is back and better than ever, with another host of celebrities ready to be unmasked on the singing show.
12 unique costumes were crafted for the talent show, including Bush, Dressed Crab, Toad in the Hole, Teeth and Spaghetti Bolognese. Also in the line-up this year are Bear, Kingfisher, Pegasus, Pufferfish, Tattoo and Wolf.
They’re not the only intricate designs this year, as host Joel Dommett was surprised as Giant Joel made an appearance – with a huge caricature of his own head. The special included Star, Christmas Cracker, Turkey Crown and Nutcracker – meaning the team behind the costumes had their work cut out for them.
Thankfully, Plunge Creations are well up for the challenge, and have been providing the costumes for The Masked Singer since its inception, as well as its spin-off and the live tours for the shows.
The Brighton-based company tends to start work on the extravagant costumes around April of the year before the show’s January launch. Ideas will be sketched out until the final details are ready to be added by June. Then they’ll be crafted.
Don’t miss…
The Masked Singer costumes take up to a year to make (Image: ITV)
Managing director Tim Simpson told The Argus: “A lot of chit chat goes on in the workshop regarding how the silly idea in my head is actually going to turn into reality. I tend to get a pen and a paper and wander around the garden or go for a walk.”
He added: “We don’t have the faintest clue who any of the performers are at the point when we are designing. The performers aren’t even signed up at the early design stage.
“We are sent measurements and they tell us what sex the performer is, but that is all we know. Producers then find stand-ins who have the same body measurements and that’s who we end up fitting the costumes to.”
A new batch of celebs have been signed up for the new series (Image: ITV)
Tim added that it’s important the costumes be easy to sing, see and move in – and not knowing what someone is like physically makes that a difficult challenge.
He told The Indiependent: “They perform in front of a mirror so that they can see themselves and see, see who they become in that costume. Because it is about bringing a character to life, and some of the characters benefit from you being bouncy and bubbly, and others want to be a little bit menacing.
“They do camera tests and check that they’re getting the most out of the performance. And it is hard, right? Because they’re hot, they’re difficult to wear. The visibility’s not great. There are loads of lights on stage, it’s really warm. And they’ve got to sing!”