That sickening smile, her eyes locked onto mine

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Please welcome guest author Gayle Stanley. Gayle was born and raised on a small mountain farm in Southwest Virginia, where she still lives today. Preserving local  history through the publishing of feature stories in regional newspapers and magazines has been a longtime passion of hers.

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I had one of those big dolls billed as “Life Size” when I was a little girl in the 1960’s.  They were the size of a small child, and some were called  “Walk-With-Me” dolls, Patty Pals, and other names. I don’t remember which one I had, but I do remember how terrified I was of it.

I had nightmares of it attacking me with a big shiny kitchen knife, and repeatedly stabbing me, probably thanks to Alfred Hitchcock, Chiller and other scary TV shows of the ’60’s.

And there were other times I could’ve sworn the doll turned it’s head and followed me with her eyes when I would cross the room.

My Mom had grown up during the Depression years, and she was a talented seamstress, who made most of the little outfits for my Barbies, and other dolls, not to mention lots of school clothes for me and my cousins.

She spent so much time sewing pretty outfits to dress my big doll in, I just didn’t have the heart to tell her how I disliked it and was afraid of it. Finally when I was grown, the subject came up, and I got my nerve up to tell her.

Shortly after I did, the doll went missing from my old bedroom where it had always stood in the corner.  Mom had gotten rid of it at last. 

Then, wouldn’t you know it, the next time I visited my grandmother, there sat the demon doll on a chair in her living room smiling that “I’m going to kill you tonight” smile at me.

My Mom didn’t have the heart to throw it away, so she had given it to my grandmother.  I avoided going to my grandmother’s house for many years because of that horrid doll.

One day I told my Mom why I was avoiding going to Grandmother’s house.  Later that day she said she told my grandmother of my “phobia” about the doll, and Grandmother said she was going to get rid of the doll. I felt very relieved when my mother told me.

A few months later the family was having a baby shower for another of my cousins.  When I arrived I went to the kitchen to see what I could do to help out.  My Aunt told me I could take a platter of refreshments to the Den and put them on a table they had set up for them.

When I walked into the den guess who was there?

My grandmother had given the doll to my other cousin who was pregnant and collected dolls. Through the years she had also managed to get my other cousin’s doll, the two that were gifts for us girls that day so long ago were together again. She had them seated at a child’s table facing each other, having their own little tea party.

She loved dolls and thought they would make wonderful decorations for the party.

I sat down across the room from the dolls, trying not to look at them.  But eventually you know that funny feeling you get when you sense danger – like the hairs on the back of your neck are standing on end?

Curiosity got to me and when I looked up at the dolls, both were turned facing me with those sickening smiles, and their eyes locked onto mine.

I got light-headed and could feel the blood drain from my face. I think that’s the closest I’ve ever come to fainting in my life.

I finally got myself together enough to get up and leave.

To this day I have not seen the dolls again, I have not been back to my cousin’s house, and I won’t have any kind of doll in my house, and I never will.

More articles on dolls:

Heritage Farm Museum Adds New Doll Exhibit(Opens in a new browser tab)

They did have little dolls for the girls(Opens in a new browser tab)

The “Realest” Artifacts in Our Museum Collection(Opens in a new browser tab)