The real Annabelle doll was a Raggedy Ann doll given in 1970 as a birthday gift to a 28-year-old nursing student named Donna. Soon after receiving the doll, Donna and her roommate Angie noticed strange phenomena: the doll appeared to move on its own, changing positions and appearing in different rooms without explanation. They also found mysterious notes saying "Help Me," and experienced other disturbing events such as knocking sounds, unexplained cold spots, and furniture moving
. A psychic medium was consulted and claimed the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a deceased girl named Annabelle Higgins, who had died tragically near the apartment. The spirit was initially thought to be benign and wanting love and care, so the women treated the doll like a living child. However, the situation worsened with increasing poltergeist activity, including attacks on Donna's boyfriend, who awoke with scratch marks on his neck after a nightmare involving the doll
. Eventually, the paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called in. They concluded the doll was demonically possessed rather than merely haunted by a benign spirit. The Warrens took possession of the doll and locked it in a specially constructed glass case inscribed with prayers to contain the malevolent entity. According to the Warrens, the doll was responsible for multiple attacks and dangerous incidents before being secured in their Occult Museum in Connecticut, where it remains locked away with warnings not to touch it
. In summary, the real Annabelle doll was said to have caused poltergeist activity, physical attacks, and other paranormal disturbances, leading to its containment by the Warrens as a demonically possessed object
