cardboard cutouts

Life-sized paper people

Cardboard cutouts are flat figures cut from stiff paperboard, typically life-sized images of celebrities or characters used for promotional displays or party decorations: Fans posed with a cardboard cutout of the actor.

Figuratively, a cardboard cutout is a person or character lacking depth or individuality—flat and one-dimensional: The villain was a cardboard cutout, all menace and no motivation.

Related

kitsch · celebrity · red carpet · photo op · display · advertisement · stencil · diorama · parody · template · flatness · flat character · ephemeral · signage · campaign trail · mannequin · retail marketing · imitation

Categories
Opposites
dimensionality

cardboard cutoutsstatues

Three-dimensional sculpted likenesses

figurines · mannequins · busts · sculptures · wax figures

DEPTH/AUTHENTICITY (figurative)

cardboard cutoutscomplex characters

Multidimensional literary personas

real people · dynamic characters · genuine articles

material permanence

cardboard cutoutsbronze statues

Cast alloy artworks depicting figures

marble sculptures · stone monuments · metal sculptures · museum pieces · wooden carvings

Family

cardboard, cutout, card, board, cards, boards, cuts, outs, cutting

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G