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Robert the Doll

Key West, Monroe County
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Robert the Doll

WHAT IT IS

A hundred-year-old sailor doll in a glass case at Fort East Martello. Ask before photographing him.

Robert belonged to the painter Robert Eugene Otto, who blamed the doll for breakages and misfortune. He now sits in a case at Fort East Martello with a small sign explaining the etiquette: greet him, ask permission, thank him. Visitors who skip the ritual write letters of apology afterwards, describing car trouble, job losses, and divorces. The museum keeps the letters in folders on the wall beside him. There are a lot of folders.

HOW IT SCORES

Rarity8/10
Is there anywhere else like it?
Backstory9/10
How did this come to be?
Disrepair7/10
What is holding it together?
Commitment10/10
How far do they take the bit?

NEARBY

Key West Cemetery1 mi · Key West The Hemingway Cats1 mi · Key West The Perky Bat Tower14 mi · Sugarloaf Key

BEFORE YOU DRIVE

ENTRY FEE
$19 museum
HOURS
Daily 9:30am–4:30pm
BEST TIME
Morning, before the cruise ships.
HOW LONG
1 hour
PARKING
Free lot at the fort
PAYMENT
Cards accepted
ACCESS
Mostly accessible; fort floors are uneven
COORDINATES
24.5533° N, 81.7817° W

3501 South Roosevelt Blvd, by the airport. Not to be confused with the doll museums downtown.

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DETAILS COMPILED FROM PUBLISHED SOURCES. FEES CHANGE. CALL AHEAD.