By: Jooney Freddieson & Aalovely Lor
In paranormal history, there are many haunted objects around the world, but Annabelle the doll is the most captivating worldwide. Her legend included real-life investigations, movies, and as of recently, public appearances.
Behind the movies of Annabelle lie a backstory rooted deeply into Ed and Lorraine Warren’s paranormal research.
Ed and Lorraine have investigated over 10,000 cases of paranormal activities and originally presented their findings in Catholic schools. Ed was a self-taught demonologist and Lorraine was a medium. Together, they founded the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR) in 1952.
Annabelle, originally an innocent Raggedy Ann doll, was gifted to a nursing student named Donna, by her mother in the 70s. Donna and her roommate started to mess with the doll, leaving it in different positions and even making it a tradition to scare each other.
However, their fun came to an end when they began noticing strange occurrences around her living area: the doll would change positions, move to different rooms, and leave notes behind, none of which Donna or her roommate had any knowledge of causing.
Donna and her roommate concluded that it was just their vivid imagination and dismissed the occurrences but questions started to arise when the doll’s movement became more pronounced—like shifting its arm entirely or relocating more often.
Donna, believing that she was targeted by demonic forces, flew to a renowned medium. They soon discovered that the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a young girl. Donna allowed the young girl to stay and even started to treat the doll like an actual child, often buying the doll clothes, toys, jewelry, and candy.
The haunting soon turned malevolent after attacking multiple times through paralyzations and scratches appearing over the chest.
After realizing the spirit was more than just an innocent child, Donna contacted Ed and Lorraine Warren—the paranormal investigators.
The Warren’s determined that the doll was in fact taken over by a demonic entity and its goal wasn’t to haunt people but to possess a human host.
They took Annabelle to their Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut, preventing further harm. She was placed in a glass case with warnings not to touch, and it quickly became one of the most dangerous items in their museum.
The story of Annabelle gained popularity after its feature in ‘The Conjuring’, leading it to have its own spin-off series that begins with ‘Annabelle’.
The movie versions featured a porcelain doll, but the real Annabelle is a soft stitched Raggedy Ann. Despite the difference in visuals, the legacy remains the same.
After Lorraine’s death, the museum closed, and Annabelle remained inside. But as of 2025, Annabelle has begun going on tour as part of the traveling exhibit called “Devil’s On The Run Tour”, visiting various cities throughout the U.S.
The tour began in May and is scheduled to be on tour throughout the summer, allowing horror movie enthusiasts to meet the real Annabelle.
According to NESPR, the Annabelle tour was created in response to those with questions and in hope of funding the museum.
The tour brought concern to religious figures saying they shouldn’t treat the doll like a “novelty”, stating that it was disrespectful to provoke the doll after knowing the risks. But organizers of the tour have claimed that all participants were careful and all events were handled with caution.
This tour brought attention to social media, especially Tik Tok and Instagram. Many videos and post made about the tour gained millions of views, with people sharing everything from selfies to behind the scenes.
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