How Doll Manufacturers Deter Posession

By Faun Grey

While doll possessions are uncommon (with possession rates lower than 0.0001% of all manufactured dolls), their devastating consequences nearly brought the doll industry to its knees until 1945. That year marked a turning point when Annabelle "Janice" Wallis, who had personally experienced a horrific doll possession, collaborated with toymaker Winslow Shott. Together, they conducted extensive research spanning multiple decades to understand doll possession mechanics. Their findings revealed that the sequential steps in manufacturing dolls and children's playthings were crucial in creating toys resistant to spiritual occupation. The Wallis-Shott Process, published in 1967 and now implemented globally, has significantly reduced instances of doll possessions. The process includes several essential manufacturing principles:

• Manufacturing guidelines specify that dolls and toys must maintain solid construction throughout production, or if hollow, this state should only exist prior to facial attachment. Modern manufacturing has shifted towards using solid components that are assembled together.

• The facial features must be the final element added during toy production, and should remain somewhat incomplete. While stuffed animals are still produced by filling an empty exterior with stuffing, facial elements like eyes must be attached at the very end of the process to prevent spirits from occupying the incomplete form before stuffing.

• Initially, dolls were designed with irises but no pupils to maintain incompleteness. However, when children began drawing pupils themselves, this approach proved risky. Current manufacturing includes multiple intentionally missing features that are difficult to complete—such as fewer digits, undefined mouth lines, pupils without irises, and similar elements. Barbie and Ken dolls, with their notably featureless anatomical areas, exemplify some of the most possession-resistant toys available.

• Conversely, the Construct-A-Creature Workshop has faced multiple lawsuits for deliberately disregarding the Wallis-Schott process. Their practices actively invite supernatural occupation—leaving complete unstuffed forms unattended, providing predetermined names and personalities, incorporating symbolic hearts, and performing "life-giving" ceremonies. These practices have led to their operations being prohibited in more than 50 nations.

• Given that all objects can potentially become Tsukumogaki, and toys that remain unpossessed but survive to that age typically develop strong personalities, manufacturers now use biodegradable materials designed to decompose naturally before reaching the century mark without special preservation methods.

• While the Velveteen Rabbit Phenomenon remains largely unavoidable, there's a silver lining: all documented VRP cases have resulted in toys that demonstrate protective and benevolent behavior towards their child owners. However, these transformed toys often show considerably less goodwill towards the problematic adults in these children's lives.

• The Duel Monsters Toy Line has maintained exemplary safety standards throughout its manufacturing history. Despite their various shortcomings, both Maximillion Pegasus and Seto Kaiba enforced stringent protocols to ensure their products posed no risk to children. However, the toy line exhibits an unusual susceptibility to supernatural possession, though not following typical ghostly patterns. In 1989, following Duel Monsters' initial release, a "Dark Magician" figurine from a private collection became animated during a thaumaturgic storm surge after lightning struck its housing. The figure began vocalizing in what language experts analyzing the recordings identified as Ancient Khemetic. Over subsequent years, this Egyptian spirit manifested in various Dark Magician merchandise, including figurines, dolls, plush toys, posters, and even made an appearance on a printed T-shirt. While conspiracy theorists propose these manifestations resulted from Mr. Pegasus appropriating the identity of an actual ancient sorcerer for his card designs, no conclusive evidence has ever substantiated these claims.