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Letta Me Out, Australia's Most Haunted Doll
- The Ghostly Librarian
- May 5
- 12 min read
Updated: Sep 9
Have you ever looked at a doll and had the sudden feeling like something was wrong? A feeling of intense dread forming in the pit of your stomach that you somehow can't explain, like ice cold fingers moving down your spine. Well, you're likely not alone. As strange as it is to admit, there's something quite unnerving about dolls. Maybe it's in those big glass eyes, forever fixed on you in their watchful stare. Even a doll's smile, so cheerful and sweet, can make the bravest of souls want to turn and run. There's no denying, it's a strange feeling when something as simple as a child’s toy, an innocent object, can keep you wide awake at night.
All over the world, there are stories of haunted, cursed and possessed dolls. Today, I am going to share the chilling tale of Australia's very own. This is the story of Australia's most haunted doll, and one of the most haunted dolls in the world...
Letta Me Out.
The Origins of Letta Me Out
In 1972, in the small rural town of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, a young man by the name of Kerry Walton and his brother John decided to explore an old abandoned farmhouse, while they were visiting from Brisbane for their grandmother’s funeral. The house had a long reputation of being ‘haunted’ and the brothers had both been afraid of it as children, having grown up in the town of Wagga themselves. Even Kerry and John's father had told the brothers to keep far away from the property when they were kids; he himself often referred to the home as 'evil'. Local kids scared themselves silly with stories of ghosts and ghouls haunting the place. One story told of a grisly old man, a murderer, said to have lived there years earlier, who lurked through the corridors at night, dragging around a large sack of human heads. The house stood ominous and dark, surrounded by tall, dense trees, and no soul dared come too close to it. It sat for many years alone, with only its ghosts for company.
On this night, however, intrigue had gotten the best of the two brothers, particularly Kerry, for some strange reason. Upon the conclusion of their grandmother's funeral service, Kerry asked John to go to the 'haunted house' with him, and John agreed. With that, the pair drove together to the old dilapidated home and ventured inside, ready and willing to investigate and conquer their childhood fears once and for all, completely unaware and unprepared for what awaited them inside.
After entering the home and searching around for a while, finding beds still made and old Victorian paintings still hanging on walls, the brothers spotted a trap door leading underneath the floorboards of the house. At that exact moment, Kerry said he felt a strange and sudden urge to go down there, as though something unknown was pulling him, something he couldn't ignore. Kerry was also hoping to find some old beer bottles for his growing collection lying around, so without another thought, the brothers descended into the black underground of the house. It was then, armed with only their flashlights, crawling through cobwebs, dirt, dust and debris, that Kerry unexpectedly caught a glimpse of a small, solid figure staring back at him in the light of his torch. At first glance, Kerry believed he had uncovered the body of a small, deceased child, which gave him such a fright that he accidentally bumped his head on the joist as he reactively jumped up in an attempt to move away from the figure. But upon closer inspection, he discovered (thankfully) that it was not a child, as he initially thought, but a very peculiar and eerie-looking marionette doll, leering at Kerry through the darkness with a menacing grin.
The doll, worn with age; his dark green clothing crumbling away to dust in Kerry's hands, resembled a Gypsy, possessing interesting and prominent features, such as a wide, toothy grin, large, pointed nose, huge dark-brown eyes, sharply curved brows, and long braided hair. As strange as it was to unearth this bizarre-looking doll from under the floorboards of an abandoned home, Kerry, although somewhat apprehensive at the thought, made up his mind that night that he would take the doll back home to Brisbane to live with him and his family.
Upon leaving the farmhouse, Kerry and John put the doll inside a sack and placed him in the backseat of their station wagon, where he would stay for the duration of the drive back to Brisbane. As Kerry and John were leaving, it began to rain, which may not seem entirely odd, except that the weather forecast had predicted no rain whatsoever for that evening. Even stranger still, it happened during an intense and prolonged drought.
During their long trip across a lonely stretch of road, Kerry began to wonder if taking the doll had really been the right choice. A feeling that something was very wrong was growing, becoming more intense with every mile they travelled. In the illumination of car lights coming in the opposite direction, it appeared as though the sack, with the doll still trapped inside, was moving. Kerry readily admits he tried to convince himself otherwise to calm his nerves, believing it could simply have been a trick of car lights passing by. To make matters worse, John decided to make a joke out of the situation. He placed an arm around Kerry's neck and shook him while whispering in his ear, 'letta me out! Letta me out!'. After driving a while longer, Kerry said he began to faintly hear those words again, only this time they were in the background, softly whispered as though drifting from the backseat of the car. That was the moment this strange otherworldly doll received its new name and would come to be known forevermore as 'Letta Me Out' or 'Letta' for short. When Kerry finally returned home with the doll and walked through his front door, the rain, which had arrived so completely out of the blue, stopped just as quickly as it had started.
The Haunting of Letta Me Out!
Unsurprisingly, there were some uncomfortable feelings within the Walton family home when Kerry returned with the doll. Kerry's wife, Evelyn, and their children were quite unnerved and wanted the doll to remain downstairs. On the first night back home, Kerry slept in the living room as his parents were staying over at the time. That night, he left the doll sitting beside his bed, and although he initially thought he wouldn't be bothered by it, he couldn't sleep a wink while the doll sat only mere feet away from him. Halfway through the night, Kerry got up, placed the doll back inside his bag and put him underneath the house so he could get some shut-eye.
Despite the tension, everything was seemingly quiet at first. But all that would change only a few short weeks after the doll's arrival.
The list below is not in any particular order of events but are all reportedly true and unexplained paranormal-related incidents involving the doll, 'Letta Me Out'.
Scuff marks started to appear on the floors around the Walton's home and on the bottom of Letta's shoes. Kerry once stated that he believed the doll would walk around the house late at night. It was odd to Kerry because the Walton's lived in a newer home, and they couldn't seem to understand why they were hearing so many unexplained noises at all hours of the night.
Children have often shown genuine fear towards Letta Me Out. Kerry's own children started having nightmares about the doll, during a time when it was living in their bedroom. The nightmares started around three or four weeks after his arrival. One night they woke up screaming, and when Kerry came into their room to check on them, they told him that the doll was making strange noises and his head was slowly moving from side to side.
Numerous reports have been made by people who claim to have seen the doll moving on its own without any assistance. Some say they have seen his head or neck moving slightly, others swear the doll has turned his head and looked directly at them, even those who have been somewhat sceptical. People have also reported hearing the doll's neck creaking, ever so slightly, and his eyes changing colour.
Many have reported strong feelings of unease, revulsion, fear, and even sadness when around the doll. People have screamed, vomited, ran away, and even fainted when in his presence. On the other hand, some people have had a more pleasant experience when near the doll, particularly when holding him, which has been said to bring good luck and fortune to those who do. Kerry believes that after bringing Letta back home, the luck and fortune of the Walton family began to change. The family went from financial struggle to living a life of luxury and ease. Kerry's wife, Evelyn, began using Letta as a guide whenever she picked out Tattslotto numbers.
During an interview with Kerry and Letta Me Out for the 90s Australian television show, The Extraordinary, a light bulb blew out right in the middle of filming. In the footage, you can see Kerry noticing this, to which he promptly says to the crew, 'you've just lost a light'. You can also hear the sound of the light bulb popping in the video. Stranger still, the light bulb blew out at the exact moment Kerry began talking about an occasion when he was planning on selling Letta for cash. This was not a one-time occurrence, however. Objects such as hanging pictures, light bulbs, and camera equipment were said to break randomly or fall off walls, particularly when talking about getting rid of the doll or in relation to sensitive subjects involving the doll.
Whenever the family travels anywhere with the doll, it begins to rain the second he is placed inside the car. Much like the first night Letta Me Out was brought home to the Walton family. An odd occurrence that Kerry and his family simply have not been able to explain.
On one occasion, Kerry had decided to part ways with the doll for good and arranged a sale with an interested buyer over the phone who was willing to pay $400.00 cash. It was a reluctant decision that came at a time when the Walton family was in desperate need of money. Kerry drove all the way to the buyer's residence, and as he got out of the car and went to retrieve Letta from the backseat, something came over him. He suddenly had the strongest feeling that he couldn't bring himself to take the doll out of the car. He said it was as though Letta was beckoning him, pleading not to let him go. In the end, Kerry backed out of the sale and decided against selling him all together, even despite the dire circumstances.
Animals seem to have a strange aversion to the doll, particularly dogs. The Waltons' own dogs have always shown aggression towards Letta whenever he's near them. Dogs frequently bark, bite and attack the doll without even being provoked to do so. They become vicious around Letta for no logical reason at all.
Letta and the Psychics'
Eventually, Kerry enlisted the help of an American psychic, who gave him some deep insight into the doll's history and the reason for his creation. The psychic told Kerry that the doll had been handcrafted by a gentleman somewhere within Eastern Europe who had tragically lost his son in a drowning, and that the doll was created in remembrance of his son. It was his belief that the spirit of the young boy now inhabited the doll's body. He also told Kerry to never get rid of the doll, warning him that if he did, or if the doll was ever to be stolen, terrible things would follow those involved.
Soon after, a local psychic woman from Brisbane named Kisha developed a strong interest in the doll and began conducting her own readings. She too, felt it had been inhabited by the spirit of a young boy and confirmed the sad story the American psychic told Kerry. Kisha felt a strong mix of sadness, anger and hate carried within the doll. In an interview for State Affair (1981), Kisha went on to say that she felt whoever made the doll was persecuted, as she could hear people screaming and shouting at the doll's creator, calling him names, such as 'witch' and due to this, a person who they loved has died in some terrible accident, whom the doll was then created for.
In April 1981, Kisha made an appearance with Letta Me Out in a Brisbane shopping centre to showcase the doll and speak about its haunting history and discovery in Wagga Wagga. It was a busy day with thousands of people walking around the centre. The doll sat waiting behind a curtain while Kisha spoke to a growing audience, all gathering around in hopes of getting a glimpse of the strange Gypsy doll. It wasn't until the exact moment when Kisha finally unveiled Letta from behind the curtain that chaos ensued. Upon seeing the doll, women in the audience began to scream. One woman passed out and another person vomited. People were truly scared of the doll. Kisha felt that the doll disliked being put on display for hundreds of people to stare at.
On a separate occasion, while preparing to do an interview for State Affair (1981), Kisha had the doll sitting in her lap as the camera crew set up around her, attempting to work out the best shot for filming. At that moment, Kisha said she felt the doll start wriggling, as though he was adjusting himself or getting comfortable in her lap, similar to how a small child does in a mother's lap. Kisha, terrified, alerted the crew to this, saying, 'this doll is wriggling!' Thinking she was joking around, one of the crew members laughed, and said, 'Oh come on, it's impossible'. At that instant, Kisha said the doll's head started turning on its own and sharply looked at the cameraman. She and the surrounding crew could actually hear its wooden neck creaking as it turned. Then, out of nowhere, the television lightbulb blew. This was Kisha's first ever encounter with the Letta Me Out doll.
Years later, after conducting many readings and seances with Letta Me Out, Kisha called Kerry and told him she no longer wanted anything to do with the doll as she was having streaks of bad luck, and she firmly believed the doll was responsible for it. Over time, numerous psychics have had their turn with Letta Me Out, and almost all have connected similar details regarding the doll's possession and dark origin story.
The Findings
Shortly after his discovery, Kerry took the doll to the Australian Museum in Sydney for a full historical evaluation. Much to Kerry's surprise, experts who examined Letta Me Out estimated that he was somewhere between 170-200 years old, which they determined by examining the nails used on the bottom of the doll's feet. It was also discovered that the doll's long plated hair is actually made of real human hair. There is also weaving underneath the hair that Kerry has said resembles a human brain. Further assessment has suggested the doll was handcrafted somewhere within Eastern Europe, likely Romania or a neighbouring country, such as Transylvania, and possibly has strong Gypsy connections. Centuries ago, Gypsies were said to believe in spirit transference and reincarnation and would often use objects such as dolls and effigies in their practice.
Due to the wear of Letta's clothing, it was thought that he could have been living underneath the abandoned home for at least 60–70 years before Kerry discovered him. Kerry thought it odd that the doll hadn't deteriorated more while living beneath the house, taking into consideration natural disasters, such as floods, which had occurred numerous times in Wagga Wagga over the years. It almost seemed impossible that the doll hadn't been destroyed or washed away entirely. However, one thing still remains unclear to this day: how did the doll come to be in Australia, who put him under the floors of that old, haunted house, and why?
Letta Me Out, Present Day
Over fifty years have passed since Kerry crawled under that eerie abandoned haunted house back in his hometown and discovered the 200-year-old Gypsy doll. Since then, Kerry and the Letta Me Out doll have made news headlines all around Australia, and have appeared on numerous television programs, such as State Affair and Mornings with Kerri-Anne. Letta Me Out and Kerry were even featured in their own episode of the 90s Australian television show, The Extraordinary (1993), which focused on documented cases of the paranormal and unexplained within Australia, the UK and America. They have also been featured in numerous magazine and newspaper articles. Their story has been told all around the world.
Today, Letta Me Out still lives with the Walton family in their home. Over the years, Kerry has received numerous offers from people interested in purchasing the doll from him, but he has always refused. Letta Me Out has become a priceless family possession that is very well-loved by Kerry and his family and goes almost everywhere the family goes. Kerry has said that he wouldn't sell the doll for any amount of money in the world and believes that he has brought luck and good fortune to him and his family since his discovery. Kerry travels all over Australia doing tours with Letta Me Out on a regular basis. Thousands of people have travelled from all over the country and even the world to meet the cursed gypsy doll in the flesh. Although Letta Me Out is believed to be a haunted doll, Kerry and his family have come to believe over the years that he is not necessarily an evil one.
P.S. from The Ghostly Librarian
The Ghostly Librarian (yours truly) is a big fan of Letta Me Out and hopes to one day meet him in person. For now, this is one spine-tingling tale safely locked away in The Library of Ghosts archives. You can follow Letta Me Out on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to stay up to date on tours, merch and general news.
Tell me, would you visit the cursed 200-year-old Gypsy doll, Letta Me Out?
Sleep tight, ghouls.
Yours, from the beyond, The Ghostly Librarian.
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