Battle Royale

Which Doll is the Spookiest of Them All?

A new doll with a penchant for meddling in Chicago’s paranormal history has arrived at the Museum—and she’s stirring up chaos with the other dolls! The title for Spookiest Doll of All is up for grabs, so it’s a fight to the top this month with Haunted Dolls: Battle Royale. It’s up to you to decide which doll should reign supreme. Is it innocent, yet sinister Blanche? Or will the new doll on the block, Wicked, take over the Museum after all?


Each week we’ll post the matchups on our social media channels for you to vote on and announce the winners here. However, there can only be one doll to take the crown of Spookiest Doll of All! The ultimate winner will be announced on Halloween!  

Round 1

Round 1

Round 1

Round 1

Round 1

Round 1

Round 1

Round 1

Round 2

Round 2

Round 2

Round 2

Shirley Temple

Cloth Doll

Shirley Temple

Cloth Doll

Round 3

Round 3

Wicked

Chimney Sweep

Final Round

Creepy Mime

Clown Doll

Creepy Mime

Clown Doll

Patti Playpal

Creepy Mime

Clown Doll

Tragic Dancer

Thumbelina

Winner

Lady Lace

Willow

Willow

Pinky

Creepy Mime

Pinky

Liberty Boy

Unamused Gnome

Patti Playpal

Patti Playpal

Ms. Spinster

Unamused Gnome

Patti Playpal

Blanche

Unamused Gnome

EVENT

Spooky Sunday at CHM

Sunday, October 132:00-4:30 p.m.

Join us to celebrate Spooky Season at CHM with a screening of the Chicago-based horror film Child’s Play (1988, dir. Tom Holland).

Following the film, members from Ghostlight Theater will join us for some spooky-themed trivia about other horror movies set in Chicago. Between each round, actors will perform live reenactments of scenes from these movies on stage!


Prizes will be awarded to trivia winners.

Seating first come, first served. Included with general admission.

Child’s Play is rated R for violence, strong language, and frightening and intense scenes. Visitors must be 17 years of age or older or accompanied by a parent or guardian who is at least age 25.  

ON DISPLAY SEPTEMBER 30–NOVEMBER 4, 2024

Staff found a handwritten note with this doll when it was donated in 1961.It read:

“You can’t tell by looking, but this doll has seen things. Horrible things. The stuff of nightmares. She witnessed firsthand the horrors of the Great Fire of Chicago and then sat in a second-story room at Hull-House haunted by the apparition of a young boy. Several eyewitnesses spotted her in the rear seat of the car that gave rise to the legend of Resurrection Mary. Guests of the Congress Hotel swear they’ve seen a ghostly woman hovering in room 441, tucking a doll between freshly made sheets. This doll wasn’t just a witness to some of Chicago’s spookiest ghost stories, perhaps something more sinister feuls the disasters found in her wake. Treat with caution.”

QUIZ

Which Haunted Doll Are You?

Move over M3GAN, Billy, & Chucky, these dolls are the real deal! Take this quiz to find out which creepy, historical doll from the collection of the Chicago History Museum you most resemble.

“Blanche” doll, possibly German, c. 1880. Gift of Miss Caroline McIlwaine. 1944.140

TOURS

Do you dare venture into the darker cornersof Chicago history?

BUS TOUR | NORTH BY NORTHWEST: INFAMOUS PLACES IN THE LAND APPROACHING O'HARE
Saturday, October 12, 10 a.m.
WALKING TOUR | GRACELAND CEMETERY
Sunday, September 29, 1 p.m.

Join CHM History Buff volunteer guide Scottie Perry and discover the remarkable stories of Chicagoans buried at Graceland, including Marshall Field, Louis Sullivan, George Pullman, and Potter and Bertha Palmer.

Meet at the cemetery entrance, 4001 North Clark Street. Tour runs approximately 2 hours.

Delve into Chicago’s crime history with Richard Lindberg, author of the best-selling Return to the Scene of the Crime: A Guide to Infamous Places in Chicago and 19 other books. Head north by northwest toward O’Hare International Airport to explore local crime scene haunts and residences of some of Chicago’s most notorious lawbreakers,


Tour runs 3.5 to 4 hours and begins and ends at the Museum.


Masks are optional on bus tours. Learn more about our COVID-19 safety policies and procedures.

ADULT GROUP TOURS

Got family in town or want a private tour with just your friends? Our Adult Group Tours lineup includes walking tours of two Chicago cemeteries. Contact grouptours@chicagohistory.org for more information or book your tour at the link below.

All Adult Group Tours must be booked in advance.

CONNECT

#HauntedCHM

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