Return of the Creepy Doll Museum
Just in time for Halloween, exhibit of unusual collection a fundraiser for The Theatre on King
The Creepy Doll Museum is back for a second year, running at The Theatre on King downtown for a special two-day engagement — with COVID-19 protocols in place.
The museum is a collection of about 70 creepy dolls that come from basements, attics garage sales and thrift shops, collected by friends Kathryn Bahun and Ben Hatcher.
They will be displayed in creepy lighting at the theatre Friday evening, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. with timed entry.
Visitors are asked to email ahead to book a $10 ticket, though availability was low for Friday.
Proceeds are being donated to the Theatre on King.
To inquire about Friday bookings, email creepydollmuseum@gmail.com
The doll collection got started a few years ago when Hatcher found an antique baby doll in the deep freezer of his new home in Peterborough.
He didn’t throw away the doll, even though she’s eyeless, with a cracked face and peeling skin. Instead he kept her and named her Jasmine Doyle.
Later, his friend Bahun gave him a creepy doll she found at a garage sale as a birthday gift, and their collection began.
While they had about 50 creepy dolls on display last year at the Theatre on King, Bahun said they ’ve since acquired about 20 new ones.
Some were finds that Bahun purchased, but she and Hatcher also received donated dolls from across Canada (the whole country became aware of the Creepy Doll Museum through a feature last year on CBC Radio).
New this year is a small windup baby in soiled old clothes that crawls, as well as a doll that Bahun purchased from the owner of a purportedly haunted dance hall east of Maynooth.
Each doll has a recipe card bearing his or her name and a fictional biography prepared on a manual typewriter.
The biographies were written by local authors such as Michelle Berry, a novelist and the
owner of the online store Hunter Street Books.
Eight people will be allowed into the theatre at a time to view the dolls, and surfaces will be cleaned after groups leave.
Although there was a gift shop at last year’s Creepy Doll Museum featuring buttons and notecards, that hasn’t been included this year for reasons of COVID-19 safety.
Some notecards are available at Watson & Lou on Water Street, or email creepydollmuseum@gmail.com to order more.
To see some creepy dolls, check out the museum’s Instacg seum.