were controversial figures who promoted belief in paranormal phenomena. The stories of Annabelle appear to be an urban legend meant to creepily suggest that dolls can be evil or possessed. The legend of the doll has been amplified by its appearances in popular horror films. The image of a sinister doll is a common trope in horror stories. Dolls are uncanny objects that seem human-like, so they are disturbing when portrayed as evil or possessed. The legend of Annabelle plays on fears of demonic possession and malevolent spirits attaching themselves to mundane objects. This makes for a spooky story, though there is no evidence the doll itself is truly haunted or supernatural. According to the legend of the Annabelle doll, it was originally purchased as a gift for a nursing student in the 1970s. The student and her roommate began to notice strange phenomena surrounding the doll, including finding it in different positions. They believed the doll was possessed by the spirit of a girl named Annabelle who had died. However, when psychic investigators held a seance, they claimed that the doll was actually possessed by a demonic spirit, not a human ghost. The doll was supposedly the subject of an exorcism, and then acquired by Ed and Lorraine Warren for their occult museum.However, it is unclear if this origin story is true or simply part of the legend that has spread about the Annabelle doll. Since there is no concrete evidence the doll is truly supernatural or haunted, its exact origin is difficult to verify. The stories about Annabelle appear to be more urban legend than factual history. The doll in the Warrens' museum may not have had any supernatural origin or power, but simply became associated with paranormal tales and the horror film franchise. The details of Annabelle's origin are likely a mix of myth and exaggeration meant to make a spooky story, rather than facts about a literally haunted object.