According to this news story, evidently mannequin theft has been an issue in Japan. The dolls resemble children about the age of six and are named “Peko-chan.”

Reuters reports this about the sitings:

After a wave of “Peko-chan” disappearances last year, the company suggested chaining the dolls down, but customers complained that this would be cruel.

Cruel!? It would be cruel to tie down an inanimate object? Am I missing something? Are we that materialistic? Must we personify hunks of plastic that are trying to sell us more junk? Good grief…