Like many people who grew up in the region and had reason to travel through Janesville, I knew about the doll, where and when to look when driving, etc. I am pleased to know that it is still there. Evil or not, it is just one of the wacky "only in America" things that make the back roads so much fun!
I think the video is great! I grew up in the region and ever since I was young I have wondered about it. When I was attending college in Owatonna, I drove through Janesville every weekend to go home and always looked up at the doll, wondering where it came from. Thanks for answering my questions after so mnay years! It may have just been a little girl who had a favorite doll and wanted to display it. Anyway, the folklore stories like this are what make our past interesting! Great job!
wardy, the owner, is a sweet man. He was the florist in town and drove to our church with our wedding flowers in his hearse! my husband and I have been married for 30 yrs so it must not have been a curse!
Same here. I lived in Mankato and grandma lived in Waseca. We would drive by the doll house every other week and I felt quite reassured by seeing the doll. I had always heard it was hung there in memory of a dead child and I liked the idea that she wasn't forgotten. And this is from a very superstitious child.
The doll has been in the window as long as I can remember, I'm 46 and grew up just outside of Janesville. Guess we'll never know the reason he put it there, because when they open the time capsule we'll all be dead and gone.
To anyone with bad ideas: PLEASE do not attempt to enter the house, remove the doll, or vandalize it in any way!! The man who put the doll in the window STILL lives there. He is a nice man, we all love the doll, and it would be a shame to ruin it for the rest of us.
Jeez, guys, it's a just a YouTube video. It's not saying you have to believe Satan lives inside the baby and comes to kill children in their sleep. It's all in fun. Lighten up.
@CROtCHINATOR where is this house at ? is it bt lustig park? i am not from jvl, but live here now ,,i find this interesting,, is oakhill cemtary hunted too?
@44roseyred the doll is in the house across the highway from the veterinary office. The doll is in the top floor, south facing window. I haven't heard anything about the cemetery
I grew up near there, in Alma City. We drove past the house everyday on our way to school. I lived there when I was in 2nd grade, just for that year though. I love the doll, I think its very interesting, I've been looking for something on it for a very long time. Ha never thought to check YOUTUBE! :D I loved the mysterious feeling I got from looking at it. I now live in MS and I plan on going back to Janesville some time soon :D Thanks
see i lived in mankato and every time me and my mom passed by the house i told her to slow down because i loved just looking at the doll. it wasn't scary it was more mysterious. i think even tho it's 200 years i think they should open it now because it can finally stop all the rumors, but i guess keeping people busy talking about it is fun too but 2167???!!! well... anyways i wish i could talk to that man he seems very interesting :]
the achual story stems from a woman. who used to live there. (great aunt) her son james had ortism. and people around there back in them times saw him as a freak. so insted of let him out to play. she used to sit him next to the window. so in his mind, he could play with the other children. and as far as the moving gose. my mother says her great cousin is still watching. protecting the children of janesville til the end of time =] we moved to des moines 5 yrs ago. but were still there ;)
This video never claims there was a ghost. We never made any claim that any of the stories were true. Anyhow, all the people we interviewed were Janesvllle residents and they had a lot of fun sharing the stories (real or not). We wanted to celebrate the folklore and the rumors. Nobody knows the truth. Ward invited us in and told us everything he could without telling us why he put it there.
The "guardian angel" thing is a great angle. I wish we could have interviewed you.
They could have checked the town library for birth/death certificates from 50 years ago. Or asked if that old guy ever had a wife or lady friend who could have bore the child. Or asked senior Doctors or Priests who might have attended an undocumented birth/death. I have a feeling the answers would all point to no and nothing. Besides, hes a known collector of odd items. It looks to me to be nothing than a child mannequin forgotten up in an old attic.
We did a lot of background checking, but looking over birth/death certificates from 50 years ago would have been quite a daunting task. Some say 50 years ago, some say less, but some believe the baby has been there even longer. No one is sure of anything when it comes to the doll. Even Mr. Wendt seemed unsure of the exact year he put it up.
All we know is he put it there for a reason; that reason is buried in a time capsule.
Ward's one and only wife was Virginia (Martinson) Wilbur, married in 1974. They didn't have children ... they were both in their mid 40's at the time. They spent most of their time at a cottage on Madison Lake and sometimes at his farm east of Janesville. Virginia passed away 12 years ago. PS. I know the story behind the doll ... OK, just kidding.
ahhahah i live in janesville there is about 2200 people here and about 1000 different stories i just laugh when i hear them cuz i have passed that house a million times and its not scary or creepy its just a doll in a window
i have lived here in janesville since 1992 and i still get the creeps whenever i look up at that thing its scary that somthing so small can cause such a big problem
meh. i wish people would stop making such a big deal about it. it's just a doll. i've always thought the whole 'doll in the window' thing is just stupid.
HONESTLY!!! This is terrible. I have been a resident in Janesville for all my life! Ward is like family to me. My dad used to dust this doll when he was growing up. It doesn't not move and is not creepy! you people are crazy! The only reason that doll is there, is for people to talk about it, and make up stories just like you people are all doing!
HONESTLY!!! This is terrible. I have been a resident in Janesville for all my life! Ward is like family to me. My dad used to dust this doll when he was growing up. It doesn't not move and is not creepy! you people are crazy! The only reason that doll is there, is for people to talk about it, and make up stories just like you people are all doing!
I currently go to school in Mankato and I always drive by Janesville when I go home. I remember when Highway 14 used to go straight through... I've seen the house MANY times and the doll holds an eerie element... I'm curious just like everyone else as to why the doll is up there, but sometimes just knowing the legend holds more of an interest.
why doesnt someone take a ladder and climb up to the atic window and smash the window and take the doll
Cr4zyP3ach 5 days ago
Like many people who grew up in the region and had reason to travel through Janesville, I knew about the doll, where and when to look when driving, etc. I am pleased to know that it is still there. Evil or not, it is just one of the wacky "only in America" things that make the back roads so much fun!
hohlflute 2 months ago
I think the video is great! I grew up in the region and ever since I was young I have wondered about it. When I was attending college in Owatonna, I drove through Janesville every weekend to go home and always looked up at the doll, wondering where it came from. Thanks for answering my questions after so mnay years! It may have just been a little girl who had a favorite doll and wanted to display it. Anyway, the folklore stories like this are what make our past interesting! Great job!
PenClapp 2 months ago
wardy, the owner, is a sweet man. He was the florist in town and drove to our church with our wedding flowers in his hearse! my husband and I have been married for 30 yrs so it must not have been a curse!
mamatmurphy 2 months ago
Same here. I lived in Mankato and grandma lived in Waseca. We would drive by the doll house every other week and I felt quite reassured by seeing the doll. I had always heard it was hung there in memory of a dead child and I liked the idea that she wasn't forgotten. And this is from a very superstitious child.
poetsandra 2 months ago
I live in Mankato, MN and we always drive through Janesville and it wouldn't be the same if that doll wasnt there!!
jessprager 2 months ago
The doll has been in the window as long as I can remember, I'm 46 and grew up just outside of Janesville. Guess we'll never know the reason he put it there, because when they open the time capsule we'll all be dead and gone.
lilbitofhome 5 months ago
i heard a little girl got picked on and no one helped her so she put the doll in the window and hung her self
yoskisaccount 6 months ago
get a bb gun pump it up 50 get the head good shot or a real .22 mag rifle
xMINDFREAKv1 7 months ago
lol i live close to there about a couple bolcks down its kind of weird lol heheheheh
MrTan452 10 months ago
One question, has anyone tried to remove the doll and/or tried to move in?
cody2819 11 months ago
To anyone with bad ideas: PLEASE do not attempt to enter the house, remove the doll, or vandalize it in any way!! The man who put the doll in the window STILL lives there. He is a nice man, we all love the doll, and it would be a shame to ruin it for the rest of us.
staceydan45 11 months ago
@staceydan45 OK then.
cody2819 11 months ago
i live in janesville, its really nothing no one in the town talks about it
xXbRoKeNtRuThXx 1 year ago
Jeez, guys, it's a just a YouTube video. It's not saying you have to believe Satan lives inside the baby and comes to kill children in their sleep. It's all in fun. Lighten up.
MoondustWolf 1 year ago
I love this doll and the stories it makes. I just wish i could be around for the time capsule
CROtCHINATOR 1 year ago
@CROtCHINATOR where is this house at ? is it bt lustig park? i am not from jvl, but live here now ,,i find this interesting,, is oakhill cemtary hunted too?
44roseyred 1 year ago
@44roseyred the doll is in the house across the highway from the veterinary office. The doll is in the top floor, south facing window. I haven't heard anything about the cemetery
CROtCHINATOR 1 year ago
I live here in Janesville as well...it's just a bunch of stories!! Come on now!!!
thumbkin24 1 year ago
There was, rumored, many years ago that there was a tunnel that ran from a house in Janesville to an old farmhouse in Sullivans
woods just east of town.
jim63047 1 year ago
there's a {supposed} haunted doll..Mandy..in th Quesnel BC museum as well.
Msfracture 1 year ago
cool story
paranrm 1 year ago
cool story
paranrm 1 year ago
I grew up near there, in Alma City. We drove past the house everyday on our way to school. I lived there when I was in 2nd grade, just for that year though. I love the doll, I think its very interesting, I've been looking for something on it for a very long time. Ha never thought to check YOUTUBE! :D I loved the mysterious feeling I got from looking at it. I now live in MS and I plan on going back to Janesville some time soon :D Thanks
missbeuatiful2010 2 years ago
It's not polite to look through people's windows.
mruglyhands 2 years ago
giving the ol' town folks somethin to yap about. just a hoax. dude messin with all ya'll.
ballrude1 2 years ago
i don't know what the big deal is. i'm from janesville and i've never even seen the damn thing.
creamyfilling102 2 years ago
If it's so unsettling to so many people...why not take the doll out of the window?
magstheaxe 2 years ago
Ok ward house in the country doesn't have any ting. And sometimes the dolls not there
loopty789 2 years ago
Mike Santo is a stud!
sundance8125 2 years ago
I remember driving around Madison Lake with Ward ... in a hearse. I wonder if he still has it??
japple38 2 years ago
see i lived in mankato and every time me and my mom passed by the house i told her to slow down because i loved just looking at the doll. it wasn't scary it was more mysterious. i think even tho it's 200 years i think they should open it now because it can finally stop all the rumors, but i guess keeping people busy talking about it is fun too but 2167???!!! well... anyways i wish i could talk to that man he seems very interesting :]
bloodonthesidewalk 2 years ago
the achual story stems from a woman. who used to live there. (great aunt) her son james had ortism. and people around there back in them times saw him as a freak. so insted of let him out to play. she used to sit him next to the window. so in his mind, he could play with the other children. and as far as the moving gose. my mother says her great cousin is still watching. protecting the children of janesville til the end of time =] we moved to des moines 5 yrs ago. but were still there ;)
sarahxpandaxrave 2 years ago
the owner of the house sounds like an intresting person to speak with
staone1 2 years ago
oh my god people...
its a doll
i live in janesville , i live about 5 houses down from that house its not scary its cool
its like a gaurdian angel to me cause it always watched over me at a park when i was little.
its just a porclain doll!!!!!!
this video is dumb
theres no ghost.....they guy that lives there is a trickster
he likes to play pranks on people
if ya dont believe me just go talk to the guy!!!!
alainaALARMING 2 years ago
Whoa whoa whoa!
This video never claims there was a ghost. We never made any claim that any of the stories were true. Anyhow, all the people we interviewed were Janesvllle residents and they had a lot of fun sharing the stories (real or not). We wanted to celebrate the folklore and the rumors. Nobody knows the truth. Ward invited us in and told us everything he could without telling us why he put it there.
The "guardian angel" thing is a great angle. I wish we could have interviewed you.
staceydan45 2 years ago
Also, I think the doll is cool, too. That's why we made the video.
staceydan45 2 years ago
@alainaALARMING The baby spies on you through your bedroom window while you sleep.....
TomHbirbeck 1 year ago
@TomHbirbeck mhmmm this myth is bullshit i know the owner of the house and ive seen that fucking doll up close and personal
alainaALARMING 1 year ago
They could have checked the town library for birth/death certificates from 50 years ago. Or asked if that old guy ever had a wife or lady friend who could have bore the child. Or asked senior Doctors or Priests who might have attended an undocumented birth/death. I have a feeling the answers would all point to no and nothing. Besides, hes a known collector of odd items. It looks to me to be nothing than a child mannequin forgotten up in an old attic.
reddoorpaintedblack 3 years ago
We did a lot of background checking, but looking over birth/death certificates from 50 years ago would have been quite a daunting task. Some say 50 years ago, some say less, but some believe the baby has been there even longer. No one is sure of anything when it comes to the doll. Even Mr. Wendt seemed unsure of the exact year he put it up.
All we know is he put it there for a reason; that reason is buried in a time capsule.
But that's not the point is it?
We love the mystery.
staceydan45 3 years ago
Ward's one and only wife was Virginia (Martinson) Wilbur, married in 1974. They didn't have children ... they were both in their mid 40's at the time. They spent most of their time at a cottage on Madison Lake and sometimes at his farm east of Janesville. Virginia passed away 12 years ago. PS. I know the story behind the doll ... OK, just kidding.
japple38 2 years ago
I happen to live in Janesville.
My mother was also a flourist with ward.
my mom was Becky Miller.
I used to be at his house all the time.
its not scary at all.
hes a really nice man.
maybe someday you'll find out the real story.
purplewalrus 3 years ago
ahhahah i live in janesville there is about 2200 people here and about 1000 different stories i just laugh when i hear them cuz i have passed that house a million times and its not scary or creepy its just a doll in a window
woah32121 3 years ago
i have lived here in janesville since 1992 and i still get the creeps whenever i look up at that thing its scary that somthing so small can cause such a big problem
bigredman123456789 3 years ago
meh. i wish people would stop making such a big deal about it. it's just a doll. i've always thought the whole 'doll in the window' thing is just stupid.
thesuzymonster 3 years ago
Well done!
ladyclaudiaL 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
HONESTLY!!! This is terrible. I have been a resident in Janesville for all my life! Ward is like family to me. My dad used to dust this doll when he was growing up. It doesn't not move and is not creepy! you people are crazy! The only reason that doll is there, is for people to talk about it, and make up stories just like you people are all doing!
kwheelock18 3 years ago 3
HONESTLY!!! This is terrible. I have been a resident in Janesville for all my life! Ward is like family to me. My dad used to dust this doll when he was growing up. It doesn't not move and is not creepy! you people are crazy! The only reason that doll is there, is for people to talk about it, and make up stories just like you people are all doing!
kwheelock18 3 years ago
lol exactly u shouldnt be getting mad cause thats wut its there for
staone1 2 years ago
I currently go to school in Mankato and I always drive by Janesville when I go home. I remember when Highway 14 used to go straight through... I've seen the house MANY times and the doll holds an eerie element... I'm curious just like everyone else as to why the doll is up there, but sometimes just knowing the legend holds more of an interest.
BananaAnna2008 3 years ago
The truth..we may never know
WBlueJays 3 years ago
The legend is probably more interesting than the truth, or not.
tpstaloch 3 years ago