Pupaphobia

Pupaphobia is the fear of puppets. Pupaphobia is originated from both Latin and Greek parts. Pupaphobia derives from the Latin word pupa, meaning "doll", and the Greek phobos, meaning "fear". This phobia is slightly common, but not as common as coulrophobia (fear of clowns) and pediophobia (fear of dolls). Pupaphobia falls under the broader category of automatonophobia, the fear of anything that falsely represents a sentient being–this includes ventriloquist dummies, animatronic creatures, mannequin, and wax statues.

Almost all sufferers of pupaphobia originated from childhood, because puppets are mainly directed to children. Sufferers would believe that puppets are real animated objects just like living things, even though they're not real. One of the causes include terrible nightmares about killer puppets. Sufferers would panic and hide when he/she sees a puppet and would avoid watching shows where puppets are portrayed, such as Sesame Street.

See also

• List of phobias
• Automatonophobia
• Killer toys