Monster mask ads: 1950s-70s

A fantastic vintage ad set from the ever-reliable Man Writing Slash: this one, a collection of old ads for fright masks and associated novelties.

Halloween Masks - SIX Different Ads!

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: costumes • halloween • Monsters • wide

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http://www.dffrnt.com/ vijay

The Sixth Finger — love that name.
- noah django
  
  man, that takes me back. they haven’t called me that since high school!
jhavatar

I have no idea what masks cost in the states (or here), but are those not crazy expensive for 1950-1970? If assume ad is from 1979 then these prices range (+-) between $175 and $670
- vance_tam
  
  They were very expensive. My parent’s rent was only $200 a month for a six-room house with a full basement and attic. But those companies sold thousands of masks. Monster movies were insanely popular in those days. Generally more time was spent building suspense and then you get to see the monster, so the mask/make up needed to be good.
vance_tam

Those were the heydays of the film monsters. Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine was at it’s zenith. Thousands of semi-pro latex full-head masks were sold at outrageous prices. There were maybe a dozen different magazines that covered the monster/sci-fi/fantasy genre providing behind the scenes information on actors, films, directors, news, and some large format B&W comics (Creepy and Vampirella come to mind).

Things were so much simpler in those days.
Antinous / Moderator

I had a full-head rubber Frankenstein mask c. 1965, possibly the same as in one of these ads, although I’m pretty sure that it was purchased in a store. It was quite well-made. If it hadn’t been tossed 40 years ago, I imagine that it would still be usable.
Jaan

Minstrel…. *sigh*
- paddle2paddle
  
  Ubangi and Cannibal too. At least we recognize this today.
oasisob1

The mystery monkey man sure has all the girls agog.
Alan

Is it me, or does the one marked Idiot in the first ad look like, well, George W.?
- welcomeabored
  
  If Ackroyd had turned to Brooks wearing a mask looking like Bush, I’d scream. I sincerely hope to never see Bush’s face again, or any member of his family, for any reason other than in an open casket.
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPlp-WK0XBo&feature=related