The 'creepy' Barack Obama mannequin

The Obama mannequins, produced by Las Vegas Mannequins retailer, came about by popular request and come in two different styles.

(Image credit: vmannequins.com)

last updated 8 January 2015

The image: Barack Obama: Commander-in-couture? That would seem to be the vision of Las Vegas Mannequins, which has begun selling fiberglass versions of the president that retailers can use to display clothes. The mannequins come in "two presidential styles": A full-body version, which grants Obama a finely chiseled physique, or a head-only model. (See the images at right and below.) According to its website, Las Vegas Mannequins began peddling Obama lookalikes by popular request: "Now when someone asks if we can sell them one, we can respond, 'YES WE CAN!'" One eagle-eyed Tumblr user has already discovered one of the mannequins modeling a less-than-presidential plaid button-down shirt and hooded sweatshirt in a department store.

The reaction: The mannequin "boasts a surprisingly sculpted physique," says Britain's The Daily Mail — its bulging muscles and defined six-pack abs would seem to be an awfully "generous interpretation" of the president's body. While this mannequin is "inherently creepy," says Alex Alvarez at Mediaite, it could "probably be used in a store display to great comedic effect, or as home decor if you're insufferable." Unfortunately, says Andrew Liszewski at Gizmodo, the fact that you can buy the mannequins' disembodied heads separately "gives me an uneasy feeling that they'll be more popular for anti-Democratic protests than for modeling the latest fashions at your local GAP." See for yourself: