When a trio of mannequins turned up for sale in Casper, dozens of people were creeped out. What was even more hair-raising was how many people wanted them because their creepy factor really moves the needle.
These definitely aren’t dolls, they’re life-sized child mannequins that are posable and have real human hair. But it’s their dead, emotionless faces and vacant eyes that leave some chilled to the soul and others fabulously freaked out.
Muffy Mahoney-Best had been keeping the trio in a storage unit and decided it was time to part with her creepy companions. Despite their soulless stares, she admits it was hard to see them go.
"I had a lot of sentimental attachment to those mannequins," she said. "I became quite emotional yesterday when they left, and I said my goodbyes."
When she posted them for sale on a local Facebook page this week, people almost immediately were responding they wanted them.
Family Ties
For many around Casper, they may not realize it, but they’ve seen them before.
The mannequins previously modeled the latest in children's fashion at Little People's Fashions in Casper, which Muffy's mother, Peggy Mahoney, owned and operated.
"Those mannequins were her very first purchase when she opened her children's shop," she said. "They're almost 50 years old."
While modern-day mannequins are mostly featureless, Muffy's mannequins sport heads of human hair, and two of them have unceasingly staring glass eyes. They literally don't make them like that anymore, and you can probably see why.
Muffy grew up working with her mother at Little People's Fashions and formed a sentimental attachment to the creepy mannequins. One of them is even named after her.
"My mom bought them at the age my brother and I were at the time," she said. "The little girl mannequin is named Muffy, and the larger boy is named Michael. Then my goddaughter came along, and we named the third mannequin Sonya after her."
Off To School
When Peggy closed Little People's Fashions, the mannequins were moved into storage. However, they still managed to escape from time to time for the occasional scare.
When Muffy worked as a teacher at St. Anthony Tri-Parish Catholic School, the mannequins modeled appropriate school attire for students. But they also had a habit of turning up in odd places.
"We would put them in some of the classrooms to scare the teachers walking in in the morning," she said. "That was kind of a running joke."
After 35 years of storefronts and spooky encounters, Muffy decided to part with Muffy, Michael and Sonya. When she posted the mannequins in Casper Classifieds, she immediately received more than a dozen serious offers for the trio.
"Four people had mentioned using them for Halloween," she said. "Little Shop of Burgers wanted to put them in their store since they have a bunch of spooky stuff in there. They were all willing to come immediately to get them, so it was kind of a rat race to get here and pick them up."
Come For The Creeps, Stay For The Food
Sarah Weikum, the owner of Little Shop of Burgers, spotted the creepy trio of mannequins on Facebook and knew she had to have them.
"I was stoked about those mannequins," she said. "I thought it might be fun to do something a little bit bigger, on the mannequin scale, for the restaurant. Reagan from ‘The Exorcist’ or the twins from ‘The Shining.’"
The Casper restaurant is already decorated with creepy dolls, posters from famous horror films and other objects that fit into its campy horror aesthetic. In Weikum's experience, the horror film kitch is part of her restaurant’s success.
"Most people enjoy it," she said. "People who have never been here before come in to see the decorating and everything. And once they've tried our food, they continue to come back."
With their soulless stares and hyper-realistic appearance, Weikum knew Muffy's mannequins would be a big hit at Little Shop of Burgers. They would stand out and blend in perfectly.
"Mannequins make a real statement," she said. "We like to add fresh décor so our returning customers have something to look for, and they always get really excited when there's something new."
Whatever Weirds You Out
Ultimately, the mannequins were acquired by another Casper resident. Muffy said mannequins will be featured at a Casper-area Halloween event this fall.
The buyer "said she was going to decorate them and scare some kids at a huge Halloween party they do every year," Mahoney-Best said. "I decided I should probably pass them on to someone who can use them."
Weikum admitted she was disappointed that Muffy, Michael and Sonya won't be creeping out her customers, but that isn't deterring her from growing her creepy collection. Halloween might only come once a year, but there's a year-round demand for that aesthetic and atmosphere.
"I like those big animatronics that you find at Spirit Halloween and anything signed by (‘Evil Dead’ actor) Bruce Campbell, one of my favorites," she said. "We always keep an eye out for creepy. Those kinds of things are exciting for me."
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
