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Since its closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Yorkshire Museum in England has launched a weekly #curatorbattle on social media to challenge others to showcase their objects related to a particular theme. A couple of days ago, the museum posted a picture of a hair bun from the burial of a Roman woman in the third or fourth century, kicking off a new competition. This time, curators from all over were asked to share their most sinister possessions. And they delivered.

From a chilling plague mask and haunting dolls to a painted whale eardrum and beyond, museums have been responding to the #CuratorBattle with their #CreepiestObject and it's what horror movies are made about. Continue scrolling and get your share of nightmare fuel!

Image credits: YorkshireMuseum

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#1

Creepy museum exhibit of a mermaid sculpture with a fish jaw, combining Pacific wrasse and human features.

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"The curator battle has been gradually building as more and more museums and the general public look at our Twitter feed every Friday to see what theme we're going to pitch," Millicent Carroll, digital engagement officer for the York Museums Trust, told Bored Panda in a statement.

"Last week's 'Best Egg' had replies from the Hermitage in Russia and the American Museum of National History, but the creepiest object has taken it to another level!"

Replies have come from the German History Museum, Oshawa Museum in Ontario, Canada, the New York Historical Society, and America's first museum - the Charleston Museum. It has also been popular in the UK, with museums such as the Imperial War Museum, Bank of England Museum, curators from the National History Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, and many Yorkshire museums getting involved.

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    #2

    Plague mask exhibit from a museum's collection, featured among the creepiest museum exhibits for its eerie historical design.

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    Carroll said it is great for museums to be able to still share their collections with the public when their doors are closed.

    The pandemic hasn't been kind to these establishments. For example, the York Museum Trust, a charity which runs several of York's museums, including the Yorkshire Museum, was forced to close all of them due to the coronavirus. "We have lost 70% of our income, as most of it comes from visitor admissions," Lee Clark, communications manager for the trust, added.

    #3

    Creepy cursed children's toy called Wheelie on wheels, featured in a museum's creepy exhibit collection.

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    "Social media is one of the few ways we can still engage with audiences so we have been working really hard to come up with innovative and interesting ideas to get people talking and learning about objects in our care," Clark explained.

    And it looks like the staff is doing one heck of a good job. Their creepy object tweet has had nearly 10K likes and 4K retweets, gaining the Yorkshire Museum 2.6K followers over the weekend alone.

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    York Museums Trust has also created Museums From Home, a page on their website dedicated to ways people can get involved with its collections, buildings and stories while they're closed.Also, if you want to support the organization and all the wonderful things they're doing, consider donating through their website.

    Also, if you want to support the organization and all the wonderful things they're doing, consider donating through their website.

    #4

    18th century diving suit displayed in a museum exhibit, one of the creepiest museum attractions worldwide.

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    "Mummy? Are you my mummy?"

    #5

    Creepy kids costumes displayed at a museum exhibit featured in the competition for the creepiest museum exhibits.

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    #6

    Early 19th-century German wax child mannequin with distorted features displayed in creepy museum exhibit.

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    #7

    Hand-made creepy Victorian museum exhibit with figures made from crab legs and claws playing cards and hauling gold nuggets.

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    #8

    Dark ceramic sculpture of a severed lower leg with multiple legs and a beastly head, a creepy museum exhibit.

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    #9

    Creepy antique doll with damaged face and lace dress in a museum exhibit showcasing the creepiest objects.

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    #10

    Creepy Drinking Bear exhibit from a museum with red eyes holding a cup and bottle, part of creepy museum exhibits.

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    #11

    Iron mask with grotesque design displayed in a museum as part of the creepiest exhibit collection in museums.

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    #12

    Mummified Hand of Glory displayed in a glass case at Whitby Museum, one of the creepiest museum exhibits.

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    #13

    Taxidermy pig head mounted on a plaque, featured in creepy museum exhibits competing for the best unsettling displays.

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    #14

    Half skeleton half woman statue holding a towel holder in a museum display of creepy exhibits.

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    #15

    Pincushion with tiny children's heads pinned inside, featured as a creepy museum exhibit in curatorial competition.

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    #16

    Physicians stick with bite marks displayed in a museum exhibit, one of the creepiest objects in museum collections.

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    #17

    Fetus doll used for medical training displayed in museum exhibit known for the creepiest objects and eerie artifacts.

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