‘The Masked Singer’ costumes cost more than the trophy — but wait until you hear how it is designed
Curating creative costumes for 'The Masked Singer' contestants is pricey! During an interview with Yonhap News, Craig Pletis, who serves as an executive producer for the American Fox production of the show, shared some close insights about the costume department of the show. In addition to this, Pletis also spoke about the overall cost of the costumes. It has been reported by the South Korean media outlet that every costume featured on the show costs about 200,000 won, which is a little more than $178,700. When we talk about the most recent season of the show, it had 16 contestants competing for the coveted winner's title and the prestigious trophy, which means it amounted to over $2.8 million.
In the same interview, Pletis mentioned that each costume comes with its own share of challenges. "There were difficulties and complexities with each costume we designed. There was a time when the eye of a costume fogged up during the performance, so the contestant got lost and couldn’t find their way on stage. The contestant almost fell off the stage, but a staff member ran over and saved them. We immediately fixed the mask so that air could pass through better and wouldn’t fog up," Pletis said, as per The Express.
Recently, costume designer Tim Simpson, who works for Brighton-based company Plunge Creations, spilled a couple of secrets about the stunning costumes featured on the beloved singing competition. Simpson shed light on the creative process and revealed that he kicked off with brainstorming 65 character concepts. Ultimately, Simpson narrowed it down to 12 standout characters. As per The Mirror, while speaking about the process of creating these costumes, Simpson said, “All the costumes are handmade over several weeks. There’s nothing off the shelves, and we have whole teams making the designs come to life. I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved this year.”
Talking about a costume he designed for the ITV series in 2022, Simpson shared, “I wanted to bring the concept of Bagpipes to life and give it a jolly character. It’s fun for the performer to wear because it swings around. This involved a hell of a lot of sequins, as well as heavily sequinned fabrics." On the other hand, Simpson also stated that creating a costume for another character named 'Firework' was a big challenge for him. There are eight battery packs on the head, which have small sparkly Christmas lights, and there are tiny pom-poms on the end of fibreglass to give it that look of an explosion. Although it looks like the performer wouldn’t be able to see, visibility is good. There’s space between the fireworks, so wherever the celebrity looks, they can see. It’s like being in a mesh fishbowl.”
Earlier this year, in February, Pufferfish, who was none other than 'Les Misérables' actress Samantha Barks, emerged as the winner of 'The Masked Singer.' When Pletis was asked about the criteria for those who want to participate in the show, he quipped, "Our goal was to choose someone who a majority of the American public would recognise once they removed the mask. Second, they needed a good enough voice to participate in the competition. We also considered whether they would attempt new genres.”