While you’re playing Stardew Valley, you have a chance to come across one or two Strange Dolls. These dolls have multiple uses, but they can be quite hard to find. Uncovering both dolls on your own requires a lot of luck, but a few tips can make the process simple.
Unlike the other Artifacts in the Valley, a Strange Doll comes from another source that was developed by Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, who continues to work on Haunted Chocolatier. Of course, we’ll need to spot the dolls themselves before we start having fun. Let’s do some exploring, for the Valley is filled with discoveries for you to unravel. Here’s what to do when it comes to the Strange Dolls.
Stardew Valley Strange Doll Locations
To find a Strange Doll in Stardew Valley, you need to dig at one of many Artifact Spots on the map of Stardew Valley. There are two Strange Dolls in total, and they come in both green and yellow variants. In order to get the two of them, you also need to find two Secret Notes. Once you’ve found these notes, you can locate the Strange Dolls by digging where the X marks the spot.
The first thing you will need when searching for both the green and yellow strange dolls are the two secret notes. But before you can start looking for those, you need to locate a Magnifying Glass. This part is easy: During the Winter season, walk between the Bus Stop and the farm between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. to spot Shadow Guy. This shadowy figure will run into a bush, so follow him and interact. He’ll apologize and give you a Magnifying Glass.
Expert Tip
The Magnifying Glass is a unique item that can be found in your character’s Wallet. It’s a separate inventory screen that you can access under the Skills tab, where other vital quest items can be highlighted, including the Casino’s Club Card to the Rusty Key for the Sewers.
How to Look for Secret Notes
Now that you have the Magnifying Glass, you can start looking for Secret Notes in Stardew Valley. These are hiding anywhere from trees and crops to the monsters you kill. There is unfortunately no guaranteed way to find any hidden notes as they spawn randomly. To top it off, these secret spots only have a small chance to spawn in the wild. The best way to obtain them is to grow giant crops, as they have a 100% chance of spawning a Secret Note.
Other effective ways of doing this are to check Artifact Spots, do some fishing, or check resource spots, though these have a much lower percentage chance of spawning. In short, expect to treat the notes like an extensive side quest that will take multiple seasons to complete.
After you’ve found the Secret Notes, you simply need to either dig or fish for the items in question, the latter requiring Fishing Level 2. To find the green Strange Doll for Secret Note 17, you should head north of the JojaMart next to the river. The doll will show up if you dig on the northernmost tile on the eastern side.
Secret Note 18 will guide you to the yellow Strange Doll, which is located in the Calico Desert. Go to the southeast area of the map and use a hoe just southwest of the bench to uncover the yellow toy.
What to Do With Strange Dolls
With both Strange Dolls in hand, you’ll be able to create the Wumbus and Bobo shirts with the Sewing Machine. Both characters are actually part of the Wumbus World webcomics by ConcernedApe back in 2011.
Alternatively, you can donate them to the Museum or give them to a friend. We recommend sticking with the former option, though, since almost no one in the Valley likes the dolls at all. Only Penny and Dwarf will show appreciation if you choose to gift them with one.
