The Mannequin is an item and NPC in Hello Neighbor.
Appearance[]
In Alphas 1 to 3, the mannequins appeared to be old-fashioned half-body display mannequins, designed for either displaying or possibly sewing clothes. They were somewhat shorter than the player, and possessed a white fabric torso and a polished wooden stand and head. In Alpha 4 and beyond, they were altered to have a wooden torso, a wooden human-shaped head, four wheels instead of a stand and long bendable arms.
Gameplay[]
Mannequins were first introduced in Alpha 1 as an item. They did not initially serve any purpose. In Beta 3, there are four mannequins, and they are essential for completing the puzzle that unlocks the rifle.
Mannequins appear in the Fear Supermarket and Fear School levels as hostile NPCs. During the Supermarket level, they will each push a shopping cart, wandering from the starting point to the checkout at the end, picking up five specific items along the way. The player must study which items are being picked up and place them in their shopping cart. If the mannequins spot the player, they will glow with a red light while creating a motor noise and charging towards the player, only stopping if the player uses their invisibility powerup. If they catch the player, they (and their shopping cart, prior to Beta 3) will be sent back to the beginning of the level. Additionally, the mannequins will often steal any items left lying in the player's shopping cart, which must be replaced. There is also a single neutral mannequin NPC serving as a checkout clerk. If the cart does not have the five items, they will press a button that opens up the floor. The player falls in and will have to start the segment again.
During the Fear School level, there are a lot of mannequins wandering around, and will glow red and charge towards the player while making a motor noise if they spot the player. Each time the bell rings, the level switches between "student mode" and "teacher mode". During student mode, they must hide in a locker, while the students roam around glowing red. During teacher mode, the students go to their desks while a "teacher" wanders around, glowing white. It will head towards any student not at their desk and escort them to their desk, and if it spots the player, it will also charge towards them. It will not stop if the player hides in a locker, though it cannot catch them there. The mannequins cannot be outran, as they are very fast. If caught by a student or the teacher, the player is sent back and will have to repeat the segment. Once they reach the end, a single large mannequin appears and grabs the player. They must press space repeatedly and push the mannequin over, ending the level.
Trivia[]
- It is commonly theorised that these mannequins are haunted, due to erratic behaviour i.e. displaying bizarre physics properties in Alpha 1, as well as being found around the Neighbor's house in strange places. The fourth Alpha contains such haunted mannequins in the Classroom "nightmare".
- In Alpha 1, mannequins behaved in a bizarre manner when taken outside the area of the Neighbour's house, such as the Player's house or the neighbourhood outside the playable area. This behaviour included partially ignoring gravity and teleporting long distances away from the player, sometimes from the playable area to the "out of bounds" area.
- In an Alpha 2 cutscene, the Neighbor is seen seemingly restraining a mysterious figure or object, only to be knocked down and then notice the Player, who is looking in from outside. Upon closer inspection via noclip or other similar cheats, the mysterious object is actually a mannequin. The mannequin knocks down the Neighbor while "running" away.
- In the nursery in Alpha 1, a mannequin could be seen holding a bear in a cot, which contained a key.
- Mannequins are never seen displaying clothes, except for the Teacher Mannequin. This item was buried in the grave.