# Living Ventriloquism Dummies Nina Conti on Russell Howard's Good News Uses a Human Prop By Vivian Lau | Published 2012-06-05 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nina-conti-on-russell-howards-good-news References: [laughingsquid](http://laughingsquid.com/ventriloquism-by-nina-conti-using-a-human-dummy/) & [youtube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eFafj0ystrs) The premise of ventriloquism is the projection of one's own voice onto that of an inanimate dummy, and the novelty stems from the idea that a doll itself is speaking -- but even though Nina Conti on Russell Howard's Good News turns this concept upside down with a live audience member as her volunteer dummy, she manages to keep all of the humor a [ventriloquism act](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/amazing-digital-circus) entails. Her show starts off with the [traditional puppet](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/life-in-stitches) as her partner, but halfway through the act, Nina Conti asks for an audience member. A good-sported Luke is picked out of the crowd and is asked to take off his glasses to don an ape-like mask that gives him the most hilariously smug look. This alone is enough to draw a few giggles out of the audience. With Nina edging him on the dance, she notes that his body language suggests he won't dance, but then, being a ventriloquist, [speaks as if she were him](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/creatorkit) and promises the audience that 'he' truly cannot wait. A talented comedian who's preformed all over the world, NIna Conti has found a great twist to the art of ventriloquism. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.0/10 - Popularity: 25% | Activity: 56% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Humor](https://www.trendhunter.com/humor) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Interactive Ventriloquism:** Opportunity for ventriloquists to engage with live audience members as interactive dummies. - **Human Puppetry:** Incorporating human volunteers as puppets in ventriloquism acts for added humor and novelty. - **Alternative Ventriloquism Acts:** Exploring unconventional approaches to ventriloquism performances, such as using human props instead of traditional dummies. ### Who This Affects Most - **Entertainment:** Application of interactive ventriloquism in comedy shows, variety acts, and live performances. - **Event Hosting:** Opportunity to offer unique entertainment experiences by including human puppetry acts in events and parties. - **Performing Arts Education:** Teaching workshops and classes on alternative ventriloquism techniques, including using audience members as participants. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [AI Video Spokespeople](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/humva.md) - [Guided Challenge Party Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/human-controller.md) - [Playful Retail Pop-Up Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-joke-shop.md) - [Real Hair-Packed Voodoo Dolls](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/steveo.md) - [Hand-Cranked AI Storytelling Machines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/narratron.md) - [Gin-Fueled Human Chatbots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chat-gt.md) - [AI Customer Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tilly-norwood.md) - [Digital Avatar LED Masks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/qudi-mask-2.md) - [Emotive Inflatable Masks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lian-mask.md)