What do the Jedi, Vulcans and the Grinch all have in common? Well, for one thing, they all have capabilities beyond those of normal humans (even human Jedi have super-human capabilities). For another thing, they've all been the inspiration for fans around the world to design and create their own costumes for these characters.
Grinch costumes have been less popular than Star Wars or Star Trek costumes, obviously. There was a rubber latex mask that pulled over the head which was available in 1997 for the 40th Anniversary of the Grinch book. That mask is now selling for a good price on Ebay. And now there's a new over-the-head type mask which is also selling well on Ebay. Sure, you could by latex masks for Klingons and latex ears to be a Vulcan, but many fans have gone the extra mile to have prosthetic appliances created because they are so much more realistic. So it was with me. I wanted to do the Grinch costume as close to the movie as possible. Mainly because I knew very few people would, and frankly, the transition from animated or illustrated character into a real life interpretation is so much more startling and impressive.
As a person who has made many costumes and been many characters, this costume was without a doubt the single most difficult, most complex, expensive and time consuming of all. This project took skills I already had and built on them, but also forced me to learn new ones. I has been an amazing process and one that involved a team of people as well as a few trips to Los Angeles. Below, you can click on the pages which I've organized (to some extent) logically. How does one become The Grinch? Start clicking and find out! I'll be adding more pictures soon, including pictures I'll be taking in December, so bookmark this site and check back.
I have tried to choose the pictures for this site carefully so that you only see the most interesting and illustrative. Though I describe the processes, I have refrained from putting each and every picture I had on this site!
Click on the page links below (preferably in order) to take a tour of the transformation and creative process!
Step one: How on earth am I going to do this? Where and how to start. Planning.
Step two: Lifecasting your face!
Step three: Clay and hard work
Step four: Mold Making and Foam Latex Baking
Step six: Sewing Fleece, Fur and Yak Hair!
Finally: Grab a Martha May, a Cindy Lou Who, Find a town and Grinch it!
My Future Grinch costume additions and enhancements