A baby girl had a surprising reaction to a disturbing looking Halloween doll that her older sister picked out for her.
In a video posted to TikTok by mom-of-two Brittany Christiana from Granby, Connecticut, her eldest daughter Lily can be seen holding a green, demonic-looking plastic doll in the middle of a busy store.
"Can we get this for Baby Violet, please?" she politely asked on the clip. "Sure," her mom, Christiana, replies. "Lily has always been obsessed with everything spooky, everything Halloween. She is even known for her love of Pennywise the clown," Christiana told Newsweek.
But while Lily is all in when it comes to Halloween, Christiana admits they "weren't sure if Violet would love the doll as much."
What happened next though took everyone by surprise and helped the video, which was shared under the handle brittikitty, rack up over 34.4 million views.
Having a sibling may not always be smooth sailing for everyone involved, but research has shown that children benefit hugely from having a brother or sister around.
A 2010 study published in the Journal of Family Psychology saw researchers examine the relationships between siblings in more than 300 families. They found that a strong bond with a brother or sister helped promote qualities like altruism during their teen years.
Sisters, in particular, were shown to provide a pillar of support in helping boost their sibling's mental health in ways parents did not. In their adolescent years, sisters were found to help siblings with feelings of loneliness, guilt, self-consciousness and fear.
Lily and Violet have all that to look forward to but even now it's clear there's a special bond between the two. Christiana said that from the moment she laid eyes on the green doll, Lily was convinced her younger sister would love it.
"When we saw the creepy baby dolls in Spirit Halloween I knew Lily would love them! She instantly thought of her sister and wanted to give it to her," she said. Lily's instincts were right. As the video posted to TikTok shows, from the moment Violet laid eyes on the Halloween doll, she was smitten.
In fact, the video ends with her snuggled up to her new green friend. Christiana said they have been "pleasantly surprised" by Violet's delighted reaction to the doll.
"I think because the doll is smiling she smiled back at it! Babies don't know about evil, they are innocent so she just saw the doll as a new friend," she said. "I have no concerns because I know they are just silly fake dolls and they make Lily and Violet happy so that makes me happy!"
Christina is also pleased to report that the creepy doll has become a firm favorite with her girls. "Violet and Lily play with the doll almost every day," she said. "Lily will come around the corner with it and run it over to Violet while Violet laughs hysterically!"
Something of a seasoned pro in the world of TikTok, Christina first began posting clips on the platform back in 2019 when Lily was just 6 months old. Her first viral hit came with a clip of Lily dancing. While this latest success is a little different, the mom-of-two can see why it has proven so popular.
"I think the video went viral because it's funny to see how something so 'creepy' can be viewed as fun and innocent to a baby," she said.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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