Video: Father pretends to be mannequin to surprise son with special needs

DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (WTXF) - A New Jersey father has gone viral after video of him pretending to be a store mannequin to make his son with special needs smile was posted on social media.

Jacob Houck, 21, has developmentally delays due to a childhood brain tumor. This week, he's still re-living the shopping trip with his father that set the internet on fire.

It was a Saturday night, just after Thanksgiving, and the Houcks were making the rounds at the Deptford Mall when the idea came to father Rich Houck.

Rich had a plan, but he needed a helper. So, he walked into the Buckle clothing store and made a rather strange request of assistant store manager Nicole Prodin.

He wanted to be a living mannequin.

So, with Nicole behind the camera, Rich set up in the store window to surprise his son.

The video shows Jacob briefly searching for his father in the mall before he eventually spots him in the store window.

"I just thought, like, this is what I'm doing. I'm making him happy, and that's it," Rich explained.

In no time, Jacob joined his dad behind the glass, posing as a mannequin himself, framed perfectly in a holiday wreath.