Peg doll (Night Terrors)
- You may be looking for the peg dolls from The Dead Shoes.
George Thompson owned a collection of peg dolls that accompanied a dolls house, however, as they frightened him, they were hidden away in his cupboard like everything else that frightened him. They originally belonged to George's mother, Claire Thompson.
Powers and abilities
Animated by George's innate psychic abilities, the peg dolls turned their victims into other peg dolls by grabbing and holding them still. The transformation lasted only a few seconds yet was still seemingly painful, as the victim would scream and convulse when being mutated. It began with the hands, which turned stiff and into wood as they grew bigger, the rest of the victim's body followed shortly afterward. Most notably, their heads would expand into the shape of the other dolls. Any clothing the person was wearing was drastically altered into that of a doll's; extras were sometimes added, such as a hat in Amy's and seemingly Rossiter's case. None of the person's original personality remained; the Eleventh Doctor referred to it as being in a "living death", as if they were nothing but a shell and acted as part of the horde. The process could be reversed if the Tenza who brought them into existence dispelled them, and the victims had full memory of the ordeal afterward. The dolls were also capable of communicating, and were heard singing a haunting rhymes. (TV: Night Terrors)
History
The dolls originally belonged to Claire Thompson. She gave them to her son, George, along with a dolls house, when he was little. When George was seven and a quarter, the dolls and the dolls house had been locked inside his cupboard. One night, George had a nightmare wherein the dolls tried to suffocate him. He later wrote about this in his special book. (PROSE: My Special Book)
Just after George's eighth birthday, his cupboard became a psychic repository for his fears, a result of his Tenza biology. The peg dolls became animated, and hunted any individuals who found themselves in the house and turned them into dolls.
When Rory and Amy were trapped in the house, they stumbled across the dolls and believed they were completely harmless. Eventually, however, they realised how wrong they were when they witnessed Purcell being turned into one of them, and tried evading them as much as possible. However, the dolls soon cornered them and, in an attempt to escape, Amy was converted into one of them, with Rory having to fend for himself with only a mop.
The dolls also hunted the Doctor and Alex when they appeared in the doll house, and proceeded to attack and surround them and Rory, who had caught up with them. The dolls momentarily stopped when George himself appeared in the same room and then turned their attention towards him, surrounding him. However, Alex pushed them aside to comfort his son and assure him that he would never abandon him, which brought the Dolls to an immediate halt. When Alex's unconditional love for his son allowed George to overcome his fears, the peg dolls were expelled from the house and their victims reverted to their original forms. (TV: Night Terrors, PROSE: Night Terrors)
Legacy
When the telepathic Emily Fairfax read the mind of the Hypothetical Gentleman, a peg doll was among the images she saw. (COMIC: Hypothetical Gentleman)
Parallel universes
In one universe where the adventures of the Doctor were merely fiction, Ally owned a large peg doll toy, which she kept in her bedroom. (COMIC: The Girl Who Loved Doctor Who)
Personality
Besides being an empty shell devoid of any notable traits, the dolls were very childlike in behaviour and tone. They giggled constantly and acted like they were playing a game with their victims, not liking it when people ran away. (TV: Night Terrors)
Behind the scenes
Tick tock goes the clock
The peg dolls sang a haunting nursery rhyme throughout Night Terrors, but it made a return in the series six finale. Their song went as follows:
- "Tick tock goes the clock / And what then shall we see? / Tick tock until the day/ That thou shalt marry me.
- Tick tock goes the clock / And all the years they fly / Tick tock and all too soon / You and I must die.
- Tick tock goes the clock / We laughed at fate and mourned her / Tick tock goes the clock / Even for the Doctor
- Tick tock goes the clock / He cradled and he rocked her / Tick tock goes the clock / Even for the Doctor.
- Doctor, brave and good, / He turned away from violence / When he understood / The falling of the Silence.
- Tick tock goes the clock / He cradled and he rocked her / Tick tock goes the clock / 'Til River kills the Doctor.
- Tick tock goes the clock / He gave all he could give her / Tick tock goes the clock / Now prison waits for River.
Other information
- Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia names the dolls "Peg-Dolls". It claims the dolls were led by a Dancer and a Soldier — although there was no indication of any two dolls leading the others in the television story — which were played by Lousie Bowen and Barbara Fadden respectively, and that the dolls that Elsie Rossiter, Jim Purcell, and Amy were transformed into were played by Nathalie Cuzner and Bean Peel, Russell Cuzner, and Ruth Webb respectively. The voices were provided by Gabriella Gillespie, Max Longmuir, and Sonny Ashbourne-Serkis.
- The peg dolls were exhibited at the Doctor Who Exhibition in 2013.
- There existed merchandise of the peg dolls; the Soldier had a Character Options 5" action figure, and had cards in Alien Attax and Monster Invasion.
