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For centuries, dolls, figurines, and puppets have intrigued humanity. Our imaginations can shape them into anything, much like our hands can create them from any material. For some, these imaginative creations evoke a real sense of fear. This phenomenon is known as automatonophobia, the fear of objects with human-like characteristics.
Why these objects disturb us remains a mystery. Some theories suggest an evolutionary basis—our innate tendency to identify and react to faces—while others point to the influence of films and media. Whatever the reason, it’s safe to say that dolls, whether intended or not, hold significant meaning.
In response, we've put together a list of global doll, sculpture, and puppet havens that are known to unsettle the senses of those who visit. While this isn't a comprehensive list, it provides a haunting starting point. Many of these locations are open to the public, so take a visit and let us know what you think.
10. Island of the Dolls, Mexico
Nestled between the canals of Xochimilco, south of Mexico City, lies a stretch of farmland that has etched its name into the eerie folklore of the area. Known as Isla de las Munecas (Island of Dolls), its rise to infamy is both disturbing and tragic. In 1950, a man named Julian Barrera chose to live in isolation on the island, leaving behind his wife and young daughter. While there, Julian discovered the body of an unknown young girl floating in the canal. Alongside the body was a doll, which Julian believed belonged to the girl. He hung the doll from a nearby tree, ensuring it faced the spot where the girl's body was found. While many stories exist about why Julian took this strange action, all agree that he never stopped.
After the discovery, Julian was seen obsessively scouring the canals and garbage piles for discarded dolls. Over time, his collection grew from a single doll to hundreds. He hung the dolls across the island, in whatever state he found them. As a result, many dolls are in a state of disrepair, missing heads, limbs, or eyes. Exposure to the elements only worsened their condition, heightening their chilling presence. It’s no surprise that many visitors to the island report paranormal experiences. Some even claim to hear the dolls whispering to each other if you listen closely.
In 2001, Julian's body was found in the canal. The official cause of death was a heart attack, though legends say he was found in the same spot where he had discovered the girl’s body.
9. Gaze Into the History of Dummies, USA
The ancient Romans referred to ventriloquists as belly speakers. They were fascinated by the ability to make voices seem to come from inside the body. Unlike us, however, the Romans believed these voices came from the spirits of the dead, residing within the ventriloquist’s stomach, communicating with the living. This belief persisted until the rise of Christianity, when ventriloquism was deemed witchcraft and banned. It wasn’t until the 18th century that ventriloquism evolved from its eerie origins into the comedic performance we recognize today.
Located in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, the Vent Haven Museum is the only place in the world dedicated to the turbulent history of ventriloquism. Founded by William Shakespeare Berger in 1973, it showcases a vast collection of ventriloquist artifacts from around the globe. The museum is home to authentic dummies once used by famous performers such as Jeff Dunham, Jay Johnson, and Willie Tyler. It also features replicas of renowned figures like Edgar Bergen, Shari Lewis, and Bozo the Clown. In addition, the collection includes puppet representations of U.S. presidents, from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush, and boasts around 900 dummies in total.
For those who aren't unsettled by glassy eyes staring back at them, the Vent Haven Museum offers seasonal openings each year. During these times, visitors can even adopt a dummy for a year, at a cost of $50.
8. A Forgotten Park of Statues, Japan
The Hidden Village of Statues in Japan’s Toyama prefecture serves as a striking example of how a well-intentioned idea can turn into something eerie.
In 1989, Mutsuo Furukawa set out to create a peaceful park where people could meditate and escape the chaos of modern Japanese life. The park was to feature life-sized busts of people, including over 800 sculptures of his friends, family, and colleagues, along with figures of local legends, historical personalities, and Buddhist icons. Furukawa’s vision was realized for a time, but after his passing in 2012, the park fell into disrepair and became overtaken by nature. In 2016, the park was rediscovered by a local photographer, and it attracted tourists for reasons that were far removed from Furukawa’s original intent.
Now managed by volunteers, the site is known as Fureai Sekibutsu no Sato, meaning ‘Village where you can meet Buddhist statues.’ Locals steer clear of the area, believing the statues come to life after dark. Despite this, thousands of visitors flock to the park each year, many describing it as a place that feels like a forbidden realm. Strangely, on full moon nights, the shadows cast by the statues create the eerie sensation of being followed. For now, it seems the only ones able to truly relax after a long day at this park are the statues themselves.
7. Another Abandoned Statue Park, Italy
In 1547, devastated by a series of personal tragedies, including the death of his wife, Prince Pier Francesco Orsini sought to channel his grief into something remarkable. His creation, the Bomarzo Gardens in Italy, was the result. Located near Viterbo and designed by Pirro Ligorio, the park was initially named the Sacred Grove, but locals later dubbed it the Monsters' Grove. Over the years, visitors have been left in awe by the numerous enormous sculptures scattered throughout the otherwise desolate woods. These include a scene of an elephant attacking a Roman soldier, a giant ripping another apart, and the centerpiece—a massive, screaming head of Orcus, the Roman god of the underworld.
The Park of the Monsters has inspired numerous works, most famously Salvador Dali’s The Temptation of Saint Anthony. Other artists and writers, including poet André Pieyre de Mandiargues, have written about the park. The Bomarzo Gardens also influenced Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden, which could easily have earned a spot on this list.
After a period of neglect, the sculptures gained worldwide attention once again when Salvador Dali filmed a short documentary about the park in the 1950s. This sparked a restoration project, transforming the park into the popular attraction it is today.
6. Spend the Night with Clowns, USA
Cursed motels, evil clowns, and haunted graveyards are familiar elements in horror films. So, it’s no surprise that combining these themes is not for the faint-hearted. Enter the Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada. Known as ‘America’s Scariest Motel,’ it opened in 1985 as a tribute to Clarence David, a self-proclaimed clown lover. The motel is home to over 2,000 clowns from around the world, all designed to give you the chills. But don’t worry—owners assure that some of these clown figures are actually ‘happy clowns.’
The Clown Motel is situated next to the Old Tonopah Cemetery, enhancing its eerie atmosphere. Clarence David, the inspiration behind the motel, is buried here, along with many miners who perished in the Tonopah-Belmont Mine Fire disaster of 1911. With the cemetery’s own long history of ghostly tales, it’s no wonder paranormal activity is commonly reported. Among these stories is the presence of a former local prankster who is said to continue playing tricks on visitors from beyond the grave.
We can’t confirm the existence of ‘happy clowns’ should you decide to spend a night at the Clown Motel; however, the ghosts’ legendary reputation for haunting remains elusive.
5. Abandoned Dolls of Chernobyl, Ukraine
At just past midnight on April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located in what was then the USSR, caused the world’s most catastrophic nuclear disaster. As radioactive particles spread into the atmosphere, Soviet authorities evacuated all nearby settlements. The town of Pripyat was within the evacuation zone, and as a result, it was sealed off and made a restricted area. Today, however, it has become a popular destination for disaster tourists.
After the hasty evacuation of Pripyat, a significant portion of the town remains virtually untouched, attracting countless visitors. Abandoned dolls can be found scattered throughout the area amidst the decay. Some dolls are lying on hospital beds, others in parks donning gas masks, and some are even tucked away in schools. Contrary to common belief, these dolls weren’t simply left behind during the evacuation. Tourists are known to move them around, posing them for photographs, with some even smuggling in their own dolls. We hope those photos were worth the risk, as visitors are strongly advised not to touch anything within the exclusion zone.
4. A Village Resurrected Back to Life, Japan
Japan’s rapidly declining population, due to low fertility rates, has hit rural areas especially hard. Many small communities are abandoned as people flock to urban centers. One such village is Nagoro, situated on the slopes of Mount Miune. Once a lively community, it has since transformed into a near-deserted ghost town.
Tsukimi Ayano’s return to Nagoro in the early 2000s confronted her with a startling reality. Having moved away from Nagoro as a young woman to work in Osaka, Ayano returned in her retirement only to find the village empty. The familiar faces she once knew were replaced with an unsettling void. It was in this emptiness that Ayano envisioned a way to breathe life back into Nagoro: life-sized dolls!
Ayano’s dolls, crafted from straw, newspaper, and wood, stand apart from any other creations. Each doll represents a former resident, whether they have moved away or passed on. The dolls are painstakingly made to reflect a specific expression, capturing the essence of the person they symbolize. They are often dressed in the clothes and accessories that once belonged to the individual.
It seems Ayano’s dream of repopulating Nagoro has been realized. The number of her doll ‘residents’ now far exceeds the human population. Additionally, human activity has returned to the village in a way that feels frozen in time. Workers fixing the village, commuters waiting at the bus stop, and students sitting quietly before class all seem to be captured in a moment of stillness in Nagoro.
3. Walk Into a Personal Diary, Finland
The Parikkala Sculpture Garden in Finland may seem like an ordinary sculpture collection from a family’s backyard. However, it is home to nearly 500 life-sized concrete sculptures, all created by one person. This private collection is more than just art for public admiration; it is a personal diary, with each piece reflecting the artist’s hopes, hobbies, and fears, all immortalized in stone. While human figures dominate the collection, the artist also portrays a variety of other subjects.
One of the most striking features of the collection is a group of over 200 statues, believed to be self-portraits, each depicting a different yoga pose. However, it is their unsettling gazes that really draw attention, overshadowing their intended purpose of commemorating the artist's youthful body. The statues exhibit expressions that range from vacant to confrontational, with some even sporting sinister grins. In a chilling detail, a few statues are shown with real human teeth, and others are equipped with hidden speakers, making a walk through this eerie garden a truly unnerving experience.
Veijo Rönkkönen, a reclusive artist, was the mastermind behind this unsettling collection. Prior to his death in 2010, he occasionally allowed visitors into his garden, but communicated with them only through written notes. Despite many requests to exhibit his work, Rönkkönen chose to keep his creations private, burying them in silence rather than sharing them with the world. Today, his backyard attracts around 30,000 visitors annually.
As for the human teeth used in the statues? They were donated.
2. Pray With Ghosts, Czech Republic
Lukova’s St. George Church has endured its share of calamities over the centuries. Since its establishment in the 14th century, it has been rebuilt multiple times after disasters. In 1968, a portion of the roof collapsed during a funeral service, pushing the locals to the brink. Believing the church was cursed, the villagers abandoned it, leaving it to decay.
In 2014, a caretaker, moved by the church's deteriorating state, sought the help of a local artist to restore its former glory. After some deliberation, they realized that the best way to revive St George’s Cathedral was by embracing its haunted history: ghosts. To bring these spectral figures to life, the artist created plaster casts of real people, draped them in shawls, and positioned them throughout the church, including in pews. These thirty-odd ghosts are believed to symbolize the spirits of Sudeten Germans who lived in the area before being expelled after WWII.
As expected, word of the ghosts silently praying in the church spread quickly, captivating those eager to photograph these spirits in action. With the arrival of visitors came the necessary funds to restore St George. The locals, too, have welcomed the ghosts back, now joining them in prayer every Sunday.
As the saying goes, prayers are eventually answered.
1. The Possum Trot, USA
Calvin Black and Ruby's paths crossed while they were both working at a circus in Georgia, and the two tied the knot in 1953. The same year, they moved to Yermo, California, seeking a change in climate for Calvin’s health. In the heart of the Mojave Desert, they opened Possum Trot, a roadside refreshment stop along Highway 15. Visitors were greeted by an eclectic mix of handmade art, including miniature windmills, stagecoaches, trains, and over 80 handcrafted, nearly life-sized dolls.
The majority of the dolls were female and inspired by friends and notable women from history. Before creating each one, they carefully thought about the doll’s personality, right down to their hair type, eye color, and sense of fashion. The faces were carved from redwood salvaged from electrical power poles knocked down in car accidents, while the bodies were crafted from sugar pine. The finishing touches, such as wigs and clothing, were sourced from discarded items. To complete the effect, the dolls featured speakers that allowed them to engage with surprised visitors.
Calvin passed away in 1972, leaving behind a request to have his creation burned, though that never came to pass. After Ruby’s death in 1980, Possum Trot was dismantled, and most of their artwork was sold. Michael Hall, an art collector, gathered the largest remaining collection of the dolls and other original pieces. In 1989, he donated his collection to the Milwaukee Art Museum, where notable figures like Miss Ripple, Helen Marvel, and Little Red Riding Hood remain on display.
