“Mannequin” (マネキン), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1988 (film 1987), B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) O866/7
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the first Japanese cinema release of Michael Gottlieb’s Mannequin (マネキン), starring Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall. The film was produced in 1987 and first opened theatrically in Japan on 20 February 1988, distributed domestically by Warner Bros.
A quintessential 1980s romantic fantasy-comedy, Mannequin follows struggling artist Jonathan Switcher, whose life changes when a mannequin he created comes to life as Emmy, an ancient Egyptian woman visible as human only to him. Directed by Michael Gottlieb, the film also stars Estelle Getty, James Spader, G. W. Bailey and Meshach Taylor. Its soundtrack became inseparable from the film, particularly Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”, referred to on the Japanese poster by its domestic title 「愛はとまらない」.
Poster design
A superb and unmistakably 1980s Japanese theatrical design, using an unusually generous expanse of clean white negative space around the central image of Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall posed with a red motorcycle. McCarthy appears in the film’s wonderfully period-specific tuxedo jacket, jeans and sneakers, while Cattrall is draped playfully across him in her mannequin pose, complete with a price tag dangling from her ankle.
The huge vertical copy on the right reads 「若者たちの憧れを誘い全米大ヒット！」, promoting the film as a major American hit, while the central text delivers the joke at the heart of the story: 「僕の恋人は他人の前では人間をやめます！」 — approximately, “My girlfriend stops being human when other people are around!”
Across the top, 「こんな恋人が欲しかった」 translates as “I wanted a lover like this.” The far-left copy prominently promotes the film’s hit theme 「愛はとまらない」, demonstrating how heavily the Japanese campaign connected the movie with its enormously recognisable soundtrack.
The colourful Japanese title マネキン, divided into turquoise, pink, lavender and green blocks, anchors the bottom of the sheet and gives the otherwise minimalist composition a distinctly playful graphic finish. It is a wonderful snapshot of late-1980s fashion, music and romantic-comedy advertising in Japan.
It is over 38 years old!
Condition
Excellent. The poster retains superb colour saturation, with the clean white field, red motorcycle, colourful title blocks and photographic imagery remaining exceptionally fresh. There are only very minor signs of age and handling, with no significant condition issues affecting the central artwork or typography. Please review the photo—it shows the exact poster for sale.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
