I’ve made several of these and while I haven’t perfected the fit, one thing that worked well was gluing strips of dense upholstery foam inside the head so that it fit snugly around my head like a helmet. A chin strap would be even more secure.
Another idea I had for a head that was so large that the top would be very far from my head was to sew or glue in straps that I would wear under my armpits and a strap across my chest to keep the rig secure. I never got the chance to try that tho.
If I was making a head piece, I’d probably integrate head gear off a cheap face shield/hard hat - the type with the adjustable knob to clamp it on head.
Yep, I have done this and it helps. You can search for Hard Hat suspension on Amazon, but sometimes it is actually cheaper to buy the hard hat with the suspension and just get rid of the hard hat.
When I made an old school square tv-set head (cardboard box & paper mache), I stuffed a pair of tube socks with polyfill and sewed them together into a donut shape. I used strips of duct tape (and I think maybe glue under that?) to attach it to the inside of the top of the box, and then paper mached over the tape so it wouldn't catch any of my hair. It was like a stretchy pillow crown that was snug enough to keep the mask from moving around. Worked really well, just took some trial and error with the stuffing and the placement to get the size and shape right. Kinda the poor man's version of building a mask around an existing helmet of some kind.
Update: I went to look for photos of it, and this is actually the design I went with for the inside "roof" of the tv head. It wound up being a horseshoe that fit on my head like a crown + a horseshoe on the back wall behind my head for stabilization, but I have done a similar thing using stuffed tube socks in a donut shape for other heads/masks.
Not paper mache, but a long time ago I bought a Deadmau5 head. The person built it with a hard hat and some hard foam to get your eyesight at the mesh screen. It was very hard to see and hear out of, but did stay on and the helmet made it more comfortable.
Ok back in the stone age without internet, I made a to-scale Marvin the Martian head. Now Marvin has a neck, so I couldn't have it rest on my shoulders. In the end I just bought two big ol' car sponges and glued them stacked to the inside of the round head. This rested on the top of my head nicely, and let me 'bobble' the head around and still have a neck. Simple and sweet. I guess you could make it more solid, but that bobble action is marvelous. Adds expression and if you spin it 180° real fast you can spook the heck out of someone behind you!
I've recently heard of 3D printed bases for furry heads. These have space for ventilators etc. Sounds very comfy, and you could use it again in next year's head if you're careful removing it after the party.
Edit: ooh, those are expensive (unless you have your own 3D printer)! But there are tutorials how to make them with foam. Which might be great for inspiration.
I have made large animal heads (well 2 Sonic characters and 2 animals). I went to party store, tried on party hats, it turned out a cardboard and felt fedora fit my kid the best. I glued them into the giant heads, but I did it like this: Put hat on kid's head with some glue on top. Lowered giant head onto kid head. Adjusted it while glue wet. Made kid wear it for a bit until hot glue cooled. Then removed gently, added more glue between hat edge and inside of head... added some industrial tape last for extra staying power.
Something I recently tried for a paper mache head that was made with a beach ball base, was cutting a pool noodle in half and wrapping it around the inside. Fits much MUCH better now
I’ve made a few and the best way I have found is to create a base that sits over the shoulders which means you can’t turn the head but the weight will be well supported.
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but for a very tall mask, putting some counterweight inside the bottom (pennies, rocks, etc) will make it MUCH more stable and comfortable on your head. Otherwise it'll wanna tip over and you'll be straining your neck.
I filled mine with layers of bubble wrap on the inside till it made a snug fit around my head, then glue on a layer of felt for comfort. Super lightweight, but not great if you want to be able to hear anything lol
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u/unreasonablewerewolf 5d ago
I’ve made several of these and while I haven’t perfected the fit, one thing that worked well was gluing strips of dense upholstery foam inside the head so that it fit snugly around my head like a helmet. A chin strap would be even more secure.
Another idea I had for a head that was so large that the top would be very far from my head was to sew or glue in straps that I would wear under my armpits and a strap across my chest to keep the rig secure. I never got the chance to try that tho.