Exploring the Commonwealth is a huge part of Fallout 4, with so many different locations and hidden spots to discover. But among the settlements, vaults, and ruins are some really weird and sometimes creepy sights. Dotted throughout the wasteland of Massachusetts are lots of old department store mannequins, which can sometimes be found in odd situations. While it could be easy to this off as a bit of fun, there are some who believe those dummies are up to something.

Like many Bethesda games before it, Fallout 4 uses various means to convey atmosphere and to tell stories using the environment. While environmental storytelling can be used as cheeky nods to iconic TV shows, it can also be used to hint at past events and what happened to people in the immediate aftermath of the bombs falling. However, some of the scenes the Sole Survivor can find are very strange with fun theories popping up around them to find in universe explanations for the weird tableaux around the Commonwealth.

Long Running Fan Theory Suggests The Mannequins Are Alive

There Are Tamer Theories To Explain The Mannequin’s Poses

Fallout’s mannequins have always been creepy, with the retail display props appearing first throughout Fallout 3 in various areas as decorations. However, the dummies seem to have taken on a life of their own in Fallout 4, and later Fallout 76, with them popping up in odd places and seemingly acting out scenes. These strange encounters have spawned various fan theories, with some believing in more rational explanations, while others prefer to indulge in some spookier ideas.

One of the tamer theories is that posing mannequins has become a post-war pastime for some. That would go some way to explain why the mannequins have found their way out of the stores and buildings they would have been in prior to the bombs dropping and out into the wilds of the Commonwealth. The theory suggests that it is mostly raiders and teens who pose mannequins, partially for their own amusement and partially to mess with anyone else who might find them.

The Warren Theater mannequins are ed on stage by a Synth strider who will become hostile when approached.

This could for some of the more fun situations that mannequins are found in, such as in the Warren Theater, just south of the Combat Zone, where the mannequins are on stage as though giving a performance. Another easy-to-find example can be found in the Concord Speakeasy, which has two odd scenes for the Sole Survivor to discover. One mannequin can be found in bed next to a skeleton, while a group of them can be found surrounding a bathtub while holding machetes around a decapitated skeleton.

Far Harbor Offers A Hint To Their Creepy Powers

Theories Suggest Supernatural Forces At Play

As if the mannequins aren’t spooky enough, there is also a fun Fallout 4 theory that they are either haunted or alive, considering they are found in plenty of places they shouldn’t be. This theory links to the Dunwich mystery explored in both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, with ers speculating that spirits or demons may have been summoned during dark rituals. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on the point of view, these supernatural rituals went wrong and the forces ended up in the mannequins instead.

This is a silly but entertaining theory which is lent some amount of credibility by a note found on a sunken boat that is located just off the coast of the Island in Fallout 4's Far Harbor DLC. The note claims the crew has heard weird noises and is creeped out by the mannequins and seems to hint that the dummies were the ones responsible for the boat sinking. This appears to have happened pre-war, and the Sole Survivor can find that the mannequins are not in their containers and have instead claimed the boat as their own.

Bethesda’s Skyrim has mannequins that can be added to player homes that used to move around unexpectedly. However, this wasn't because of supernatural forces, but because of a bug, which was thankfully fixed with patches.

Obviously, the real answer behind the mannequins is that it was developers at Bethesda having some fun just like they do with the teddies and skeletons. But as the mannequins fall into a weird environmental storytelling category where sometimes it's to convey a mood and other times it's clearly just to be silly, they are perhaps able to spark the imagination better than others. Regardless, whatever the reason for these figures being out in the world, it's perhaps a good idea to keep an eye on them when traveling in Fallout 4, just in case.