“Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert was “horrified” after unearthing a terrifying piece of ’70s TV memorabilia – herself!
Gilbert recently said how creeped out she was when she saw the Famous Faces plastic Halloween mask of her character, Laura Ingalls, from the hit show.
“Of all the awards and accolades I have received: an Emmy, Theater World Award, Star on the Walk of Fame, nothing has flattered me more than this spot-on, beautifully conceived and wildly convincing costume,” Gilbert, 62, playfully posted on Instagram alongside her photo from the show and a picture of the not-ready-for-primetime mask.
Gilbert couldn’t keep a straight face looking at the ghastly mask, saying it looked more like “The Incredible Hulk.”
“When I saw this, actually, while trick or treating as a child, my first thought was, ‘Wow, could Lou Ferrigno be my birth father?’” she quipped, referring to the musclebound actor who played the Hulk on the CBS show.
Her followers joined in on the joke — adding names of other famous men from yesteryear the mask resembled.
“Someone at the factory said, ‘Just put braids on the left over ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ masks,” one said, referencing the ’70s TV series starring actor Lee Majors.
“It looks like they reused the Mickey Dolenz face from the old Monkees Halloween costumes,” another added, referring to the singer of the ’60s musical group.
“Omg this is closer to the Ronald Reagan mask on ‘Point Break,’” someone else said.
The eccentric ensemble, which included a floral-printed pioneer-looking dress, was part of the Famous Faces line of Halloween costumes that came in a box and included a plastic mask and a vinyl smock made by Brooklyn-based company Ben Cooper, Inc.
“If anyone from the Famous Faces company is around and sees this, I just want to say thank you. I am truly honored yet strangely horrified at the same time,” added Gilbert.
Gilbert was 10 when the show premiered on NBC in 1974, and played Laura until the series ended in 1983, when she was 19. The beloved series got a Netflix reboot this year.
Some told Gilbert they dressed as Laura too, but with original costumes they put together.
“I was Laura for Halloween. Mom made us dresses and aprons and we had bonnets we bought from the Amish in Lancaster PA. And cute little boots,” one said.
“I just put my hair in braids and wore a cute prairie-looking dress,” another added.
However, one woman admitted that she sported the Famous Faces costume — which is selling for $187.50 on eBay.
“I had this and was thrilled to wear it! You could hardly tell us apart if put side by side,” she wrote.
“As a little girl in Oklahoma, I thought it was so Hollywood!!”
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