When was the last time you visited a museum in Malaysia?
Well, if you can’t remember when, you should probably do so because you might find some interesting, unusual and even creepy objects there.
According to Unilad, museums from around the world are currently locked in a fierce battle over who has the creepiest exhibits.
It all started when the Yorkshire Museum, kicked off the challenge by posting a picture of an eerie hair bun taken from the burial of a Roman woman who lived way back in the third or fourth century.
In the posting, they challenged everyone with the caption, “Can you beat this?”.
MUSEUMS ASSEMBLE! It's time for #CURATORBATTLE! ?
— Yorkshire Museum (@YorkshireMuseum) April 17, 2020
Today's theme, chosen by you, is #CreepiestObject!
We're kicking things off with this 3rd/4th century hair bun from the burial of a #Roman lady, still with the jet pins in place...
CAN YOU BEAT IT? ? pic.twitter.com/ntPiXDuM6v
Other museums joined in too
The hashtags #CuratorBattle and #CreepiestObject quickly spread on Twitter and other museums started posting their eerie possessions.
National Museums Scotland took the challenge up and posted a creepy, toothy mermaid.
Our #CreepiestObject has to be this ‘mermaid’... ???♀️ #CURATORBATTLE #TroublingTaxidermy pic.twitter.com/GMSosyuqIX
— Natural Sciences NMS (@NatSciNMS) April 17, 2020
“Many museums have one but they usually look more like our other ‘mermaid’...
We have a little more information about this one: The posterior half was formed from a Pacific wrasse, & the head/thorax were sculpted, with fish jaw inserted in the mouth. #CreepiestObject,” read the caption.
The Scarborough Museums Trust Collections shared a ‘pigeon heart stuck with pins for punishing a witch.
Nice. We have a pigeon heart stuck with pins for punishing a witch...#CreepiestObject #CuratorBattle pic.twitter.com/CUOdNlB3eN
— SMT Collections Team (@SMT_Collections) April 17, 2020
Berlin’s Deutsches Historisches Museum shared a sinister plague mask.
Thanks for thinking of us @HottyCouture and wow, will we be having nightmares tonight with all these #CreepiestObject|s ! Here is the one we just can't hide from you, one of our many creepy gems – our Plague Mask (1650/1750)! #curatorbattle pic.twitter.com/JrMjqAJSIM
— Deutsches Historisches Museum (@DHMBerlin) April 17, 2020
Here are a few other creepy rarities that were also posted under the hashtags.
The Skull Chapel in Kudowa (Poland). It is the mass grave of people who died during the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648), three Silesian Wars (1740–1763), as well as of people who died because of cholera epidemics, plague, syphilis and hunger. so #CreepiestObject #CURATORBATTLE brr pic.twitter.com/yLMEYCqMpz
— Łukasz (@YngvePL) April 29, 2020
We found a #CreepiestObject in our collection too. It’s a model of a rescue sledge with a doll tied to it, 1905. The origin and purpose of the object are poorly documented, the collection manager suspects that it was used for training purposes in mountain rescue. #CURATORBATTLE pic.twitter.com/eAT5VozTWJ
— Alpines Museum der Schweiz (@AlpinesMuseum) May 4, 2020
Did someone say #CreepiestObject #CuratorBattle?
— The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures (@toyminiature) April 30, 2020
Meet T/m’s prohibition automaton (made by Character Display Co.). This handsome fella lectured folks on the evils of drinking. #toyandminiaturemuseum#museumfromhome pic.twitter.com/HVg5CRWCp9
Our #creepiestobject! This is an artistic interpretation of Skalula, or Owl Woman. She is a child-eating monster that teaches children to stay inside at night! She is like the “boogeyman” of syilx lore. Made by artist Coralee Miller. #CURATORBATTLE pic.twitter.com/J7NlQohL0L
— Sncəwips Museum (@sncewipsmuseum) April 29, 2020
I’ll see your eye and raise you a box full of eyes.
— Michiel (@upstalbeam) April 21, 2020
from the @museumboerhaave #CreepiestObject pic.twitter.com/4ha3W9VhsY
#CURATORBATTLE our final #CreepiestObject is our petrified cat. In 1850 this cat was trapped in the walls of a house being built. Found in 1966, it's been on exhibit at the Wentworth Museum. It's now off exhibit & getting the conservation it needs. #keepingpensacolahistoryalive pic.twitter.com/HJZaY12PjO
— Historic Pensacola (@HistoricPcola) April 29, 2020
Say you chop the head off a Japanese longneck monster. But the neck of this rokurokubi just extended to the max. Will the taxidermy be more expensive? Recently on display at the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka! #curatorbattle #creepiestobject #nmvw #rokurokubi #yôkai pic.twitter.com/kzj7pCLmFX
— Museum Volkenkunde (@volkenkunde) April 29, 2020
Out on the floor, it’s probably our decomposing coyote in the dermestid beetle tank!
— NC Museum of Natural Sciences (@naturalsciences) April 17, 2020
You can read about the tank and the decomposition process in our October article: https://t.co/atXK1wPEB1 pic.twitter.com/FtTW0gUmuJ
Terrible stuff! But the Girl of Yde, who was strangled, stabbed, dumped in a swamp and dug up 2000 years later surely leaves everything behind. She was 16 at time of death, had a crooked spine and limped. She is in the Drents Museum and a definite #creepiestobject #curatorbattle pic.twitter.com/blI36yhMuW
— Rutger van der Hoeven (@RutgerHoeven) April 20, 2020
Yes, the items are creepy but the backstories are fascinating.
Go check out the hashtags and learn a bit about the items on "display".
Just don't blame us if you have nightmares tonight!