very eerie female head and bust mannequin with polychrome enameled papier-mâché "skin." this bizarre "art project" was found in the basement of an old clothing store. likely comprised of fiberglass or perhaps a composite. mannequins are typically used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing. mannequin comes from the french word mannequin, which had acquired the meaning "an artist's jointed model", which in turn came from the middle dutch word mannequin, meaning "little man, figurine". during the 1950s, mannequins were also used in nuclear tests to help illustrate the effects of nuclear weapons on human beings. the term is also used for life-sized dolls with simulated airways used in the teaching of first aid, cpr, and for human figures used in computer simulation to model the behavior of the human body. 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.