Monica did not wear a real turkey on her head in the Friends episode “The One with All the Thanksgivings.” In that episode, Monica puts a turkey on her head as a joke to cheer up Chandler, who accidentally loses a toe during Thanksgiving dinner. However, the turkey used in the scene was not a real one.
According to Greg Malins, one of the writers of Friends, they had initially wanted to use a real turkey for the scene. However, they soon realized that finding a turkey large enough to fit a human head was practically impossible. Even the biggest turkeys available for sale were not big enough. So, the prop department had to come up with a fake turkey that would look believable on Monica’s head.
The prop department did their best to create a turkey that looked realistic. They used materials like foam and latex to make a turkey prop that closely resembled a real turkey but was lightweight enough to be worn on Monica’s head comfortably. The result was a fake turkey that fooled many viewers into thinking it was real.
While it would have been amusing to see Monica wearing a real turkey on her head, the logistics and practicality of finding such a turkey made it impossible. The use of a fake turkey allowed the show to create a memorable and comical moment without compromising on the safety and comfort of the actors.
Monica did not wear a real turkey on her head in the Friends episode. The prop department had to create a fake turkey that closely resembled a real one due to the impracticality of finding a real turkey large enough to fit a human head.