The lovely doll on acnl looks creepily similar to the haunted Okiku doll

[dawsoncreek]

Ok guys, I read this story about Japanese folklore and it was about this haunted doll. Apparently in 1918 a 17 year old boy bought the doll while visiting Sapporo, a city in Japan. He gave it to his 2 year old sister and she played with it everyday. Well, a year later she got sick and passed away. Her family grieved by placing the doll on an alter they made in their home and praying at it everyday to honor her memory. Now here's the creepy part..as time passed, the doll's hair started to grow..the family believed that the spirit of the girl got inside the doll. A few years later, the family moved to a different town, the doll got placed at the Mannenji Temple where is resides to this day. The hair still grows and every year her hair gets trimmed. I saw a picture of the doll online and when I was playing ACNL I shook a tree and out comes a lovely doll. I took the doll home and saw how similar it looked to the Okiku doll and it gave me the creeps. I had to put the doll in a dresser..(don't laugh)...haunted dolls...clowns...they creep me out!

 

[Sholee]

that is freak'n creepyyyyy

 

[peachesandicecream]

Oh god here I come nightmares!

 

[Sholee]

Spoiler: hair growing doll

i did a quick google and it looks like there's no explanation for the growth other than it just grows.

 

[Ayaya]

After Aika village, all the dolls in ACNL look creepy to me LOL

iirc there's a belief in Japan that if you have a doll long enough (for years), it starts to have its own soul. Not sure because it's haunted by spirits or because of something else. I've read a few horror stories from Japan centered around dolls, and one that comes to mind is the ritual "Hitori Kakurenbo" or "One Man Hide and Seek". it's a ritual to invite spirits to play with you by letting them posses a doll. It's a dangerous ritual so I don't suggest anyone in trying it.

There's also a shrine in Japan that specializes in exorcising haunted dolls, and based on the picture of the shrine, a lot of them are Okiku dolls

 

[dawsoncreek]

I know and that's the creepy part...the hair just grows and supposedly they ran tests on the hair and it's supposed to be the hair of a child of around 10 years old..

 

[Sholee]

I know and that's the creepy part...the hair just grows and supposedly they ran tests on the hair and it's supposed to be the hair of a child of around 10 years old..

but has there been any proof/pictures that they actually cut/trim the hair? i haven't seen any pictures of it with shorter hair.

 

[Fawning]

Oh lord *_* I wish i didn't google it now *cries*

 

[dawsoncreek]

I read that every year the people of Japan supposedly go to the temple where the doll is and they have a ceremony in honor of the young girl who is supposed to be haunting the doll. During the ceremony, the doll's hair is trimmed. But you are right, Sholee...I haven't seen a picture of the doll with her hair short. Those dolls are supposed to have hair that is shoulder length, but this doll's hair is to her knees.