Museum Dummies?

How does the kid get on at clothing stores?

For instance, we asked MacDonalds to let us meet Ronald in costume but without any make up. They were obliging and we saw the character with a human face and it seemed to help.

Can’t sleep, clowns will eat me.. 🙁

Nice to see how such a question is taken seriously by the forum.

As someone acquainted with fobias and angst disorders, I can only support the suggestions put forward by other posters. However, fobia and angst are irrational reactions to certain situations, or in this case, items. Seeing how the dummies are made, could help, but could also result in the idea, that his reaction is something very odd and inexplainable (which its not).

Angst (and a fobia is angst related) is a normal bodily reaction to danger. Its part of our survival system and we actually need it more often than we think.

The problem is, when the system “activates” without any danger present. This can result in a situation, where the autonomous system begin to associate “safe” situations, or items, with danger and thus “fires” whenever this situation arises again.

The most common way of treating such a “misinterpretation”, is by exposure. Not the sudden “scare” tactic, but by planning an exposure with the boy.

Angst, and thus a fobia, works in three ways. There is a thought pattern (which is called automatic thoughts), there is a physical reaction (important for our survival), there are feelings and there are a behaviour (like avoiding the situation, running away, or crying).

Of those things we can best change out automatic thinking (which is what tells your boy, that the dummies are dangerour). This is done by creating alternative thoughts. Example:

Your boy thinks the dummies will hurt him.

Alternative: He will try to calm himself, by thinking about how that never has happened before, even if he was scared of them before. Same situation, but never any actual harm.

To find some alternative thoughts, its nessesary to find the automatic thought (which can be hard with a kid). But basically to find why he thinks they are dangerous. Then together you can find the alternative thought. Which is meant to confirm, that the situation is not dangerous.

Knowing how dummies are made, could help create alternative thoughts.

He must come to know these alternative thoughts by heart, and use them when the situation arises. This is where exposure comes into the picture.

Talk about it, and then when he feels ready, try to visit a place with dummies.

In short, exposure is about making the autonomous system “de-learning” what it reacts to. By him thinking different about the situation.

I will also mention, that conquering a fobia will involve facing the fear. That is the exposure. However, it can be done gradual.

But i stress this, in order to get good results, he need to work on the alternative thoughts, otherwise the situation might be conquered by bravery, but still remain a dormant fear, that he might, or might not, grow out of.

A fobia (or angst) that is not completely conquered, is very likely to find another outlet. As in; no longer being affraid of spiders, but now affraid of bees.

Just read through this and found it maybe a bit “serious”. Not meant so. Its very likely, that such a young boy will grow out of it soon.

Another one to avoid – HMS Belfast – most of their dummies have the same strange, ill-fitting ginger hairpiece and an alarming glare – and there’s a stuffed cat in a miniature hammock.

Mannequin phobia

[QUOTE=stmterrace;1202542]I know that this is a strange request for information and it might not be the right place to ask but as a number of posters on this forum work for/with museums I thought I might try anyway.(Mods please feel free to move/remove/rename this post).
Anyway my 9 year old son has a phobia relating to the dummies that we see when visiting various museums etc across the country,

Hello-my company makes many of the figures that appear to have upset your son. Sorry!
We are based in Lewisham, London and if you want he could come here and see exactly how we make them from the start to finish.
My theory is having seen how this process is done he won’t be afraid anymore. In fact we might even show him how we make life cast hands to use on the models-I have one of my hand and my arms are currently on display in a museum. We used them on a model of a soldiers wife tending to her injured husband.
Please see our web site( apologies but it is being built) iwww.thehandhgroup.co.uk
and you can contact me if it will help!
Regards
Christianna

I remember a couple of years ago my Wife and I going to Eden Camp and the dummies there really freaked her out especially the “breathing ” ones and she is 50.

My son finds the dummies that do plane cleaning at OW hilarious.

Not A nice thing for a son to say about his Father. 😀

ATB

Dave

Thanks for the offer TexanTomcat.
Thankyou for your concern Zishelix, its not something that I would do of the cuff as of course a lot of damage can be caused by people doing things the wrong way. We all have various phobias which manifest themselves in different ways, which again are all treated in different ways and anything I will do will be with his agreement and his only.

My son finds the dummies that do plane cleaning at OW hilarious.

Dear Sir, the idea is basically OK but I wouldn’t advise you to perform so call “approach by overwhelming” in phobia treatment without professional supervision and/or support. Especially when dealing with children. The effect could be counterproductive.

STMterrace –

we have had this problem at our museum too – if you live near to Sywell feel free to PM me about arranging a ‘behind the scenes’ visit – am sure we could dismantle a dummy then put it back together with your son so he sees they are nothing to be frightened of – he could even help to dress him again!

ATB

TT

Funny that you mentioned FAAMs carrier exhibit, when I read your initial post, that was the first place that lept to mind. The dummies and the ‘Jolly Jack Tar’ thing there is slightly disturbing, and dumbing down an otherwise superb exhibit.
Sometimes in dark museums you don’t see the dummies at first, but as your eyes adjust you start to notice them appearing out of the gloom, that must be quite eerie for youngsters. I think Dr Who is partly to blame!

Just to say that the ‘Jolly Jack Tar’ dummies and the intro he gave were removed some years ago now when we did the last upgrade, however the other figures are still in the various compartments

I think its a phase we all go through. I will never forget the dummie floating past the window in the u-boat room at Eden camp and The dummies in Montys caravan at Beverly army transport museum. I found that my dad saying we could not go any where soon solved my problem:o

I can sympathise with the problem. I work part-time at Duxford and every time I walk across the landing craft in the West end of the Land Warfare Hall, the “Tommy” in his greatcoat and tin helmet scares the life out of me. I’ve tried to rationalise it and it’s probably due to the very clever way he’s been placed as you always seem to get eye contact. Well done from the Museum point of view but no help for your son.

It is not a criticism of the Carrier Experience it was just an example of one of the exhibitions which we have had problems with. Late on last year we visited the Coventry transport museum, great free museum but then you enter the next part of the museum which involves street scenes and then the visit goes down hill very quickly. The poor lad is almost beside himself and as soon as you mention anything about them he really becomes very unsettled.

Funny that you mentioned FAAMs carrier exhibit, when I read your initial post, that was the first place that lept to mind. The dummies and the ‘Jolly Jack Tar’ thing there is slightly disturbing, and dumbing down an otherwise superb exhibit.
Sometimes in dark museums you don’t see the dummies at first, but as your eyes adjust you start to notice them appearing out of the gloom, that must be quite eerie for youngsters. I think Dr Who is partly to blame!

Thanks again for the kind words and suggestions.
Thanks Seaking93 for the offer of help, may very well take you up on the offer at sometime if thats ok.
I will contact some of the companies that are local to us and just see what their response is, if not I may just have to get a shop one and just have it kicking around the garden just to get him used to it.
Thanks again.

They were all bald. One normally fits a wig on them you see. 😀

They have been around well over 25 years. I used to raid their skip as a kid, and have great fun with the damaged dummy heads ! Happy days 😀

Any blonde ones?:D

Not sure where abouts in the UK you are but these people are on my door step.

Estuary Display Ltd.
35 Purdeys Industrial Estate
Purdeys Way
Rochford
Essex
SS4 1ND

Tel: 01702-546539
Business Type: Display Makers

They have been around well over 25 years. I used to raid their skip as a kid, and have great fun with the damaged dummy heads ! Happy days 😀

Stmterrace

Try these links….

http://www.tableaux-museum-mannequins.com

http://www.yell.com/ucs/UcsSearchAction.do?scrambleSeed=89649319&keywords=Museum+mannequins&companyName=&location=&searchType=advance&broaderLocation=&clarifyIndex=1&ssm=0&ooa=&M=0&rad=&lCOption32=Display+Model+%26+Figure+Manufacturers%3AMannequins+%26+Models