I think it's probably more specifically powered by our fear of them. The dolls weren't immediately this prevalent, but some people were creeped out all the same, then they just started spreading like wildfire.

[Aelwyn grimaces as she presses further into the puppet's head, cutting into the wood. Luckily, she's got a natural resistance to this kind of magic but... it's not an immunity.

The intensity doesn't let up, even as she fully gets through to the other end of the puppets head, and she stares into the eyes and... ah.]

The eyes, specifically. The fuck ugly little glass things. They really aren't subtle, are they?