Mannequin

A wooden mannequin

For other uses, see Mannequin (disambiguation).

Mannequin (alternately, manikin, mannikin, manakin, dummy, lay figure, or The Mannequins). The word comes from the Dutch word manneken, literally meaning 'little man'. Mannequin is the French form.

• A jointed model of the human body used by artists, especially to demonstrate the arrangement of drapery. Also called lay figure.
• A life-size, articulated doll mainly used to display clothing.
• Mannequins with simulated airways are used in the teaching of first aid, CPR and advanced airway management skills such as intubation.
• In computer simulation, virtual manikins are used to model the behaviour of the human body.

Mannequins in culture

A pair of mannequins

In the mid 1970s, Mannequin Modeling was made famous by New York City's Major Flagship Department Store Abraham & Straus aka A&S, which was located in Downtown Brooklyn. Mannequin Modeling, a human model posing as a mannequin figure.

Mannequins are a common theme in horror fiction and indie rock and roll, although not nearly as common as baby dolls. While an intense, irrational fear of mannequins (known as pediophobia) is rare, many people nonetheless find them disturbing (due in part perhaps to the Uncanny Valley effect), especially when not fully assembled.

In "realistic" (non-supernatural) horror, the presence of mannequins or mannequin parts can be a visual cue for insanity, particularly insanity of a violent nature. Examples of this include The Silence of the Lambs, in which mannequin limbs are among the objects found in the killer's storage unit. In Dean Koontz's novel Velocity, a group of mutilated mannequins is found at a suspect's house, causing the protagonist (and reader) to believe the suspect to be the shark, or at least seriously disturbed. In the television series Carnivàle, the camp site of a twisted Texas backcountry family is strewn with mannequin parts of all sorts.

The horror video game series Silent Hill uses mannequins in a variety of ways. Silent Hill 2 featured a memorable enemy consisting of a pair of mannequin legs, a torso, no head, and another pair of legs where the arms would normally be. Although repulsive, these creatures also represent a sexuality of sorts, and a scene early in the game shows one of them being raped by the monstrous killer Pyramid Head. The mannequin enemies do not return in the next sequel Silent Hill 3, though that game does feature a short section set in the office of a mannequin company, including a storeroom filled with mannequin parts. At one point, while exploring the deserted storeroom, the protagonist hears a scream coming from behind her. As she looks back, the head of a mannequin has been severed, with a bloody wound as though the mannequin had been alive.

Another setting found in numerous movies is abandoned nuclear test sites consisting of entire towns populated by mannequins, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere. This setting appears in such films as Kalifornia, Mulholland Falls, and the 2006 remake of The Hills Have Eyes.

Mannequins in the front of a French clothes shop, in Bordeaux

A theme which appears both in horror and science fiction is mannequins coming to life, usually with somewhat zombie-like attributes. A recent example is "Rose", the first episode of the current Doctor Who series, in which a vat of sentient alien plastic seeks to take over the world, using animated mannequins called Autons as its primary enforcers. The mannequins have gunlike weapons inside their hands, and there are many scenes of them smashing through shop windows and wreaking havoc in a London shopping mall. The Autons are also seen in the earlier Doctor Who episodes Spearhead from Space and Terror of the Autons.

Much more rare in fiction is a heroic or virtuous mannequin, although examples do exist. DC Comics' hero Brother Power the Geek is a mannequin brought to life by a lightning strike who gains super powers and befriends a group of 1960s hippies. His comic book series only lasted two issues. In the movie Mannequin and its sequel, the protagonist's love interest is a mannequin who magically comes to life.

British pop band Yazoo often uses mannequins on its covers, including the album Upstairs at Eric's, the hits compilation Only Yazoo, and the 1999 singles "Don't Go" and "Situation". 'Mannequin' is also a song performed by British black metal band Cradle of Filth.There is a band called Jack's Mannequin.

Mannequins in medical education

A baby medical simulation mannequin.

Medical simulation mannequins, models or related artefacts such as SimMan or Harvey are widely used in medical education. These are sometimes also referred to as virtual patients.

See also

• Statuephilia
• Crash test dummy
• Sex doll
• Model
• Manneken Pis

References

• Gross, Kenneth - The Dream of the Moving Statue (Penn State Press 1992, ISBN 0-271-02900-5)

External links

• - Mannequins!.
• Mannequins - A brief history.
• US Patent for 'educational medical mannequin' (U.S. patent 5,314,339)
• A Great Source and reference point.