"stickmen"

a static armature is a framework that does not move that is built to resemble a human (or other) form, typically they're made from PVC glued or screwed together. You then "dress" them with whatever you like... I used wig stands (ala wig heads or foam heads) to mount halloween masks and also used wig hair where necessary. I used coat hangers and masking take to make most of the hands, ala "corpse hands" These are a great first prop as they're pretty easy to make and arn't very expensive - do invest in the $10 set of PVC sprinkler pipe cutters!