Jim Carrey the Mask Costume

The Mask is one of Jim Carrey’s most beloved films and wearing a Jim Carrey The Mask costume is a sure way to have a lot of fun this Halloween season. The Mask is a movie featuring Jim Carrey as a cowering, wishy-washy guy that happens upon the mysterious Mask of Loki, the Norse god of mischief. Upon wearing the mask he becomes a boisterous, green-faced man in a bright yellow zoot suit that causes his fair share of mischief.

When considering dressing up as Carrey's character in The Mask there are many varieties to choose from. The actor was seen in the movie in many different styles of dress including a smoking jacket complete with ascot and formal wear. The most notable outfit that was worn, and the one most people wanting to dress in a Jim Carrey The Mask costume, is the very familiar bright yellow zoot suit.

As someone wanting to dress the part of this character you can pretty much wear whatever you want to as long as it is loud and outrageous or just plain old silly. Try a pair of pajamas and fuzzy bunny slippers for instance. A nice black tuxedo complete with a cigarette in a long stem can add a touch of class to the mask.

The movie was released nearly a decade or more ago, which can make putting together your costume somewhat challenging. It is doubtful that you will be able to locate The Mask costume at local retailers, although that shouldn’t stop you from looking at the very least. If you have no luck then search your local yellow pages directory for Costume Shops, as these stores tend to keep hold of anything that was popular within the last two decades, though you may only be able to find them for rent.

The Mask, unlike Michael Myers, Freddie Krueger or Jason Vorhees hasn’t held up over the years to capture the Halloween appeal that those franchises have more so now than ever thanks to the remakes of all three franchises. That's why you aren't likely to find a commercially available costume today. So what should you do? You have your heart set up being the Mask but nowhere to turn. The answer is simple: make it yourself.

The first step is the outfit. The original costume included a yellow zoot suit (a style of dress that was worn during the swing era of music), wide brimmed hat to match (had a black trim on the edge but that is optional), art deco slim tie (it was black with crazy white patterns), black suspenders, patent leather wing tips with white spats,and a white button down shirt. In addition, the character often carried a pocket watch on a long chain.

Several pieces of this costume are easy to find:

• The hat is easy to find at any Halloween store like Halloween Advenure or Spirit Halloween and is usually billed as a pimp hat though the color may not be available that is over little concern as you can always dye it OR match your suit to it
• Skinny ties can be found at any vintage shop and they don’t have to match perfectly to the movie
• Gold watch with a long chain can be found in most stores and some costume shops might have them handy as well as props
• White button down shirt can be found in any men’s wear section of any store
• Black suspenders can be found in any store that sells men’s clothing
• Any costume store will have black shoes with white spats

The toughest thing to get will be the zoot suit itself. You can check out several of the stores below for the color you want:

Exclusive Suits

Men’s Italy

Costume Hub

Halloween Express

Italy Suits

You may also consider checking out eBay, local vintage stores, or buy a plain white zoot suit on the Internet (or wherever) and dye it. You could also make one with patterns from Simplicity or McCall.

The face of the mask may be the hardest thing to find. You may able to locate the original latex rubber mask that was released the same time that the movie was or if you are feeling crafty you can buy the mask from The Son of the Mask and cut it up. The mask that Jim Carrey wore was a foam latex appliance, if you're unable to locate a retailer who sells it, you can make your own.

If you examine the mask closely it has many features that resemble those of a skeleton, zombie or ghoul. You need to find an unfinished facial appliance, meaning it is flesh toned. You can use green grease paint to finish it then add powder to seal it and barrier spray to make it last.

These retailers sell great appliances that can work for you:

Ghoul – There are some parts of this mask you want to fill in which you can with cotton balls and liquid latex.

Bones - Although finished it can easily be covered with green.

The Clown – Nearly perfect for The Mask you will not have to modify it all other than color.

You can modify appliances for a custom fit. On some masks you will want to fill in spots you don’t want with cotton and cover with liquid latex. If need be, you can detach a jaw from the rest of the mask or remove a nose.

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