Three Red Strings

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“	There are always three, no matter what. They hang lifelessly from the red string, it pulls them along. When they manifest outside, the string just goes up forever into the sky. If they manifest inside, the string carves a path in the ceiling as they move.	„
	~ Trevor Henderson explaining some of the creatures’ mechanics

The Three Red Strings, also known as The Mannequins, is a group of creatures drawn by artist Trevor Henderson. They are mysterious creatures that are held up by red strings that go up forever. They move quickly when not being looked at and become extremely aggressive when one of their strings are cut. Lost members of the group are replaced with replicas that are made of their victims' corpses, or whatever materials are around and become alive again when complete.

(Not to be confused with The Mannequin)

Appearance

The Three Red Strings, also known as The Mannequins, are a trio of thin, humanoid corpses that lack organs or a head. Taking the place of their heads are red strings that appear to extend upwards from their necks infinitely.

Changing Appearances

So far, there have been six drawings of them by Trevor Henderson. The first image of the creatures depict them as thin human corpses that have thin pale skin and covered in wounds or blood. They appear to be eviscerated and lack any sort of organs.

In the second image, they seem to be more puppet-like, having balled joints and made mostly of wood, however they do still appear to have some remnants of skin. The third image of them simply shows their silhouettes hanging from the sky.

The fourth images shows them yet again very mannequin-like, even more so than the second image; they have very pale skin, visibly balled joints, a separation in their stomach region, and unusually long necks from which their string protrude. Some of them even have hands and legs missing.

The fifth image depicts them behind what can only be assumed to be their victims. The creatures are in the background of the photo, which is also in black and white, so the details of the creatures are not fully visible. All other later images depict them similarly to their previous appearances.

Behavior and Abilities

Trevor has given us a lot of information about these creatures via the captions of the images. They can manifest anywhere and their strings infinitely extend into the sky, even if they are under a ceiling, as the strings carve a path out of it. Trevor has also stated that they move lifelessly, not moving their limbs and letting gravity flail them about as the Three Red Strings drag them on. You can also contort your body and adjust the number of joints in your bodies without having to connect in linear space. It is implied that they move very quickly when not being looked at, as in one instance, they quickly appear in front of a man when he turned to look back on them.

If one of the corpses’ strings are cut, they will become hostile attempt to replace their lost member with another humanoid figure made out of nearby objects and materials, which will typically be the person who cut the string. The victim will be mutilated to appear more similar to the others, most of the time decapitated and having their disembodied heads left to rot. They are always aggressive but become much more hostile when provoked.

It is unknown how they attack people and how a lost corpse is replaced, as they don’t seem to move their limbs on their own. It’s possible that the red strings are also separate creatures that can attack people and replace lost puppets.

Gallery

The mannequins/corpses hanging next to a streetlight.

The mannequins/corpses hanging directly from the sky. The string goes up forever.

“When he turned back, they had gotten in front of him somehow, and were blocking the alley ahead. They moved slightly in the breeze and clattered against each other.”

“scene of the murders - leavings - 1974” (The mannequins/corpses hanging behind three rotten, decapitated heads).

“First responders on the scene reported seeing strange and decrepit mannequins hanging in the basement of the suburban home, a floor below where they found the bodies. An hour later, and they were gone.”

A drawing of Three Red Strings.

Another drawing.

Trivia

• Trevor has stated that they are not related to The Marionette or The Giant Puppeteer.
• Them, The Arms In The Vent, Hokkaido Hands, Night People and the Love Birds are the only creatures that only appear in groups.
• Trevor has stated that they are his iteration of Moirai or The Three Fates from Greek Mythology.
• In a Twitter poll asking which creatures he should draw more of next, Trevor wrote their names as “Red Strings (Mannequins)”.
• Trevor has implied that they have been around since 1974.
• When asked whether they are mannequins or corpses, Trevor simply replied “yes!”.

Sources

• First image of the creatures.

• Second and third images of the creatures.

• A Twitter poll made by Trevor, which confirms their name.

• Fourth image of the creatures.

• Fifth image of the creatures.
• Sixth image of the creatures.