The Masked Singer’s costume designer reveals how his wacky masks are created – and what happens to them once the show is over
It may be a celebrity guessing competition, but the real stars of The Masked Singer are undoubtedly its incredible costumes.
Designed by Academy Award-winning costumier Tim Chappel, this season’s masks are nothing short of spectacular, with characters such as Pavlova and Vampire captivating fans of all ages.
Speaking to Popsugar Australia on Friday, Chappel revealed the extraordinary amount of work that goes into bringing his sketches to the stage.
Behind the masks: The Masked Singer’s costume designer Tim Chappel has revealed how his wacky masks are created – and what happens to them once the show is over
‘We start throwing around ideas directly after we finish a season,’ Chappel said of the design process, adding that things ‘gets serious’ 16 weeks before the show.
‘Some costumes take 6 months from concept to actualisation. Some little emergencies are born two weeks before the shoot,’ he added.
Chappel, whose film credits include Pricilla and Miss Congeniality, also revealed that many of his larger-than-life creations require special engineering to make sure they don’t fall over.
Academy Award-winning costumier Chappel (pictured) has created the show’s masks since its first season in 2019, and his season’s masks are nothing short of spectacular, with characters such as Pavlova and Vampire captivating fans of all ages
For example, the Dolly mask was so tall that it had a tendency to tip over, meaning that the performers’ costume had to be perfectly balanced before they went on-stage.
Chappel also admitted that the Volcano was the most difficult mask to create this season, explaining that there were ‘a lot of moving parts’ that needed to come together.
As for what happens to the masks and set pieces once the show is over, Chappel said nothing goes to waste.
‘We start throwing around ideas directly after we finish a season’: Speaking to Popsugar Australia on Friday, Chappel revealed the extraordinary amount of work that goes into bringing his sketches to the stage
Chappel, whose film credits include Pricilla and Miss Congeniality, also revealed that many of his larger-than-life creations – including the Dolly mask (pictured) – require special engineering to make sure they don’t fall over
‘All sets and costumes are kept and reused’: As for what happens to the masks and set pieces once the show is over, Chappel said nothing goes to waste
‘All sets and costumes are kept and reused. The costumes are used for marketing or even loaned to international productions of the show,’ he explained.
Chappel has designed all the costumes for The Masked Sing since its first season in 2019.
For this year’s third season, he introduced a flurry of mind-boggling new masks, including Professor, Mullet, Atlantis, Baby, Kebab, Lightning, Duster and Piñata.
So far, three celebrities have been unmasked – footballer Vinnie Jones as Volcano, chef George Calombaris as Duster and singer Ben Lee as Professor.
The Masked Singer Australia continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel 10
Fantastical: For this year’s third season, he introduced a flurry of mind-boggling new masks, including Professor, Mullet, Atlantis, Baby, Kebab, Lightning, Duster and Piñata
Don’t miss it! The Masked Singer Australia continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel 10. Pictured: The Masked Singer host Osher Günsberg