HAROLD THE HAUNTED DOLL

Having an interest in the paranormal from a young age, I’ve always been drawn to the idea of haunted items. Probably sparked in part from the theme explored in horror movies, such as The Possessed, Child’s Play and Annabelle. Literature isn’t too rich in the subject when it comes to haunted items, so I was intrigued when I saw a new release by author Anthony Quinata, called Harold the Haunted Doll.

I have since learned that this doll, which is believed by many to be haunted or cursed, already has quite a following after an appearance on the ghost-hunting series, Ghost Adventures (Island of the Dolls episode). Many people have followed Harold’s story over the internet and on television, and even reported being affected negatively after being exposed to pictures and stories regarding the doll.

After reading this book myself and finding it extremely creepy and unsettling, I wanted to talk to the author and owner of Harold the Doll and he kindly agreed to an interview.

Anthony, can you tell us a bit about yourself, and how your views on the paranormal?

I’m originally from Guam, an island near the Philippines and Japan. I’m the author of three books to date, “Communications from the Other Side” – Death is Not the End of Life, Love or Relationships,” “We Are Never Alone,” (both published by 4th Dimension Press, an imprint of Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E.) and my latest book is, “Harold the Haunted Doll” – The Terrifying True Story of the World’s Most Sinister Doll.

My interest in the paranormal began when I was 7 years old, listening to my Aunt Sue, who was Japanese, telling me ghost stories and folk tales from Japan. In my book, “Communications from the Other Side” – Death is Not the End of Life, Love or Relationships,” I wrote about how these stories led to my obsession with finding out if ghosts really did exist. This led me to becoming a paranormal investigator beginning in 1989, specializing in investigating hauntings, apparitions, and poltergeist activity, until 2006. It was during that time I acquired Harold.

Below, left, Ghost Adventures crew with Harold the doll.

How did you come to be in possession of Harold, the haunted doll?

I had this goal that before I died I wanted to write one book, and that book be published. The problem was I didn’t know what I wanted to write about. In my book about Harold I share how I came to own an object that was apparently active. But not in a “haunted” kind of way. It was a pendant that if you wore it, and were taking pictures, occasionally what you were thinking about would actually show up in the pictures.

I was telling the team I founded at the time, “The Rocky Mountain Ghost Hunters Alliance,” and one of the members mentioned a “haunted” painting being auctioned on eBay. Well, I’d bid on and won collectible coins on eBay, but I didn’t know about these supposedly haunted items being auctioned off, so I had to take a look.

I was, and still am, an “open minded skeptic” about these sorts of things, but I was extremely suspicious of many of the listings I saw. That’s when I decided to write a book entitled, “Haunted eBay – Are you going to believe me, or your lying eyes?” I began bidding on, and winning some of the objects I thought might be legit, and others that I thought to be outright shams. I then did my own “scientific tests” (EMF, Natural EM, EVP, etc.) on them, and had a psychometrist (someone who can discern information about an object by simply touching it) give me a reading on it. My idea was to write a chapter on each one. I knew I wanted a chapter on a “haunted doll.” I, in fact, already had a doll I was going to devote one to, and that’s when I ran across Harold’s listing.

Do you think the doll is haunted, cursed, or possibly both?

Honestly, I wouldn’t say it’s either haunted, or cursed. I wouldn’t say it’s “possessed” either. What it is goes far beyond all three of those. It’s not like anything I’ve ever read, or heard about in paranormal literature.

Have you ever come close to getting rid of the doll, if so, what stopped you?

I have. The closest time came when one of the entities in the doll killed one of my puppies. Chance had a herniated diaphragm, and his abdominal organs were in his chest. Two veterinarians couldn’t explain how it happened, as he didn’t have any fractured or broken bones to suggest he was hit by a car.

I wasn’t sure that one of entities actually was responsible until a swarm of flies showed up in the house we were staying in at the time. I was filming a vlog showing the flies (which can be seen on my YouTube channel) and in the attic window of the house next door, you can see the reflection of several apparitions including one with horns coming out of it’s head. I knew then that the entity was rubbing it in my face.

The next day, when Chance died, I went to get a box from a local grocery store to put him in. As I was walking home, I thought, “You win. I can’t do this anymore. I’m tired of fighting you. Losing Chance was too much. I don’t want to lose Bentley (Chance’s brother from the same litter) too.”

That lasted for about 3 seconds before I became pissed and resolved to continue doing what I was doing, which was self publishing my book about the doll.

Do you ever feel unsafe owning such an unsettling doll?

I not only feel unsafe, I know I’m not safe. I’m under constant attack from it. So why don’t I do something to get rid of it? Because I’ve been able to determine that there are three souls trapped inside of the doll, and its fallen on me to figure out some way to release them. “Trapped” isn’t a good word… they are being held prisoner, by one of the entities. That’s what makes this case so different from the typical “haunted doll” story.

What has the public response been to Harold and the stories behind him? Have most people been open minded?

Honestly, I’m incredibly surprised as to the amount of interest there is in this doll from around the world! There’s also a great deal of myths and misconceptions about it too. Greg, the original seller, admitted somewhere around 2009, that he made the whole story up to make a few more dollars on eBay! I didn’t win his auction though. I didn’t even know about his auction. I won the doll in Kathy’s auction, the woman who won it in Greg’s auction. Confusing I know, but in my book, I explain everything about that.

Anyway, I kept the doll out of the public eye for 9 years until I found out that there was still a huge interest in the doll, and two, most of what people thought that they knew about it was from Greg’s original listing! I came clean saying that I have the doll, have had it since 2004, and while Greg’s stories may have been fabricated, there really is something going on with the doll.

Of course, there are people who say that I’m lying, but that doesn’t bother me in the least. What’s funny to me is that those people don’t know the least thing about the doll. To be honest with you, if I didn’t go through what I’ve gone through, I doubt that I’d believe it myself.

Are you still investigating Harold now, or do you feel you have learned most of what you need to know already?

My investigation is still on-going because while I’ve discovered some things, there’s still so much I don’t know. For example, I do know that there are five “spirits” involved… 4 human, and 1 non-human. You see this depicted in the cover of my book.

I know the name of the non-human entity. It’s identified in the Bible as a “prince of Hell.” I know the name of the one who calls himself, “Harold.” I know his real name, and even have photos of him when he was alive, how he died, and the address he lived at when he died.

On the cover of my book, he’s the one shackled to the cage. I know where the name Harold came from, even though Greg would tell you that he and his brother pulled the name out of the air. There really was a “Harold.”

I know the names of the young woman and her younger sister who are being held prisoner by the demon. These two are also depicted on the cover of my book which is based on a vision a friend of mine had (I talk about her vision in my book). I have photos of them as well.

I also know that the man who calls himself Harold was actually related to the two girl when they were all alive.

I’m pretty sure I know the identity of the third child, a boy, who is also trapped in the doll. He has nothing to do with the other three that I’ve been able to determine though.

What I don’t know is why all of this happened, and how. That is my focus now, and I’ve been in 7 cities in the last 10 weeks searching for an answer. My search may eventually bring me to London, England by the way, since there is a connection between the history of the doll and that city.

Finally, and most importantly, I don’t know how to release the three children. I am bound and determined to figure that out though. When I do, then I’ll be done with the whole thing.

Do you have any advice for people who feel affected by Harold? There have been many stories of people who claim they have been affected by him.

I hear from people all of the time telling me about how they’ve experienced strange things after reading a blog post, watching a video I posted, or just looking at the doll. I even heard from two men who ended up in a hospital emergency room after seeing the doll on the Ghost Adventures’ episode of the Island of the Dolls and mocking it.

One woman wrote to tell me that her mother became physically ill, and she started vomiting blood when they watched the show and were laughing about the doll.

Which leads me to another one of my questions. “Why does the entity in the doll attack some people, but not others?” That’s something I still don’t understand. I am sure however, that there are people who have been affected whom I’ve never heard from.

I do know this though… the entity does respond to religious provocation. So if someone believes they are being attacked in some way from simply reading this… my suggestion is pray.

My other suggestion is to contact me either through Facebook Messenger, or through my email, haroldthehaunteddoll.aq@gmail.com and I can usually cause whatever is going on to cease from my end. It’s called, “dousing the doll with holy water.”

What was your experience of writing the book like?

It was a royal pain to be honest with you. First reliving the whole thing up until that point, especially the part about the family in Australia that was being attacked by both of the entities in the doll.

My dog Chance died the day after I finished the manuscript for the book.

I decided to self publish it because traditional publishing can take up to two years before a book sees the light of day. I also have 20+ photos of evidence that have either rarely been seen, or never been seen by the public. There have been issues with the book being in the publishing stages that has Create Space, the self publishing arm of Amazon, puzzled. I’m convinced that the demon associated with this whole thing did not want this book to come out.

By the way, I put a warning on the back cover of the book not to scare people but because I know that someone will read the book, trip and fall, blame the doll, and me, and then try to sue me because of it. That’s why I put that there. So that hopefully they’ll think twice before they try to sue me. LOL

I do warn people that “this book will scare the hell out of you,” though.

Can you tell us where people can find out more about you and your work? (Links, websites, Twitter etc)?

I have a Facebook page and group for Harold. A search will bring them up.

I also have a Twitter account, @hauntedharold to make it easy to find.

I have a blog, https://hauntedharolddoll.wordpress.com.

And finally, I can be contacted at haroldthehaunteddoll.aq@gmail.com

Anthony would kindly like to request readers of the book to leave a review on Amazon. Reviews are very helpful to the author.

Harold the Haunted Doll can be ordered from AMAZON.

Thanks for your time, Anthony. Good luck with Harold in the future!

Below, author of Harold the Haunted Doll

THANKS FOR READING