* Misinterpretation of the character: The Tails Doll, with its unsettling appearance and creepy, off-key laugh, is inherently unsettling. This, coupled with its strange and often glitched behavior in *Sonic R*, fueled speculation about its "curse".
* Urban legend culture: The internet has a long history of circulating spooky legends and urban myths, and the Tails Doll fit perfectly into this pattern.
* Sonic fandom folklore: The *Sonic* series is a popular source of fan theories and speculation, with players often looking for hidden meanings and secrets in the games. The Tails Doll's unsettling design and strange behavior provided fertile ground for this.
* Early internet meme culture: The Tails Doll quickly became an early internet meme, with its image appearing on forums and websites as a source of humor and morbid fascination.
While there's no evidence to support the rumor, its pervasiveness and enduring popularity speak to its ability to tap into our collective anxieties about creepy dolls and unsettling digital glitches.
It's worth noting that the rumor itself is more entertaining and engaging than any "real" explanation, reinforcing its enduring power in the digital world.