If you’ve heard of the infamous Annabelle, you’ve likely seen one of, if not all three of, the movies made about it. The demonic looking doll has hit the big screen in Annabelle (2014), Annabelle: Creation (2017), and Annabelle Comes Home (2019). Despite its more realistic porcelain appearance in the movies, the real Annabelle is nothing more than a Raggedy Ann doll in real life. At least by its appearance.

But beneath the stringy hair and simple face comes a more sinister story, one that explains everyone’s fear of dolls. This innocent child’s toy is now kept behind glass, closed in a box, and guarded from the outside world given its horrifying past.

The Origins of the Real Annabelle Doll

The Hollywood Reporter

We start our story back in the 1970’s. A young nurse was given a doll by her mother, but a few days later,  it went from an innocent accessory to a more sinister guest. What the woman and her roommate noticed was that the doll would move around on its own, appearing in a completely different place than where they would put the doll. They also began to find mysterious notes, most notably ones that read “Help me.”

The women were, understandably, afraid and at this point needed some sort of explanation. They sought help from a medium who informed them that the doll was inhabited by a young girl named Annabelle, a 5-year old who was struck by a car outside of their apartment and killed. And despite all of this, the medium was sure that the spirit was good, only seeking love. 

So, our nurses did what only they knew how to do. They cared for the doll as if the little girl’s spirit was their own. But this fairytale was about to turn sour quickly. Over the course of time, real paranormal sh*t began to happen around the apartment. Loud banging sounds would occur at night, lights would flash off the ceiling, beds would violently shake, and the doll would even make low growling sounds.

Everyone had enough and one of the nurse’s boyfriends wanted to burn the damn doll. Little did he know, whatever entity haunted this doll wasn’t as benevolent as the medium thought, and definitely didn’t want to be burned. One day the boyfriend was jolted awake, having just had a nightmare of being choked by the doll. To his horror, his neck was covered with scratches and marks.

As the paranormal activity continued, the women had no choice but to seek real help this time. They turned to their church, who proceeded to put them in touch with famous ghost hunters and demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren.

Annabelle Meets the Warrens

The Comenian

Ed and Lorraine Warren are arguably two of the most famous paranormal investigators to ever live. If you’ve ever seen The Conjuring, you’ll be very familiar with this power couple. Once Ed and Lorraine came on board, they were immediately convinced that this “benevolent” spirit was actually a demon. Based on the doll moving around on its own, the random notes left around the apartment, and the attack on the boyfriend, the Warrens had enough evidence to make their demonic case.

They took the doll out of the apartment, giving the women peace of mind in knowing they were rid of whatever demon was present. The priest also ordered an exorcism of the apartment.

Where Is the Real Annabelle Doll Today?

Greenwich Time

As it stands today, Annabelle resides at the Warren’s Occult Museum, a collection of the haunted artifacts collected during their paranormal career. The museum is in Monroe, Connecticut.

Once in possession of the Warrens, they took excellent care to make sure the doll never saw daylight again. They built a wooden case and placed the doll behind glass. Even still, some silly folks decided to mock Annabelle even behind glass. One was in a near fatal car crash and the other was in a fatal motorcycle accident. 

There’s a reason why Annabelle is considered to be the most dangerous object in the whole museum. It also explains why in 2019 there was a terrible fear the doll escaped. The rumors turned out to be false, but it truly shows the hold that the legend of Annabelle has over us.

When you look at the case today, all you’ll see is an old Raggedy Ann doll behind glass. But the sign underneath that reads, “Warning, positively do not open,” is a stark reminder of its real danger.

Pictures of the Real Annabelle Doll

Without further ado, we give you a few photos of the real Annabelle doll:

CT Post (left), Cosmopolitan (middle), Greenwich Time (right)