What? No Masks?

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Finally an answer for those of you who want a Krampus costume, but just can’t bring yourselves to buy or make the mask! There is, in a certain region of Germany, a style of Krampus  that does not wear a sculpted mask (actually, it goes by a different regional name, but let’s not quibble).  Along with the unusual substitution of fur hoods for maks, they also use atypical bull horns and even deer antlers (vs. the usual goat horns).  So, now you have an excuse to dodge the mask.  Just don’t scrimp on the horns!

More and More Cowbell!

If you’ve ever seen a genuine Krampus run, you will never forget the sound — dozens or even hundreds of huge cowbells, or even larger purpose-made bells “frog-mouth bells” (Froschmaul Glocken).   Unfortunately, these special bells are impossible to find stateside, and impossibly expensive to buy and ship from overseas, but LA Krampuses are coming up with alternatives.

Below you’ll see how LA Krampus Al Ridenour started with a hefty double-wide workbelt, aged a bit with sandpaper and acetone, added chain and chain-hangers (inverted picture hangers) rusted in a corrosive baths of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.  As an extra — not necessarily traditional — touch, he added bits of bone and antler.  The bells are either from eBay or new items  antiqued with paint or treated chemically.

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Finished belt…

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Foxy Krampus Suit

The first of several suits made by LA Krampus Al Ridenour was constructed from an inexpensive werewolf suit partially covered with patches of fox fur recycled from an old coat.  A shaggier look was obtained by adding homemade wefts of hair sewn from synthetic braiding hair used in hair extensions.   The second photo demonstrates a dubious “sexy satyr” topless variant of the suit.

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