Horrible and tasteless: US company offers life-size mutilated Mary Kelly dummies

[Bert Coules]

Happy Birthday!

[Herlock Sholmes]

Thanks

[FISHY1118]

Who doesn't love a coffee and donut in the morning.? Awesome

[rjpalmer]

A happy birthday, Mike. How does it feel to finally be in your thirties?

[Abby Normal]

I was quite happy to blame auto-correct for that Bert but I just typed in Merrison and it wasn’t corrected so it must have been me (twice!) It’s my birthday today so I’ll blame age as I can’t think of a better excuse.

happy birthday my friend..hope you are having a great day! : )

[mpriestnall]

I stumbled on this and almost wish I hadn't. A US company trading as "Dapper Cadaver" manufactures a range of life-size corpses, in various states of decay. One of them is the mutilated MJK.

I can understand the possible demand for such items from the film and TV industry, though there are well-established industry manufacturers of such things and the major studios have their own resources. This firm's name, their slogan, To Entertain and Educate, and the flashy website seem miles away from that sort of professional supply house.

The only positive spin I can put on the experience of finding the site is this: after several decades of being interested in the Whitechapel murders I'm sorry to say that I've grown too accustomed to the photographs of the victims, to the point that even the Miller's Court images don't have the power they once had. But, even given that what I was seeing was probably entirely inaccurate, when I first clicked through to the pin-sharp and vividly coloured closeups of the replica's face I felt a horror and revulsion that were perhaps a distant echo of how the discoverers of Kelly's remains must have felt. I'm actually pleased that those feelings have been reawakened in me, though I regret that it took this crass, exploitative site to do it.

If anyone wants to try it, the site is here. But please be warned: the images, especially of the face, are not pleasant.

Disgusting! Any chance they make a version to go on a keyring?

[Herlock Sholmes]

happy birthday my friend..hope you are having a great day! : )

Thanks Abby. My alcohol stock has certainly increased. Two nice malts, a brandy and a bottle of port. Should see me through to the weekend.

[Barnaby]

I'm not trying to justify this, but this model pales in comparison to the actual crime scene photo.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Barnaby,

But are they actually crime scene photos?

Simon