A wooden mannequin

• 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 mannequins are used to model the behaviour of the human body.

Mannequins in culture

A pair of mannequins

Mannequins are a common theme in horror fiction, 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 back country family is strewn with mannequin parts of all sorts.

Another instance of mannequins occurs in the psychological thriller Condemned: Criminal Origins where, in one level, the player is inside an abandoned department store strewn with mannequins. The player can pick up a mannequin arm and use it as a melee weapon also. As the player progresses through the level there are certain stages where the mannequins are actual, disguised people. They come alive and try to kill you.

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

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 death metal band Cradle of Filth. In the Marilyn Manson song "Tourniquet" from the 1996 album Antichrist Superstar the subject is a mannequin. The ska band Reel Big Fish's music video for "Where Have You Been?" from "Cheer Up!" features frontman Aaron Barrett's fictional ex portrayed as a mannequin.

Mannequins in medical education

A baby medical simulation mannequin.

Mannequins for emergency services training

Fire and coastguard services use mannequins to practice life-saving procedures. The mannequins have similar weight distribution to an unconscious human. Special obese mannequins and horse mannequins have also been made for similar purposes.

See also

• Resusci Anne
• Agalmatophilia
• Crash test dummy
• Sex doll
• Model
• CPR

References

1. ↑ SimMan® - www.laerdal.com
2. ↑ Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education

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

External links

• US Patent for 'educational medical mannequin' ()

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