Norman the Puppet From Interpol's "Evil" Music Video Was Even Creepier When Rediscovered

When the band Interpol came out with their music video for the single "Evil" in the early 2000s, the star of the video became an unlikely internet celebrity. I say unlikely because the star is not a person, but a creepy, animatronic puppet.

As lead singer Paul Banks croons deceptively dark lyrics, the puppet, whom the internet nicknamed "Norman," lip-syncs and dances in jerky movements. Norman stands in front of the scene of a car crash, where victims are being cared for by paramedics.

We follow Norman on his journey into the hospital, where he goes into surgery and finally frantically dances on top of the operating table.

The performance is made even more disconcerting by the fan theory that the song is about Fred and Rosemary West, who raped and brutally murdered at least nine women.

Over a decade after Interpol's "Evil" music video came out, Norman was rediscovered in a listing online. He was listed as “Creepy Ghoul Puppet From Music Video," according to a Medium article.

Norman was eventually rescued by John Kolbek, an artist and YouTuber. However, when Norman was officially "unboxed," it became clear that the years had not been kind to him.

As John showed in an unboxing video, Norman's cuts were deeper, and his skin had started deteriorating. A leg was missing, and his distressed state gave him an even creepier appearance than before.

"[Remember] that lovable (sometimes creepy) puppet that the fans grew to love and call 'Norman'? Well, he's had a rough 17 years. Being passed around as a Halloween ornament, to ending up in someone's storage shed," John wrote.

He continued, "The good news is, he's found a new caring home. The bad news is, he's pretty messed up. BUT with your help, and the help of Lunas Puppets, we can fully restore him back to his former glory!"

A commenter on the GoFundMe wrote, "I donated because I saw the video and liked it, and somehow stumbled into this little rabbit hole, where Norman was lost and found again, and I honestly want to see more of him in the future; see how his story develops after the wreck in the Evil Music Video."

The commenter would get their wish. John eventually raised enough money for Norman's facelift.

Raiden Gorby, a puppetry artist who goes by LunasPuppets online, took on the task of restoring Norman to his former glory. He documented the process on his Instagram page.

Because Norman's original foam skin had degraded, Raiden made him a new silicone skin meant to last. John didn't want the old skin, so Raiden preserved it and made it into a creepy display bust from the original animatronic core casting.

Norman is getting a second chance at life, hosting reaction videos to memes, viral videos, TikToks, and reels on John's YouTube channel, OddStoriesYT.

Apologies to Norman, but he has been creepy in every form we've seen him. However, it seems that his pallid, off-putting look pairs best with the deadpan delivery of sardonic humor on John's — sorry — Norman's channel.