Store mannequins are designed to do a very basic thing—display clothing and different fabrics in a way that would show us how they look on a real person. However, sometimes window dressers or store owners miss the target and end up attracting customers with bizarre models that are just begging to be documented.
Whether it’s a motionless figure with 4-foot-long arms or a unicorn’s head instead of their usual one, it’s equal parts creepy, unexpected and completely hilarious. Needless to say, a great source of entertainment too.
Bored Panda has compiled a list of some of the funniest moments when mannequins truly departed from the norm. Below you’ll find the funniest pictures we found floating around the internet, so upvote your favorite ones! And if you’re in the mood for some more, be sure to check out our previous post right here.
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Not Much Customers Around Today, So I Got Creative With The Bedsheets
This Exactly Why I Don’t Take Him Nowhere
Narrator: ...and his parents panicked. BEN! BEN ,WHERE ARE YOU? They searched the entire store with no luck..Meanwhile, in another section of the store, a shopper was startled when she took a picture of the 3 mannequins infront of her, and she thought she heard the middle one giggle and move...she stood still.......
Many of us see mannequins as articulated dolls that are supposed to capture our attention with the apparel that they are wearing. We’re so used to them standing in one place and posing in the same way that when we see a strange-looking model, we can’t help but stop and stare.
Shops use them not only to show off the best clothing they can offer but also to share their brand values. We reached out to Adam Moon, an executive creative director at Fusion, the world’s largest maker of custom mannequins.
Over the past 30 years, the company has evolved into a creative design studio that has been manufacturing larger-than-life displays and producing a variety of mannequin collections. Their most recent one is called Prism which consists of the first gender non-conforming mannequins.
This Clothing Store Is Undergoing Construction, So They Dressed Their Mannequins Appropriately
Interesting Choice In Mannequin For A Table Saw Display
He was kind enough to share some insights about the part these immobile figures play in the retail industry. Talking about shop owners who are trying to attract buyers with unusual-looking mannequins, Moon said that there’s always a desire from stores of "how to best represent their brand and aesthetic through the mannequins they utilize."
"Sometimes doing something forward-thinking or unusual will catch the attention of a potential customer," Moon added. And as we can see from this list, there are plenty of unique ideas shop managers can use to stand out from the crowd.
When asked about the importance of mannequins to the industry, the creative director said that it’s definitely a key piece in the retail puzzle. "[They] offer brands the opportunity to tell their story while also offering customers the ability to see the latest trends, styling techniques, and fit," he explained.
I Had A Mini Heart Attack When I Saw This. Spotted In NYC Today
Whenever My Daughter Walks Past Child Mannequins, She Likes To Pretend She's One Of Them
Still, there’s the never-ending dialogue about the unrealistic beauty standards and unhealthy body sizes that mannequins represent. More often than not they show the ultra-thin ideal which could contribute to various mental health problems and eating disorders.
Eric Robinson, a behavioral scientist with a background in experimental psychology, conducted a study about how fashion mannequins communicate dangerously thin body ideals. He and his colleagues analyzed 58 mannequins in fashion stores on the high streets of two cities in England, Liverpool and Coventry.
"What we found was that all of the female mannequins in these shops had body sizes that corresponded to that of an underweight human. We didn’t find a single female mannequin that was a normal body size on display," he wrote. Yet, most of the male mannequins didn’t look underweight: "only 8% of those surveyed were too thin."
Yet Another Unrealistic Body Standard For Women
This Kid Mannequin
Pumped Up Mannequin
However, Adam Moon mentioned that the idea of changing unrealistic beauty standards is absolutely evolving within the industry. "Inclusivity and body positivity is a large part of every brand’s retail strategy, and this definitely applies to the mannequins retailers develop for their stores."
He continued: "Whether through representing diverse body shapes and sizes, the differently abled, or gender non-conformity, mannequins are a vital component to every brand and every retailer."
These Mannequins Are Terrifying
A Rabbit Headed Mannequin I Spotted In Japan
This Mannequin In A German Mall
I Thought It Was A Real Person Sitting On A Bench, Until I Noticed Her Hands. Festive Mannequin
Finally A Realistic Mannequins In Women's Lingerie Store
This Mannequin With Character
This Weird Mannequin At The London Science Museum
This Kid Mannequin That Looks Like He Will Devour The Souls Of Sinners On Judgment Day
These Mannequins
Horrorskeeping. Don't eat the mints they leave on the pillow of the burning bed.
This Store's Emblem/Mascot Is An Eagle, And So Are The Mannequins
Mannequins At The Mall Near My House. I Think They Used Mark Zuckerberg As The Template
Elongated Mannequins
This Shrek-Inspired Mannequin
These Strange Mannequins
These Super Jazzy Mannequins
Another Impossible Body Standard For Women
Found This Mannequin At A Pharmacy In Russia
The Training Mannequins In My College. There Is A Control Room To Make Them Have Heart Attacks
I'm more concerned with the angle of his neck than his heart condition. However, I totally used one of these when I was in nursing school. My fondest memory was we were told to take our 'patient' into the actual hallway of the building and to the bottom floor. While we were in the elevator the damned mannequin had one of those damned heart attacks and the only way to give it CPR was to climb on the bed and start chest compressions. The look on the engineering students face when the doors opened to three panicking student nurses one of them straddling a full size dude while my classmate screamed 'GET THE NEXT ONE!!' Lol!!
Dental Training Mannequin
This Mannequin Is Hilarious
This Mannequin In A Museum In Normandy
This Mannequin In The Store Showcase Looks Hyper Realistic
These Creepy Mannequins At My Local Store In Japan
Found This Mannequin In Our Warehouse This Morning. Thought It Perfectly Represented Monday Mornings
Mannequin Stored Under Leaky Gutter
Slenderman’s Girlfriend Is Looking Great
Quite A Mannequin
Put The Shirt On The Mannequin Boss
"Hey, Can You Put This Shirt On That Mannequin?"
Mannequin At A Local Shop. Her Face Says It All
This Mannequin Of A Boy In A Bulgarian Shop
This CPR Mannequin Without A Face Looks Like A Baby Bird Wanting Food
This Mannequin
Is The Mannequin's Head Really Necessary To Sell The Jeans?
Finally, I Can Relate To A Mannequin As A Woman With 4' Curved Legs
Hmmm
This "Mannequin" In A Swiss Shoe Store
Lol this reminds me of some creatures I made up awhile ago called "Plantyums". They were basically humans with plant heads that turned other humans into plantyums, and they always said "We are the plantyums, we are not evil" in a weird robotic voice...
Stores Are Stepping Up Their Game With Unrealistic Female Body Expectations
This Large Mannequin With Small Clothes
Put The Eyelashes On The Mannequins, Boss
Blursed Mannequin
If you are Indian , You are used to seeing such mannequins at clothing stores
If you are Indian , You are used to seeing such mannequins at clothing stores