Automatonophobia

Automatonophobia is the fear of anything that falsely represents a sentient being. This includes, but is not limited to, ventriloquist dummies

Ventriloquism

Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is an act of stagecraft in which a person manipulates his or her voice so that it appears that the voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered "dummy"...

, animatronic creatures

Animatronics

Animatronics is the use of mechatronics to create machines which seem animate rather than robotic. Animatronic creations include animals , plants and even mythical creatures...

, and wax statues. This fear can manifest itself in numerous ways; every individual who suffers from the fear being different. Similar to automatonophobia is pupaphobia which is the fear of puppets. Since inanimate objects do not pose any real harm to human beings, this fear is considered to be irrational.

Causes of Automatonophobia

The cause of automatonophobia is currently unknown though it has been theorized that the fear derives from the members of a society's expectations for how other human beings should behave. The inanimate objects associated with automatonophobia represent human beings, most being portrayed very realistically. Humans expect the same type of behavior from one another. These inanimate objects, though closely portraying humans, do not behave quite the same as real humans. People often fear what they do not understand. Ventriloquist dummies, animatronic creatures, and wax statues all fit into this theory, they portray human beings but they do not behave as necessarily life like as them. John T. Wood in his book "What Are You Afraid Of?: A guide to dealing with your fears" says that the cause of phobias are a hard to thing to generalize about because ".. each person's fears are his own and spring from his unique personality and experience."

Symptoms of Automatonophobia

Wood in his book described people suffering from phobias as experiencing many different reactions. "The phobic person may experience heart palpitations, difficulty in breathing, rapid breathing, or choking sensations, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, shaking, shuddering, sweating, dizziness, insomnia, and/or increased sensitivity to sounds and lights."

Controlling Automatonophobia

Wood states that phobic reactions are more common in children than adults and that as we mature "...our extreme fears of certain objects and situations are left behind." While there is no cure for automatonophobia, it is a fear that is manageable. Those who suffer from automatonophobia are able to manage their fear by avoiding ventriloquist dummies, animatronic creatures, and wax statues. Ventriloquist dummies are typically featured with their puppet masters at comedy night clubs. Animatronic creatures are somewhat easier to run across. From children’s toy stores to amusement parks, animatronic creatures are displayed and should be avoided by those who suffer from automatonophobia. Wax statues, on the other hand, are typically found on display at museums and galleries. People who suffer from automatonophobia will want to avoid places such as Maddam Tussaud’s Wax Museum, Musee Conti Historical Wax Museum, and the Movieland Wax Museum. By avoiding these environments, those who suffer from automatonophobia can greatly reduce their symptoms. Samuel Kahn, M.D. states that "Suggestion, hypnosis and psychoanalysis, and change of environment if possible are extremely helpful in treating nervous conditions, with some psychotropic medication." He also goes on to affirm that "There is no such thing as curing nervous and mental conditions"

History of Automatonophobia

The origins of automatonophobia can be dated back thousands of years ago. It has been said that through necromancy

Necromancy

Necromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...

, or divination by communication with the dead, "...that ventriloquism finds its origins." At about 1500 BC the Israelites were outlawed from practicing necromancy. Even with the penalty of death enforced, the practice of necromancy still continued. Very similar to ventriloquists today, belly speakers arose. These speakers, or prophets, would pretend that dead spirits were speaking through them. To convince their audiences, the belly speakers would implement strategies that are still used by ventriloquists today. They would exercise tight lip control along with a voice other than their own. Necromancy, despite the many laws that were passed throughout the centuries, continued to flourish. Eventually it grew into a form of entertainment that the world associates with today.

As early as 1753 in England, Sir John Parnell in an engraving is shown to be speaking via his hand. In 1757, the ventriloquist Baron de Mengen implemented a small doll into his performance. This was the first known instance of the modern ventriloquism that is practiced today. The illusion that the Baron de Mengen created as his small doll being sentient, combined both the inanimate objects and consciousness of sense impressions that are necessary to automatonophobia.

The Baron de Mengen was able to create such a realistic illusion by pressing “his tongue strongly against his teeth and his left cheek, circumscribing in this way a cavity containing a volume of air, which for this purpose was kept in the reverse of the throat, to modify the sound of the voice, and make it appear as if it came from a distance.” Since the Baron de Mengen, many others have tried to attain the art of ventriloquism. Some notable ventriloquists include Shari Lewis

Shari Lewis

Shari Lewis was an American ventriloquist, puppeteer, and children's television show host, most popular during the 1960s and 1990s...

, Jules Vernon

Jules Vernon

Jules Vernon was born Walter Lester Pope Knyvette, in East India, as the son of an English officer in the army...

, and Fred Russell

Fred Russell (ventriloquist)

Fred Russell was an English ventriloquist. Usually credited as being the first to use a knee-sitting figure, he is known as "The Father of Modern Ventriloquism"....

Popular Culture

The objects that are associated with automatonophobia can also be found in popular culture. Most often one can find them in movies, not only the objects themselves but automatonophobia itself being portrayed. The 1953 film “House of Wax”, is just one example where the plot revolves around automatonophobia. This movie was recreated in 2005 adding new twists of horror. In the movie “Dead Silence”, a young man, Jamie, seeks to unravel the mystery behind his wife’s murder. His only clue is an old ventriloquist dummy.
“Magic”, “Devil Doll”, “Twilight Zone”, and “Dead of Night” are all movies that one who suffers from automatonophobia should avoid, especially if one’s fear is primarily of ventriloquist dummies.