Mandy came to live with us in 1991 and is now close to 100 years old. The donor received the doll from her grandmother. It had been locked in a trunk for many years. Her daughter was very young so she immediately brought it to the Museum because it was so fragile and gave her a weird feeling.
Mandy gained notoriety when Museum staff reported strange occurrences. When Mandy arrived she was photographed to add her to the collection. She was left in the lab overnight. When staff members arrived in the morning they found the lab in disarray as though a small child had had a temper tantrum. Later a stuffed lamb, given to Mandy to keep her company, was found on the floor outside her locked case.
Mandy has been featured in newspapers, radio and television in Canada and the U.S.A. Her starring moment was as a guest on the Montel Williams show. In April of 1999 Mandy traveled to New York City to meet Silvia Brown on the Montel Williams show. Silvia believed that the doll had belonged to twins who had died of polio. The mothers grief over the loss of her children was implanted in the doll. She explained that it is this energy that many visitors sense.
People have different experiences with Mandy. Here are some of the stories that we have been told:
- A visitor from Calgary tried to video-tape Mandy with no success but was able to tape elsewhere in the Museum.
- A visitor from Surrey reported when she returned home her house had been broken into and the only item stolen was a porcelain doll.
- Alone at night developing photographs of Mandy in the basement lab, a local reporter heard footsteps upstairs...and then his contact sheet jammed in the machine. This had never happened to him before.
- Many people swear that Mandy's eyes follow them.
Every year, people still come to the museum just to see Mandy. If you visit her in person you can read her scrapbook, watch video clips and see if you feel anything special.