Previously: The Anguished Man.
Type: AO (Animated Object).
Period/location of origin: Circa 2004 to 2016, South Korea. Sightings have occurred in such varied locations as the Itaewon area of Seoul, Tancheon, Daegu, and the Everland theme park in Yongin.
Appearance: Subject, known as the “mannequin human” — 마네킹 인간, in the original Korean — appears to be a humanoid figure which at first looks to be a standard, flesh-and-blood person, but, upon closer examination, more closely resembles a living retail mannequin. Tell-tale signs that an apparent human is actually a mannequin human include, but are not limited to, the following: Shiny, plastic-like skin, which may be either stark white or slightly yellowed in color; eyes that are entirely black, without any distinguishable pupils or whites; a blank, expressionless face; and jerky, artificial movement.
Subject may be of any gender, and may be dressed in any manner of attire. Observed clothing and outfits include: A white tank top and lightweight shorts or summer trousers; a blue shirt layered over a long-sleeved T-shirt with black trousers or pants; a windbreaker and jeans; all-dark clothing; “soft factory clothes”; and “shabby clothing” or items in disrepair. Subject may or may not have hair; on at least one occasion, it has been reported as sporting “slightly sloppy, bobbed hair,” but it may not necessarily wear this same style at all times.
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Subject is most identifiable by the incongruity between its appearance and its location: One does not expect to see a mannequin outside the confines of a retail store, a storage warehouse, or other similar locales. One does not expect to see a mannequin simply… existing in the world.
As if it were human.
Hence its moniker: “Mannequin human.”
Modus operandi: Subject’s precise MO is unknown, although witness reports of subject typically fall under one of three types. The three types of sightings, as observed by multiple witnesses, are as follows:
Subject is seen seated in the driver’s seat of a car — sometimes parked, although not always — with its head positioned such that it appears to be staring at witness;
Subject is seen standing with someone else — an actual human, not a mannequin human — who is seemingly arguing with or scolding subject;
Or, subject is seen standing at or in a crosswalk, posed in a bizarre or unnatural position.
On rare occasions, witnesses have reported seeing subject move. Witnesses have described subject’s movements as disjointed and artificial: When it walks, its legs move, but its upper body does not. Its gait, as one witness report describes it, is “strange.”
Typically, subject goes unnoticed by those around it — other than, of course, those who witness it. The experience can be isolating for witnesses, who may describe observing subject, noting its unusualness, and also realizing that no one else around them seems to be able to perceive subject.
One heavily fictionalized account of subject suggests that, should an actual human attempt to destroy a mannequin human, the human will subsequently become a mannequin human themself. However, whether this account is accurate or truthful is not known.
Subject’s end goal as a whole remains unknown.
Containment: Not available. Subject is, as far as anyone knows, still on the loose.
Subject may also be subjects — plural, not singular.
Subject may be legion.
The one thing that is known is this:
Should you encounter subject, do NOT, under ANY circumstances, make direct eye contact with it. Stay calm, walk on, and you’ll be fine.
…Probably.
Additional notes: Reports of subject have spread primarily via the internet — specifically Korean language forums, blogs, and social media sites such as Café Daum, Nate.com, Instiz, Thredic, and Naver — for much of the 21st century as it has progressed. Most reports are dated between 2013 and 2016, although a handful of reports outside this three-to-four-year span have also been recorded. For instance, one account notable for its length was shared on Thredic in 2019; meanwhile, some sources cite 2004 as the year in which reports of subject first began circulating, although first-hand accounts dated as such appear no longer to be extant or accessible.
Most of what is known about subject come from a set of screenshots of the initial accounts, which are still regularly passed around the internet today. These accounts also do not appear to be accessible in their original form at this time, although the screenshots may be viewed via a great number of reposts on Daum, Nate.com, etc.
It is perhaps worth noting that reports of subject proliferated around the same time that the short horror story “The Expressionless” by T. J. Lea arrived on the internet. Inspired by the photograph “Student nurses with a waxwork patient,” taken in 1968 by Antony Armstrong Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon and published in the 1972 book Assignments, this story, which featured a character with an eerie, mannequin-like appearance, quickly went viral after Lea published it in 2012. It remains enormously popular among the horror-loving corners of the internet.
Whether the spread of reports of subject circa 2013 to 2016 is related to the popularity of this story remains to be seen. It is, however, a point that may be worth exploring.
Also of note: In 2009, the video now known as “I Feel Fantastic,” featuring an android named Tara singing a robotic-sounding song in a variety of settings and outfits within what looks like a suburban home, appeared on the YouTube channel of a user going by the name creepyblog. Due to its unsettling nature, the video, which, similar to “The Expressionless,” quickly went viral, prompt a great deal of speculation about its creation, purpose, and meaning. Much of this speculation tended towards the darker end of the theoretical spectrum.
The video itself actually dates back to 2004, when creator Jon Bergeron, who had built and programmed Tara over the previous several years, began offering music videos to potential clients featuring Tara singing his original compositions. “Creepyblog’s” video was a re-upload of one of Bergeron’s original videos, with title cards added for eerie effect. The true nature of the “I Feel Fantastic” video would not become common knowledge for many years, however.
It is not known whether the early-2010s popularity of “I Feel Fantastic” is related to the spread of subject circa 2013 to 2016, although again, it is perhaps a point worth exploring.
Lastly: It is also unknown whether subject is in any way related to previously-documented Encylopaedia subject La Pascualita. Again, it is a point that may be worth exploring.
Subject makes an appearance in the 2022 South Korean anthology horror film Urban Myths (in the original Korean, 서울괴담, which translates more directly as Seoul Ghost Story). Urban Myths features 10 segments based off of popular Korean urban legends; the segment “Mannequin” depicts a dramatized encounter with subject — one that… does not end well for its witness. The film may not be available to stream in all areas, although a complete, highly detailed summary with screenshots of this segment may be found here.
Subject does not seem to have been sighted outside of South Korea, suggesting it has not left the country yet.
However, the key word there is “yet.”
Just because it hasn’t traveled at this moment… doesn’t mean it never will.
Recommendation: Should you see a strange, mannequin-like figure in a car, in a crosswalk, or arguing with flesh-and-blood human…
Don’t stop.
Don’t stare.
Just keep walking.
And do NOT look back.
Resources:
“Mannequin Human” on Namuwiki. (In Korean.)
“Urban Ghost Stories: Mannequin Human” on Daum. (In Korean.)
“Beware The Creeps: Mannequin Human Ghost Story” on Nate.com. (In Korean.)
“The Mannequin Human Sighting Photo Finally Uploaded” on Instiz. (In Korean.)
“Mannequin Human? My Experience And Thoughts About It” on Thredic. (In Korean.)
“Mannequin Human Ghost Story” on Naver. (In Korean.)
“An Unidentified Human Being Witnessed All Over The Country [Ghost Story]” on YouTube. (In Korean.)
Urban Myths trailer on YouTube.
“Summary of Urban Myths segment “Mannequin.” (In Korean.)
“I Feel Fantastic” on YouTube.
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Follow The Ghost In My Machine on Bluesky @GhostMachine13.bsky.social, Twitter @GhostMachine13, and Facebook @TheGhostInMyMachine. And for more games, don’t forget to check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available now from Chronicle Books!
[Photos via Karen_Nadine, librodearena (remixed by Lucia Peters)/Pixabay]
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