History Main / CreepySouvenir

NoRealLifeExamplesPlease -- this has been common practice throughout human existence, from shrunken heads to scalping, but documenting real examples is tasteless and not our job. If you're interested in learning more, see TheOtherWiki's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trophy_collecting article on the subject]].

* In one episode of WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants, Spongebob and Patrick accidently unfreeze Manray, who was Mermaidman and Barnicleboy's worst enemy, kept in ice as a souvenir.

* Bennat Ladradun in [[TamoraPierce Tamora Pierce's]] ''Circle Universe'' keeps a shelf full of mementos that he takes from fires in which he makes a difference (he is a semi-professional firefighter). However, [[spoiler:excepting one (his dead wife's hand, complete with matching melted ring), they are actually mementos from the fires that he set]].

* TheNameless hitman in "Battleground" (adapted from the short story by StephenKing) collects trophies from his victims, usually a personal item from their room. When he murders a toymaker, it's implied that this habit enables his witch mother to track the hitman to his apartment.

* In one episode of SpongebobSquarepants, Spongebob and Patrick accidently unfreeze Manray, who was Mermaidman and Barnicleboy's worst enemy, kept in ice as a souvenir.

* One ''JudgeDredd'' short story centered on a man trying to become famous by growing the world's largest nose -- and falling afoul of a collector of body oddities, who wanted to mount the nose on a plaque. Eventually, Judge Dredd finds his hideout, with an extensive collection of heads, arms, and other parts, each one notable in some way -- and each one taken forcibly and likely fatally.

* In ''Savages of {{Gor}}''/''Blood Brothers of Gor'', the Red Savages (FantasyCounterpartCulture to Plains Indains) regularly scalp their enemies.

* Goth and Throbb, the cannibal antagonists in ''{{Literature/Silverwing}}''. They eat a whole group of bats and wear their metal bands as trophies.

* From ''{{Series/Angel}}'': Connor, upon returning to Earth from a hell demension, carries around bits and pieces of demons he's killed. At one point, after a fist fight with a drug dealer, he cuts the guy's ear off to add to his collection.

* ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer}}''[=/=]''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer 40000}}''

* Jaqueline Montarri, a cursed villain from ''{{TabletopGame/Ravenloft}}'', collects the [[AndIMustScream animated still-conscious]] heads of women she's decapitated.

[[/folder]]

* The {{Predator}} collects skulls from its prey, including intelligent ones. We get to see a very impressive display at the end of the second movie, including the elongated skull of a [[{{Alien}} Xenomorph]], laying down the foundation for the ''AlienVsPredator'' franchise.

* ''TransformersAnimated'': Lockdown's habit of taking body parts from his victims falls somewhere between this and robot OrganTheft. If he sees something he likes, he either adds it to his wall of trophies or [[YouWillBeAssimilated integrates it into himself.]]

We all have souvenirs -- items that remind us of a place we visited or a thing we did. But what happens when instead of remembering your trip to [[SouvenirLand Happy Fun Land]], you want to remember the time you murdered some orphans, or decapitated your mortal enemy?

The CreepySouvenir is a sufficiently morbid item that is kept to show off the horrible thing(s) a character has done. Mostly it's human body parts -- heads, teeth, skulls, skin, fingers -- [[NightmareFuel for obvious reasons]]. Sometimes other personal items are taken, like dogtags, but the general rule is the bloodier, the better.

Crosses over occasionally with SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset, GenuineHumanHide, and HavingAHeart. Compare BattleTrophy, CollectorOfTheStrange, StalkerShrine, KitschCollection, DecapitationPresentation. Note that this is different from using body parts for [[HumanResources religious, medical, magical or other purposes]], although that's no less creepy.

* Mr. Zsasz from ''{{Batman}}'' comics carves a line into his body every time he kills someone. He has them all over his body, notched in fives.

* One ''JudgeDredd'' short story centered on a man trying to become famous by growing the world's largest nose -- and falling afoul of a collector of body oddities, who wanted to mount the nose on a plaque. Eventually Judge Dredd finds his hideout, with an extensive collection of heads, arms and other parts, each one notable in some way -- and each one taken forcibly and likely fatally.

* The main villain from ''BattleBeyondTheStars'' collects limbs from people he killed - and use them to replace his own. This comes back to bite him when one of his victims was a member of a hivemind who could still control the arm, and tried to strangle him.

* The famous French short story "La Main" ("The Hand") by Creator/GuyDeMaupassant is about a hunter who cut off the arm of his enemy, dried it in the sun, and hung it in his living room. Later, the man is found dead, with marks on his neck showing he was strangled... and [[HelpingHands the hand in the living room is missing]].

* In ''Savages of {{Gor}}''/''Blood Brothers of Gor'' the Red Savages (FantasyCounterpartCulture to Plains Indains) regularly scalp their enemies.
* Bennat Ladradun in [[TamoraPierce Tamora Pierce's]] ''Circle Universe'' keeps a shelf full of mementos that he takes from fires in which he makes a difference (he is a semi-professional firefighter). However, [[spoiler:excepting one (his dead wife's hand, complete with matching melted ring), are actually mementos from the fires that he set]].

* {{Dexter}} keeps blood sample slides of all his victim in his apartment, hidden in a box in his air conditioner. In the books, he keeps them on his [[HiddenInPlainSight bookshelf]]. The idea is that as a serial killer, he can't stop himself from taking a trophy, and the tiny, easy to hide, easy to get rid of slides are a pretty good idea. [[spoiler:Even in their "convenient to hide" form, the trophy box bites him in the ass when Doakes finds it...]]

* Ronon Dex of ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' has the handle of his faithful RayGun wrapped in Wraith hair. A DeletedScene also have him showing Carter a necklace made from the fingerbones of Wraith he killed.

* ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer}}'' / ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer 40000}}''

** Many warriors from ''Warhammer''. The most prominent among those are Gorthor, who wears a fur cloak made of [[GenuineHumanHide the skins of beastmen shamans]] he killed (showing his badassitude, as well as his belief that gods are with him - he can freely kill a shaman and suffer no curse for it) and the ratmen warlord Queek headtaker who, showing courage unharacteristic for his race, loves single combat, and goes to battle with an actual trophy rack on his back.

** Gannji the lizardfolk mentions that keeping a CreepySouvenir is common amongst ogres. So, when his friend Enor (an ogre/blue dragon hybrid) is forced to kill him, Gannji suggest he'd keep his tail as trophy in order to resurrect him later.

* In the Meet the Medic video for ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', [[MadDoctor the Medic]] is revealed to be keeping the living head of a Blu Spy in his refrigerator. The head demands death when the medic is going through the fridge looking for something else.

* In the Meet the Medic video for ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', [[MadDoctor the Medic]] is revealed to be keeping the living head of a Blu Spy in his refrigerator. The head begs for death when the medic is going through the fridge looking for something else.

* The famous French short story "La Main" ("The Hand") by Guy de Maupassant is about a hunter who cut off the arm of his enemy, dried it in the sun, and hung it in his living room. Later, the man is found dead, with marks on his neck showing he was strangled... and [[HelpingHands the hand in the living room is missing]].

Crosses over occasionally with SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset, GenuineHumanHide, and HavingAHeart. Compare CollectorOfTheStrange, StalkerShrine, KitschCollection, DecapitationPresentation. Note that this is different from using body parts for [[HumanResources religious, medical, magical or other purposes]], although that's no less creepy.

The CreepySouvenir is a sufficiently morbid item that is kept to show off the horrible thing(s) a character has done. Mostly it's human body parts -- heads, teeth, skulls, skin, fingers -- [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel for obvious reasons]]. Sometimes other personal items are taken, like dogtags, but the general rule is the bloodier, the better.

* In ''FalseMemory'' by DeanKoontz, [[PsychoPsychologist Dr. Ahriman]] has his father's eyes. [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Literally]]. He seems to have some kind of twisted fetish for eyes and tears.

* Jaqueline Montarri, a cursed villain from ''{{TabletopGame/Ravenloft}}'', collects the [[AndIMustScream animated]], [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel still-conscious]] heads of women she's decapitated.

** The Prince in rags is a mercenary leader known from wearing a cloak stitched from rags of cloaks of his defeated enemies.

NoRealLifeExamplesPlease -- this has been common practice throughout human existence, from shrunken heads to scalping, but documenting real examples is not our job. If you're interested in learning more, see TheOtherWiki's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trophy_collecting article on the subject]].

* In the Meet the Medic video for ''TeamFortress2'', [[MadDoctor the Medic]] is revealed to be keeping the living head of a Blu Spy in his refrigerator. The head begs for death when the medic is going through the fridge looking for something else.

* In the season 8 finale episode of ''NewTricks'' "Tiger Tiger", the team discover that their victim [[spoiler:was the first victim of a SerialKiller, who collected parts from his victims and stored them in old VHS tape boxes.]] To add to the creepiness factor, the bad guy kept the body parts in [[PunnyNames Punny Named]] video cassette boxes too. The fingers were kept in a box marked "Goldfinger".

[[folder:Comics -- Books]]

* One ''JudgeDredd'' short story centered on a man trying to become famous by growing the world's largest nose - and falling afoul of a collector of body oddities, who wanted to mount the nose on a plaque. Eventually Judge Dredd finds his hideout, with an extensive collection of heads, arms and other parts, each one notable in some way - and each one taken forcibly and likely fatally.

* The {{Predator}} collects skulls from its prey, including intelligent ones. We get to see a very impressive display at the end of the second movie, including the elongated skull of a [[{{Alien}} Xenomorph]], laying down the foundation for the AlienVsPredator franchise.

* ''UniversalSoldier'' starts out with a rogue soldier killing Vietnamese civilians-- to emphasize his insanity, he wears a necklace of human ears.

* In FalseMemory by DeanKoontz, [[PsychoPsychologist Dr. Ahriman]] has his father's eyes. [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Literally]]. He seems to have some kind of twisted fetish for eyes and tears.

--->'''Lecter:''' I didn't.\\

* Goth and Throbb, the cannibal antagonists in ''Literature/{{Silverwing}}''. They eat a whole group of bats and wear their metal bands as trophies.

* ''ASongOfIceAndFire''

* ''{{Dexter}}'' keeps blood sample slides of all his victim in his apartment, hidden in a box in his air conditioner. In the books, he keeps them on his [[HiddenInPlainSight bookshelf]]. The idea is that as a serial killer, he can't stop himself from taking a trophy, and the tiny, easy to hide, easy to get rid of slides are a pretty good idea. [[spoiler:Even in their "convenient to hide" form, the trophy box bites him in the ass when Doakes finds it...]]

* From ''{{Angel}}'': Connor, upon returning to Earth from a hell demension, carries around bits and pieces of demons he's killed. At one point, after a fist fight with a drug dealer, he cuts the guy's ear off to add to his collection.

* Champions of Khorne from ''{{Warhammer}}'' and ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' collect skulls from their victims. These are usually piled up in some sort of a shrine, though many a champion carries a couple of favourites with himself.
* Many warriors from ''{{Warhammer}}''. The most prominent among those are Gorthor, who wears a fur cloak made of [[GenuineHumanHide the skins of beastmen shamans]] he killed (showing his badassitude, as well as his belief that gods are with him - he can freely kill a shaman and suffer no curse for it) and the ratmen warlord Queek headtaker who, showing courage unharacteristic for his race, loves single combat, and goes to battle with an actual trophy rack on his back.
* Inverted for the Slaaneshi champion Lucius the Eternal in ''{{Warhammer 40000}}''. Lucius is blessed with an ability to "always triumph" -- allowing him to reincarnate in the body of his killer, as long as they feel at least a bit of satisfaction over the deed, fusing them into his suit in the process. So every screaming face on his armor is someone who managed to beat him in the past.
* ''DungeonsAndDragons'' module G1 ''Steading of the Hill Giant Chief''. One chest has some dwarf and elf ears, presumably taken from victims the giants killed.
* Jaqueline Montarri, a cursed villain from ''{{Ravenloft}}'', collects the [[AndIMustScream animated]], [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel still-conscious]] heads of women she's decapitated.
* In ''LegendOfTheFiveRings'', there is an ogre who fancies himself a sort of a samurai -- his symbol is a collection of mons from samurai he killed, stitched together.

* ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick''

[[folder: Western Animation]]

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* Goth and Throbb, the cannibal antagonists in ''{{Silverwing}}''. They eat a whole group of bats and wear their metal bands as trophies.
* In ''{{The Witcher}}'' novels, PsychoForHire Leo Bonhart keeps a collection of witcher talismans.

* In ''[[SixteenThirtyTwo 1633]]'', Gunther Achterhof of the Magdeburg Committee of Correspondence was said to carry around the ears, noses, and [[GroinAttack private parts]] of two soldiers he had killed before joining the [=CoC=], in revenge for the killing of his parents.

* In ''[[SixteenThirtyTwo 1633]]'', Gunther Achterhof of the Magdeburg Committee of Correspondence was said to carry around the ears, noses, and [[GroinAttack private parts]] of those he had killed before joining the [=CoC=].