Pediophobia (Fear of Dolls): Do You Have It?

Creepy dolls. Is this two-word phrase enough to instill a sense of terror in you? When you go to Target, do you run through the toy aisle averting your eyes? Then you might have pediophobia, the fear of dolls.

Test your strength and find out for sure by perusing this collection of creepy dolls, if you dare. Warning: Some images may be triggering.

Word Origin

The word “pediophobia” comes from the Greek words “paidion”, which means “little child”, and “phobos”, which means “dread”. As such, many sufferers of pediophobia also fear actual children.

A Subset Of Phobias

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Pediophobia belongs to the broader category of automatonphobia. This is the fear of any “not quite human” entity, including mannequins, robots, ventriloquist dummies, puppets, and yes, dolls.

It’s sort of like the Russian nesting dolls of phobias. Er. Bad choice of words.

Diagnosis

Self-diagnosing pediophobia can be problematic. After all, while you may have symptoms while seeing dolls, it may be related to clinical depression, anxiety, or any other undiagnosed mental disorder.

Thus, it’s important to meet with a professional to ensure the most accurate diagnosis possible.

Talky Tina

Pediophobia has been explored in pop culture. A season five episode of The Twilight Zone entitled “Living Doll” aired in 1963. It centers on Talky Tina, a windup doll who says such cute phrases as, “My name is Talky Tina, and I love you very much”. Except around the patriarch of the family, a disgruntled stepfather.

Around him, Talky Tina threatens murder. The ending chills to this day.