{{Short description|Fear of human-like dolls or models}}{{Distinguish|Pedophobia}}thumb The '''fear of dolls''', also known as '''pediophobia''' or '''glenophobia''', is a specific phobia of human-like toys for children, mannequins, and ventriloquist's dummies; it may also transfer to other human-like models, such as wax figures. To be considered a phobia, the fear must be "persistent, intense, and out of proportion to the threat".<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Macy |first=Rosemary |last2=Schrader |first2=Vivian |date=2008-10-01 |title=Pediophobia: A New Challenge Facing Nursing Faculty in Clinical Teaching by Simulation |url=https://www.nursingsimulation.org/article/S1876-1399(08)00011-X/abstract |journal=Clinical Simulation In Nursing |language=English |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=e89–e91 |doi=10.1016/j.ecns.2008.07.001 |issn=1876-1399}}</ref>
Fear of dolls has been exploited through horror films such as ''Child's Play'' and ''The Conjuring'', both of which feature evil dolls.
==Etymology== Fear of dolls is commonly referred to as pediophobia.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Kahn |first=Ada P. |title=Encyclopedia of Phobias |last2=Adamec |first2=Christine |date=2008 |publisher=Facts On File, Incorporated |others= |isbn=978-1-4381-2098-0 |edition=3rd |location=New York |page=198}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=McRobbie |first=Linda Rodriguez |date=2015-07-15 |title=The History of Creepy Dolls |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-creepy-dolls-180955916/ |access-date=2025-10-07 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref> The term comes from the "Greek ''paidion'', meaning little child".<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Summerscale |first=Kate |title=The book of phobias & manias: a history of obsession |date=2022 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-593-48975-8 |location=London}}</ref>{{Reference page|page=155}} In writing of a patient with a fear of dolls, James Briscoe termed the condition ''glenophobia'', from a Greek word often translated as "eyeball", as well as "doll or plaything".<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Briscoe |first=James |date=September 1996 |title=A case of glenophobia |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/irish-journal-of-psychological-medicine/article/case-of-glenophobia/F12D96C2198D9981B60D054AD285321C |journal=Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine |language=en |volume=13 |issue=3 |pages=114–116 |doi=10.1017/S0790966700002676 |issn=0790-9667 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617233345/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/irish-journal-of-psychological-medicine/article/case-of-glenophobia/F12D96C2198D9981B60D054AD285321C |archive-date=2018-06-17|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
==Reason== Fear of or discomfort regarding dolls is often related to their uncanny appearance in relation to people,<ref name=":9" /> with realistic dolls being perceived as more unsettling than those that are less lifelike.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Rangell |first=Leo |date=1952-01-01 |title=The Analysis of a Doll Phobia |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1298176790?accountid=14569&parentSessionId=OamT6CCMcKtQV1jb2J0%2BS3QSNbto3m9rF%2BENEcYzcrk%3D&pq-origsite=primo&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals&imgSeq=1 |journal=The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis |location=London |volume=33 |pages=43-53 |via=ProQuest}} </ref> Common concerns focus on the doll's eyes,<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Chand |first=Suma P. |last2=Al Khalili |first2=Khalid |date=March 2000 |title=Pseudoseizures Associated with Doll Phobia |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.2190/8XL7-F24F-PM66-70AF |journal=The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine |language=en |volume=30 |issue=1 |pages=93–96 |doi=10.2190/8XL7-F24F-PM66-70AF |issn=0091-2174|url-access=subscription }}</ref> which may make the individual feel as though they are being stared at; the lifeless eyes may also be considered akin to those of a corpse.<ref name=":1" /> Some state that dolls' static nature may imitate death.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Heljakka |first=Katriina |date=2018-10-12 |title=Disliked and Demonized Dollies: Pediophobia and Popular Toys of the Present |url=https://widerscreen.fi/numerot/2018-3/disliked-and-demonized-dollies-pediophobia-and-popular-toys-of-the-present/ |journal=WiderScreen |volume=21 |issue=3 |access-date=2025-10-07}}</ref> Individuals may also focus on the material made to make the doll, with an aversion for dolls made of more fragile material, such as porcelain or china.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":4" /> Other distressing features include the doll's hair,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last=Hatcher |first=Simon |date=August 1989 |title=A Case of Doll Phobia |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/case-of-doll-phobia/923D3D3D51A610495D79ED39E815E48E |journal=British Journal of Psychiatry |language=en |volume=155 |issue=2 |pages=255–257 |doi=10.1192/bjp.155.2.255 |issn=0007-1250 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618232133/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/case-of-doll-phobia/923D3D3D51A610495D79ED39E815E48E |archive-date=2018-06-18|url-access=subscription }}</ref> fingers, and limbs.<ref name=":6" />
Individuals may also experience a fear of or discomfort regarding dolls due to their anthropomorphization. In society, dolls and other play things may be treated as if alive; this is common in childhood, though a trend also exists among collectors and creators of hyperrealistic reborn dolls.<ref name=":9" /> Some have specifically stated concerns regarding revenge. For example, if the individual were to stop playing with a doll or throw it away, the doll may act in a vengeful way to cause them harm.<ref name=":2" />
Some individuals cite the historical use of dolls when describing their fears. For instance, dolls were previously used as a way to memorialize children who had died.<ref name=":2" /> Other highlight how dolls have been used in voodooism and other ritualistic practices.<ref name=":1" />
As with other specific phobias, fear of dolls may develop from negative prior experiences.<ref name=":5" />
==Treatment == Although a dislike for dolls may be common,<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":2" /> people usually do not experience doll-related anxiety to the degree that it interferes with their functioning.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":7" />
Treatment for the fear of dolls focuses on reducing the individual's fear so that it does not interfere with daily functioning.<ref name=":3" /> Exposure therapy, where individuals are exposed to dolls in increasing increments, is common.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":7" /> Other treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy and/or anti-anxiety medication.<ref name=":3" />
==In popular media== Popular media has exploited people's fear of or dislike of dolls. However, some argue that the rise of villainous dolls in media may cause unease and fear of dolls.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2014-07-25 |title=Dollmaker Explains Why Porcelain Dolls Are So 'Spooky' |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/porcelain-dolls-spooky-porcelain-dollmaker-reveals/story?id=24714707 |access-date=2025-10-07 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref>
American film director John R. Leonetti explained why dolls are commonly used in horror films: "If you think about them, most dolls are emulating a human figure. But they’re missing one big thing, which is emotion. So they’re shells. It’s a natural psychological and justifiable vehicle for demons to take it over. If you look at a doll in its eyes, it just stares. That’s creepy. They’re hollow inside. That space needs to be filled."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goodman |first=Jessica |last2= |first2= |date=2014-10-03 |title=The Fall's Scariest Movie Villain Is A Demonic Doll |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/annabelle-director_n_5924376 |access-date=2025-10-07 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref>
Dolls are used in multiple ways in media to provoke fear or unease. In some cases, an individual acts through or as a doll, and in others, a doll comes to life.<ref name=":9" /> Some stories also feature characters being turned into dolls. === Films === [[File:Female Chucky Cosplay at Comiccon Brussels 2023 - 1.jpg|left|thumb|Woman cosplaying the Chucky doll]]Fear of dolls has been exploited through horror films.
The 1963 film ''The Devil-Doll'' involves Lionel Barrymore, a "man wrongly convicted of murder", transforming two people "into doll-sized assassins to wreak his revenge on the men who framed him".<ref name=":9" />
In the ''Child's Play'' franchise, a notorious serial killer frequently escapes death by performing a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into a "Good Guy" doll named Chucky. A later film, ''Bride of Chucky'', includes the doll character Tiffany Valentine, who is also a serial killer.{{Cn|date=October 2025}}
In ''The Conjuring'' franchise, Ed and Lorraine Warren, renowned demonologists, investigate the Annabelle case, in which friends Debbie and Camilla have a possessed doll. They allowed a spirit, who claimed to be a seven-year-old girl named Annabelle Higgins, to possess the doll, and the hauntings became increasingly disturbing.{{Cn|date=October 2025}}
Other notable horror films featuring dolls include ''Blood Dolls'', ''The Boy'', ''Demonic Toys'', ''Dolly Dearest'', ''Doll Graveyard'', and ''Poltergeist.<ref name=":9" />''
Fear of dolls may also extend to fear of puppets and ventriloquist dummies. In this case, Billy the Puppet, a puppet from the ''Saw'' franchise, may also be considered under the fear of dolls.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Wong |first=Brittany |date=2023-10-02 |title=Here's Why You're Afraid Of Dolls, According To Experts |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/heres-why-youre-afraid-dolls-231509705.html |access-date=2025-10-07 |website=HuffPost Life |language=en-US |via=Yahoo News}}</ref> Further, the 2007 film ''Dead Silence'' features a homicidal ventriloquist dummy.<ref name=":9" />
=== Novels === Fear of dolls has been exploited through novels, such as in Barbara Early's ''Murder on the Toy Town Express.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stasio |first=Marilyn |date=2017-12-24 |title=Slay Rides |url=https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&id=GALE%7Ca520140503&v=2.1&it=r&userGroupName=anon%7E8b7532fc&aty=open-web-entry |access-date=2025-10-07 |website=New York Times Book Review |via=GALE}}</ref> Other notable horror novels featuring dolls include ''The Doll and One Other'' by Algernon Blackwood, and ''The Girl from the Well'' by Rin Chupeco''.''<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=Colyard |first=K. W. |date=2023-07-24 |title=Horror Books About Dolls |url=https://bookriot.com/horror-books-about-dolls/ |access-date=2025-10-07 |website=BOOK RIOT |language=en-US}}</ref>
Extending the fear of dolls to ventriloquist dummies, Slappy the Dummy is a villain in the Goosebumps book series.<ref name=":8" /> William Goldman’s 1976 psychological thriller ''Magic'' also features a ventriloquist dummy.<ref name=":10" />
=== Television === Fear of dolls has been exploited through television. For example, ''The Twilight Zone'' included an episode in 1963 that featured a doll named Talky Tina, inspired by the Chatty Cathy doll. Talky Tina comes to life and harasses the owner's stepfather.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":8" />
Popular media may also utilize fear of dolls by including specific scenes that showcase a large number of dolls. For example, the 1985 British television series ''Maelström'' repeatedly shows dolls in an unsettling manner.<ref name=":2" />
==See also==
* Fear of clowns * Haunted doll * The Haunted Dolls' House * Pollock's Toy Museum * Robert (doll) ==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Phobias Category:Dolls