Welcome back to Paranormal Pajama Party, where the spooky stories are as chilling as the patriarchy itself. In this episode, we dive into the eerie legend of the Island of the Dolls.

Picture Mexico City’s canals, shrouded in moonlit darkness, whispering ancient secrets and bearing the weight of history. Here lies la Isla de las Muñecas – the Island of the Dolls. Legend has it that the island is haunted by the restless spirit of a young girl who met a tragic end in the canal’s murky depths. Her whispers echo through the night, a plea for something unknown.

But it’s not just the ghostly presence of the girl that unnerves visitors; it’s the dolls – thousands of them, watching with empty eyes and silent voices. And rumour has it that as night falls and the moon casts its glow, the dolls come to life. Their porcelain limbs move with eerie grace, whispers carrying on the night breeze.

But why are dolls so inherently creepy? It’s more than their lifelike appearance; it’s the uncanny feeling they evoke, that unsettling mix of familiar and unfamiliar. Dolls, typically associated with innocence, take on a sinister edge in the shadow of the Island of the Dolls.

What does it mean to get the creeps?

Tonight’s episode examines the science of creepiness, exploring how it differs from fear and how our brains react to ambiguous threats. Research suggests that creepiness arises from uncertainty – when we sense potential danger but can’t pinpoint it for sure, our brains go on high alert.

Dolls bring the creep factor because they are uncanny, as theorised by my nemesis Sigmund Freud. Their human-like features but lifeless eyes tap into our primal fears by straddling the line between familiar and unfamiliar. What threats lie behind those plastic eyes?

Dolls and gender

It wouldn’t be an episode of Paranormal Pajama Party without a deeper exploration of gender dynamics. Dolls, traditionally marketed to girls, reinforce societal norms and expectations from a young age. Boys who deviate from “boy” toys face stigma, while girls are taught to embrace limited roles.

But the Island of the Dolls is more than just a quirky tourist stop. It’s a reflection of our fears and anxieties, particularly surrounding gender. As we unravel the tale of Don Julián and his haunted collection, we confront the consequences of gendered toy play and the societal pressures that shape us all.

So next time you make eye contact with a creepy doll, remember: Ghosts have stories. Women have voices. Dare to listen.

Sources

• Hart, Maria Teresa. Doll, Bloomsbury Academic & Professional, 2022. ProQuest Ebook Central

• Lennard, D. W. (2012). All fun and games…: children’s culture in the horror film, from Deep Red (1975) to Child’s Play (1988). Continuum, 26(1), 133–142. 

• How toys became gendered – and why it’ll take more than a gender-neutral doll to change how boys perceive femininity

• Translated by Content Engine, L. L. C. “Isla de las muñecas: la escalofriante historia de una tierra acechada por la muerte.” CE Noticias Financieras, Sep 10, 2021. ProQuest.

• Mitchell, D. (2018). Monstrous Femininity and Objectified Masculinity in Daphne du Maurier’s “The Doll.” In L. McCormick, J. Mitchell, & R. Soares (Eds.), The Female Fantastic: Gendering the Supernatural in the 1890s and 1920s (pp. 22–33). Routledge.

• Real story behind ‘haunted’ Island of the Dolls in Mexico

• Tanatoturismo, fascinación por la muerte… y los viajes – El Financiero

• The haunting story of the man who built the Island of Dolls | Guinness World Records

• The History of Creepy Dolls

• Isla de las Muñecas, lugar visitado por Tim Burton y Lady Gaga – Uno TV

• The Island of the Dolls – Wikipedia

• Sigmund Freud, ‘The “Uncanny”’ [1919]

• McAndrew, F. T., & Koehnke, S. S. (2016). On the nature of creepiness. New Ideas in Psychology, 43, 10–15.

• The Global Catholic Population | Pew Research Center

• Reborn doll – Wikipedia