No such thing as an uncreepy doll
The thing about dolls is that even the ones that aren’t trying to kill you or mind-control you into becoming a killer yourself have a baseline creepiness built into their design. Whoever thought that an appropriate plaything for a child would be something shaped like a human, but as vacant-eyed and stiff-limbed as a corpse was not taking into account the visuals on that. It’s bad enough that giving the least powerful member of a family an even smaller human to manipulate often leads to the most chilling episodes of acting-out (see “creepy children”), but add to that the fact that nature abhors a vacuum and the soul-sized cranny in your average doll is the perfect starter home for an evil entity just beginning its career in possession, and it becomes a matter of “when,” not “if” you are murdered by tiny porcelain hands.
Here is a list of books that should serve as cautionary tales against willingly bringing these tiny terrors into your homes. I’ve included a few books for younger readers this time out, because it’s never too early to be informed. They’re not all horror books featuring overtly evil dolls, but that’s how they get you and it’s best to be prepared and suspicious of all dolls, puppets, teddy bears and most of all—ventriloquist dummies.