Top 10 Creepy Toys From The Uncanny Valley

MsMojo

Some toys are so lifelike or unsettling that they blur the line between plaything and eerie imitation. Join us as we explore memorable toys that feel a bit too real, from robotic pets with watchful gazes to dolls with hauntingly human features. Which of these childhood classics made you do a double take? Tell us which one creeped you out the most in the comments!

Transcript

00:00Wow, that is real looking when you look at it.

00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo.

00:06And today, we're counting down our picks for the top 10 toys that feel so uncomfortably realistic,

00:11they're almost unsettling, even though they were never intended to be creepy.

00:15You made me what I am today. I hope you're satisfied.

00:23Number 10. Labubu.

00:25Aren't these creepy looking?

00:26Yeah, I know.

00:28Okay, so these are the new 8-Girl accessories that has social media in a tizzy.

00:32Labubus, they're called.

00:33These collectible characters have taken the world by storm

00:36ever since Blackpink's Lisa was seen sporting a Labubu on her purse in 2024.

00:41The plush creatures have fluffy bodies and hard vinyl faces,

00:44complete with a wide, toothy grin and piercing eyes.

00:48Their faces are somewhere between cute and ugly, which makes these toys quite polarizing.

00:53Some people put them on their belt loops.

00:55So, Craig, I think that would go pretty well with your suit.

00:57Let's just do it.

00:58Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:58Here, you want to do that right here?

00:59Carson, you want to get involved in?

01:00No, I'm good. Thanks.

01:01The way these toys have blown up seemingly out of nowhere seems untrustworthy.

01:05Like they're secretly an alien race waiting until they've spread out far enough before they take over our planet for good.

01:11Cute bag chain today.

01:12Alien overlord tomorrow.

01:14Next stop, the Pop Mart store,

01:15where the deviant dolls are in their display cases, but unavailable for sale.

01:20Number nine, Jolly Chimp.

01:22This classic toy, also known as a symbol-banging monkey toy, has been around since the 1930s.

01:28Oh my God, I got a damn mind grain.

01:31Man, if that ain't art imitating life, and I'm using the word art loosely.

01:35The mechanical monkeys are meant to resemble the real trained monkeys that frequently accompanied organ grinders.

01:41This, however, is way creepier than the real thing.

01:44From its red, unblinking eyes to the way it bears its teeth menacingly as it plays,

01:49there is nothing cute about this terrifying toy.

01:53Everything about its appearance is unnerving.

01:55It only gets worse when the toy is wound up and played.

02:01The mechanical movements and jarring simple crashing noise just make you wonder how anyone had a good time playing with this thing.

02:08Yay, monkey!

02:10Yay, monkey!

02:12Number eight, Jack in the Box.

02:14The new Mattel musical toy.

02:16Here's Matty Mattel and the Mattel Jack in the Music Box.

02:20Turn the crank, play a tune, and surprise, up, pop the jack.

02:24Have you ever thought about how truly strange this classic toy is?

02:28First made in the early 16th century by a German clockmaker,

02:31this toy features a box with an attached crank that releases an animated devil, also known as a jack.

02:37They weren't expecting that.

02:39The toy became more widespread during the 18th century,

02:42and throughout the years since has evolved into the typical clown in a tin box toy we know today.

02:48Really, this seems less like a toy and more like a mean-spirited prank for kids,

02:52as it's essentially a jump scare in a box.

02:58These toys are still common today,

03:00though the jumping jack is usually replaced with a friendlier face.

03:04Number seven, Chatter Telephone.

03:07Introduced by Fisher-Price in 1961,

03:09this toy telephone has been tugged around by toddlers for decades.

03:13That's why in this changing world...

03:16The product was the company's best-selling toy throughout the 60s and 70s,

03:20cementing Fisher-Price as a leader in the toy industry.

03:23While contemporary iterations of this toy have a more cartoonish and cutesy appearance,

03:28the original design was a little less adorable,

03:31with eerie wide eyes that moved as you played and a fixed grin.

03:34It was a toy that looked like it was staring into your soul.

03:37Uh, hello?

03:39The toy is beloved enough to still be produced despite imitating incredibly outdated technology,

03:44but its updated look definitely says Fisher-Price knew how creepy the original looked.

03:48I've been here years. They'll never break me.

03:52Number six, The Bones Family.

03:54Meet The Bones Family,

03:56a terrifying line of toys released by the Marks Toy Company in 1970.

04:00Resembling a way-too-realistic stick figure drawing,

04:03Skinny Bones is made of a thin plastic skeleton

04:06that supports a human-like head and plastic hands.

04:09Kids could also play with his sister,

04:11Ginny Bones,

04:12Dog Ham Bones,

04:13and Horse Trombones.

04:15Skinny Bones by Marks.

04:16I've never seen that before.

04:18All four toys were equally disturbing and utterly confusing,

04:21as it's unclear what the purpose of the emaciated toy line actually was.

04:26The figures were poseable and parts could be mixed and matched,

04:28but the final product looks completely unfinished.

04:32Some boxes suggested putting clothes on the toys,

04:34which probably would have helped a lot.

04:37That's kind of cool.

04:38Yeah.

04:38Number five, Reborn Dolls.

04:41These handcrafted dolls were born out of doll collectors' desires

04:44for more realistic-looking dolls.

04:46Reborn Dolls are designed to look virtually indistinguishable from a real human infant.

04:52I don't know.

04:53Their heads would bob all around and stuff.

04:56Okay, but that's, and it's like the right weight and everything.

04:58Right, yeah.

04:59I mean, really, a lot of, a lot of thought goes into this.

05:02Impeccable craftsmanship aside,

05:04the realistic appearance of these dolls can be very unsettling to some.

05:08Some Reborn Dolls are purchased for therapeutic purposes

05:11by those mourning the loss of a child.

05:13Because they act and look like real babies.

05:16People get them for a number of reasons.

05:18The woman in base has hers for emotional support.

05:21Others are purchased by collectors and enthusiasts.

05:24While they are genuinely works of art,

05:26there's something about seeing a hyper-realistic infant-looking thing

05:29that doesn't move or breathe like a real human

05:31that just feels totally off.

05:33The creepy thing is, and I think you would agree with me,

05:36when their eyes are closed and they're just laying in a cradle,

05:41they look dead.

05:42Sure.

05:43Number 4. Baby Alive.

05:45For kids who think regular baby dolls are just too easy,

05:48Baby Alive makes dolls that eat, drink, and wet themselves

05:52to make playtime a real challenge.

05:54I don't feel good.

05:57First introduced in 1973,

06:00the toys have remained popular in the decades since.

06:02Even Cabbage Patch Kids created a similar product

06:05with their Snack Time dolls,

06:07which ended up being a hazard to children.

06:09Your banana's all gone!

06:11Let me feed her!

06:12Baby Alive has continued to evolve

06:14with new iterations of their original concept,

06:17including dolls that talk

06:18and baby food kids make themselves.

06:20Though its mechanical imitation

06:22of real human bodily functions might seem creepy to us,

06:25Baby Alive's enduring popularity

06:27proves kids love imitating adult responsibilities.

06:30I love to feed her!

06:32Keep me alive!

06:34And make her fresh food!

06:35Number 3. Ventriloquist Dummies.

06:38Tell them what you did last night.

06:40I spent hours hemorrhaging on the toilet, you monster!

06:45First popularized in the 18th century,

06:48ventriloquism is a form of entertainment

06:49in which the performer makes their voice seem

06:51as though it's coming from a different location.

06:54The ventriloquist's puppet, or dummy,

06:56becomes a vessel for this disembodied voice.

06:58The question is,

07:00why do the dummies always have to be so creepy?

07:02You could kill him.

07:07Now, Danny, I could never do that.

07:10Don't worry, Alan.

07:12I can do it for you.

07:14As far back as 1962,

07:18The Twilight Zone centered an episode around a possessed dummy,

07:21and they've been featured in countless horror films since.

07:24What do you say, stranger?

07:27You slumming?

07:28Though intended as half of a comedic duo,

07:30something about a puppet that acts like it's alive

07:32makes you worry that the thing is coming after you in your sleep.

07:35Number 2. Face Bank

07:38The classic piggy bank is a tried-and-true method

07:41of teaching young children about saving money.

07:43Over the years,

07:44they've been manufactured in a variety of different ways.

07:48Mechanical banks began to grow in popularity in the mid-19th century,

07:51which eventually made way for this terrifying toy.

07:57Face Bank is a mechanical change-saving device

07:59that will literally eat your coins and store them safely away.

08:02Its simple yet eerily realistic face

08:05and inhuman mechanical movements

08:07place it squarely in the deepest depths of the uncanny valley.

08:10You'll save money,

08:12simply because you're too afraid to get close enough to open up its bank.

08:20Before we unveil our top pick,

08:22here are a few honorable mentions.

08:24Raggedy Anne

08:25The friendly-looking doll that inspired Annabelle.

08:28So is it believed to still have evil spirits within it here?

08:31Absolutely. You can't destroy an evil spirit.

08:34Teddy Ruxpin

08:34A mechanical teddy that was anything but cuddly.

08:38Teddy Ruxpin.

08:39Hi! My name is Teddy Ruxpin.

08:43Hi, Teddy.

08:44Baby Laugh-A-Lot

08:45A demonic laughing toy.

08:54Little Miss No Name

08:56An orphan child in need for every little girl.

08:59Before we continue,

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09:20Number 1.

09:22Furby

09:22Furby's are making a comeback.

09:25Hasbro is reintroducing the 90s toy to mark its 25th anniversary.

09:30Once the it toy of the 1990s,

09:33the Furby is an iconic creature familiar to all of us.

09:36As cute as these toys were,

09:38there was always something sinister lurking beneath their fluffy exterior.

09:41It's a bug-eyed, gibberish-talking furball

09:43that most found either lovable or creepy.

09:46In 1999, Furby's were temporarily banned by the NSA due to security concerns.

09:52The ban was overturned when it was proven the Furby's weren't recording audio.

09:57But there's something still untrustworthy about those huge mechanical eyes.

10:01The Furby was also the first successful domestic robot,

10:04an important turning point in recent human history.

10:06This Christmas, it's Furby.

10:08You likely won't spot one on store shelves, though.

10:11There's just too many people trying to find one.

10:14We might someday look back on the innocuous Furby as the robot that started it all.

10:19Me love you.

10:20Are there any other toys that give you the Uncanny Valley feeling?

10:23Let us know in the comments.

10:25Just push the button and she starts to giggle!

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