October is here. The leaves are turning beautiful shades of orange, red, and yellow. New perennial plants and bulbs are in the ground. The temperature may or may not begin dropping as the month progresses.

I don’t have any good horror or ghost stories to tell this October, but I can offer up a funny scary story. At times it seems like everyone knows where I live, and that knowledge brings interesting items to my door, or sometimes people just leave things on the porch or sidewalk.

One day several years ago I was dusting in the living room. There was a knock on the door. When I opened the door, a lady was standing there, arms outstretched and holding a large antique doll. The poor woman had a look of horror on her face. The moment I opened the screen door she shoved the doll at me, then proceeded to tell me, “The doll is haunted! I can’t keep her in my house.”

“Why do you think she is haunted?” I asked. She told me she bought the doll at an antique show several months prior, she got her home, undressed her to wash her clothes, she then set her in a chair. Then she began to hear a moaning noise, she looked at the doll and her eyes were moving from side to side and her tongue was moving, too.

At this point I had cold chills running up my spine, so I stared at the sweet bisque porcelain face, and nothing. Whew. The lady told me to burn her, run over her, anything, she just didn’t want her anymore. We said our goodbyes, I set the doll in a chair, and I’ll be darned if I didn’t begin to hear a sound, and the eyes and tongue began moving from side to side. Mystery solved, she is an automaton, doll with movement. I undressed the precious doll, and taped to her back was the key to wind her up. On the left side of her tummy is a metal rod, you attach the key and wind her up. Yes, even all these years later if you move her around you can hear the movements inside her moaning while her blue glass eyes and tongue move from side to side. She is in excellent condition. Her body is composition and her face is a beautiful bisque porcelain. There are no manufacturer marks on her. She is 27” tall, and with her height she can catch you off guard if you see her sitting on the sofa. 

Automaton Features:

Moving Eyes: Some automatons are designed with mechanisms that allow their eyes to move, creating a lifelike appearance. This is typically achieved through a series of gears and levers inside the head of the doll.

Moving Tongue: Automatons with moving tongues are less common but can be found in more complex designs. This feature would also involve intricate mechanical parts to simulate the movement. She has a rounded composition “plate” in which there are mechanical parts.

 Historical Context:

Antique Automatons: These were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, often created by skilled craftsmen. They were used for entertainment and as toys for the wealthy.

 Her resale value is $800-$1,200.