LA Krampus Troupe co-founder Al Guerrero is whipping up on a line of snuggly devils to be made available at December’s upcoming Krampusfest events. Accessories for the large doll include: birch sticks, basket, chains, bells and beer. He’s cuddly! Any other crafty types out there interested in creating a Krampus Holiday crafts table to sell items for the 2013 Xmas season? Contact us!
If you want a real Krampus mask from Europe, it’s possible to buy one online as discussed in a recent posting. Some our fellow American Krampuses in the Philadelphia Krampuslauf do buy European masks. They’re expensive, but at least can also serve as a nice year-round display piece. But these masks can cost several hundred dollars even without overseas shipping, so probably are more than most people want to spend.
One answer is to make one from scratch or adapt something readymade, and that’s what most of our LA Krampus Troupe members are doing. One reason for doing this is that genuine Krampus masks tend to be fairly oversized, and this ads a lot to the creature’s imposing presence. Building up the size or height of a mask, elongating the dome of the head or adding towering horns adds hugely to the creature’s imposing presence.
Luckily there are some cheaper readymade masks American masks that do a good job standing in for their European counterparts (or an excellent job with some further modifications discussed below).
But before shopping for your mask….
Have a look at what European Krampus masks really look like by doing an image search for “Krampusmasken.” They’re actually quite diverse, and rarely conform to that very standardized devil featured on the popular Krampus postcards. On the costumes — as in the photo above –you’ll notice multiple horns and more exaggerated beastly features and an wildly expressionistic cartoonish quality — note the tooth piercing the creature’s upper lip on the European mask above!
But a devil mask is not a bad starting point, and you’ll find a number of acceptable possibilities in the $20-40 range.
It may then occur to you to simply do a shopping search for “Krampus mask,” and lo, and behold, you will find a very good lookalike for around $59, a fraction of the cost of European masks. This mask was crafted by Devil’s Workshop, and began mass production in 2011. Search a little more, and you’ll find it again and again and again. Even Wallmart is now selling that mask.You can buy the exact same mask for a little more on eBay if Wallmart makes you feek icky. But you’re still likely to meet lookalike Krampuses who know your secret shame. You could always customize your mask with color — greasepaint (messy) or acrylic paint (flakey if it’s layered too thick), but even there, you may not be sporting a unique look.
If you want to class it up a bit, there is also a very nice purpose-made American Krampus mask for $85 at Specter Studio. Or another cheaper horned option is the $35-55 goat mask, which is also bound to be popular, though isn’t a great match for Krampus.
One way to open up the options a bit is to consider adding horns to a mask that doesn’t have horns. Those adhesive prosthetic Satyr horns, which are sure to be a popular choice for the “Krampus-lite” crowd this year can be spirit-gummed to a rubber mask as well as you fleshy forehead. Or a better — poke a pair of those rigid horns that come on a headband through a hornless mask of your choosing. Some options for hornless base would be an Orc or Goblin, Gargoyle, or just a search for “horned, mask.” Don’t forget to check out Specter Studio’s and Devil’s Workshop’s non-Krampus masks, as they have some cheaper models that might also do nicely once you add horns.
Also, with almost all of these masks you’d probably want to supply your own wig, to match or harmonize with whatever fur you end up adding to your body.
Werewolves can also sometimes be a decent match, and of course they are often sold with a readymade fur suit. No, it’s not really the same kind of fur suit you’ll find on European Krampuses, but it’s a start, and we’ll be posting later about dressing one of those up a bit (and other furry body-covering options). Even if you’re happy with the werewolf fursuit as-is, you might want to consider some of those other Krampus accesories: switches, bell belts, and baskets for naughty children. We’ll get to those too.
No Krampus Los Angeles event require you to wear a costume.
Elaborately costumed members of the LA Krampus Troupe will be showing up at Krampusfest events (and making some unlisted surprise attacks as well), but their suits and masks are the product of substantial investments of time and/or money — usually both. We’re guessing, most enthusiastic attendees will be interested in a little Krampus flair, but aren’t prepared to squander weeks of work or hundreds of dollars, so we’re putting up a few posts about easier approaches to a Krampus(y) look.
Even in Europe, Krampus costumes are not really mass-produced, though most Europeans do buy (rather than make) their suits and masks. Those suits are not cheap, but are purchased from specialized outfitters with repeated yearly use in mind, and are often handed down within a family or group of friends.
Most masks are produced by pro-hobbyists, semi-professional, or professional artisans who may do other sculptural, artistic or ornamental work during the off-season. Wooden masks are still common, particularly in more traditional Alpine regions, but resin or latex is also used. Suits also are often a seasonal sideline of furriers, leatherworkers, or tanners, and are usually made from genuine animal products rather than faux fur.
While most of this work is done on a custom-order basis, in a handful of towns one finds retailers offering Krampus supplies year-round and under one roof. While brick-and-mortar stores like this remain rare, online retailers have begun to conglomerate the output of various artisans as well as serve as exchange sites for used materials. (You can also search the German or Austrian versions of eBay (“krampus, masks” on Germay eBay, or on Austrian eBay), though many sellers will not accept overseas orders, and of course you either need to know some German or be tireless with Google Translate.
Despite the traditional inclination to work with local artisans, the growing popularity of Krampus, has given birth to bigger superstores like Krampus Imperium, which not only ships overseas, but has translated their site into English. While this may seem the perfect answer at first, be advised that occasional sale masks for about $130 and nicer ones moving into the $500 range and beyond. Mask blanks for about $80.
In the US and our friends involved with the Philadelphia Krampuslauf have encouraged a mask-maker in their area to produce a new line of Krampus masks for $85 plus shipping. If your are ambitious and want to create your own mask, but just need a little help with details, glass eyes, teeth, gums, and horns can be purchased on the site also.
Readymade fur suits are not available on Krampus Imperium and are virtually impossible to find on any other multilingual (English-language) site. Used suits sometimes show up on European eBay pages or other online “flea markets,” but are still in the $300-600(+) range. And you might think twice about donning a suit that’s marinated in the sweat generated by a Krampus run.
In a future post, we will offer some cheap options for various Krampus or Krampus-like body coverings as well as other options for easily adaptable off-the-shelf masks.