Doll owner credits the toy with lottery win

Updated
Thai doll makes owner win lottery
Thai doll makes owner win lottery


Khun Lin, A doll owner in Thailand, says her doll helped her win the lottery. It's an unusual claim, which hinges on a recent trend for 'angel dolls' - which are treated like children in order to bring their owners good fortune.

Khun Lin says she told her doll, Pa Rui, she would be rewarded if she won. When her numbers came up, she bought her $1,400 of jewellery, and a wardrobe of bespoke clothes. She also has her hair done at the hairdresser, and Lin has bought her three siblings.

There's another way you could argue the doll has brought her good fortune - as she has a business selling face cream for other doll owners in Thailand.

The dolls

The Luk Thep lifelike dolls are around the size of a newborn, and can cost hundreds of pounds. Their owners treat them like real babies, paying them plenty of attention, talking to them and playing with them.

Some don't invest in pricey dolls, but take ordinary ones to be blessed by monks - at which point they believe benevolent spirits possess them.

The dolls tap into a culture in some parts of Thai society, which have always been open to the supernatural. Financial problems caused by the economic downturn may have fuelled the trend, as people are looking for hope that their luck will change.

Unusual credit

It's not the first time something unexpected has been credited with a lottery win. Back in February, Pauline Dunne from Underwood in Nottinghamshire, said her £100,000 scratchcard win was down to her dog, Alfie, who lingered by the newsagents on their morning walk and persuaded her to go in and buy a card.

A dog was also apparently responsible for a win last Christmas, when Bill Kelly, a 58-year-old from Florida, bought three scratch cards for his family as presents - including one for the dog. The dog's ticket won $3 million.

In January last year a man from Sullivan County in the US said his $326 million win on the Mega Millions lottery was thanks to his wife's nagging (she made him pull into a garage because she didn't want him driving in heavy rain, and while he was there he bought a ticket.)

And in July 2014, a lottery syndicate of Tesco workers in Plymouth credited seagull poo with a £3.7 million win. The syndicate leader said the seagull had pooed on her daughter. She decided the bird had been sent by her late husband to indicate that her daughter's luck was in - so she bought the ticket that week - and won.

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