# What was this Halloween mask from the '70s? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 4, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875 "2011-11-04T17:51:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/1 "2011-11-04T17:51:21Z")
I just saw the cover of the Steve Miller Band’s [_The Joker_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TheJoker.jpg) again and I was reminded of the mask being worn in the photograph. I had that mask, and I think I had the costume that went with it. But I never really knew what it was, sort of assumed it was kind of an off-brand Spider-Man type guy. Does anyone have any more information about it? ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/2 "2011-11-04T17:54:36Z")
I’m getting a “File not found” error when I click the link. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/3 "2011-11-04T17:56:05Z")
[![](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TheJoker.jpg) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TheJoker.jpg) Beats me. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/4 "2011-11-04T18:00:31Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > [File:TheJoker.jpg - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TheJoker.jpg) > > Beats me. Concur. In fact that’s the first time I’ve noticed that it’s a mask and not facepaint. I always took it to be a parody of Kiss. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/5 "2011-11-04T18:04:15Z")
Found this: a Collegeville Costumes catalog from 1974. Check out the bottom right. > **[Halloween Costumes I Collegeville I 1974 I Plaidstallions.com](https://www.plaidstallions.com/collegeville/19744.html)** > > 1974 catalog of halloween costumes produced by collegeville, ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/6 "2011-11-04T18:10:36Z")
Photo of one here. Buy your own on E-Bay! 😃 [http://www.ebay.com/itm/Collegeville-Costum-Mask-3-Spider-Skeleton-and-Lion-/270808400757](http://www.ebay.com/itm/Collegeville-Costum-Mask-3-Spider-Skeleton-and-Lion-/270808400757) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/7 "2011-11-04T18:12:36Z")
Good work, **pravnik**! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/8 "2011-11-04T18:19:47Z")
Hey, thanks! So it was just a generic “The Spider.” I notice the caped “The Bat,” so it seems pretty clear that they were making cheapo versions of proprietary characters. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/9 "2011-11-04T18:31:49Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Photo of one here. Buy your own on E-Bay! 😃 > > [http://www.ebay.com/itm/Collegeville-Costum-Mask-3-Spider-Skeleton-and-Lion-/270808400757](http://www.ebay.com/itm/Collegeville-Costum-Mask-3-Spider-Skeleton-and-Lion-/270808400757) I wonder if Miller would have sold as many albums if he’d worn the tiger mask. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/10 "2011-11-04T18:58:53Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Concur. In fact that’s the first time I’ve noticed that it’s a mask and not facepaint. I always took it to be a parody of Kiss. I had it considerably before Kiss became big. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/11 "2011-11-04T19:03:30Z")
It looks like a take off on a Mexican wrestling mask. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/12 "2011-11-04T19:16:12Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I had it considerably before Kiss became big. I should have said that I knew the album came out before Kiss was well-known, but that in my mind they were more-or-less contemporaneous because pretty much all early 70s music happened at the same time, since I didn’t really start sorting out individual artists and albums and whatnot until I was around 8 or so. The only group whose timeline I’ve never been confused by is the Pink Floyd, who I didn’t get into until high school. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/13 "2011-11-04T19:18:45Z")
To be more precise, I never had the Steve Miller album. I had the mask. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/14 "2011-11-04T20:03:26Z")
That mask is Flame Retarded. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/15 "2011-11-05T04:38:34Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I just saw the cover of the Steve Miller Band’s _[The Joker](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TheJoker.jpg)_ again and I was reminded of the mask being worn in the photograph. I had that mask, and I think I had the costume that went with it. But I never really knew what it was, sort of assumed it was kind of an off-brand Spider-Man type guy. Does anyone have any more information about it? What I want to know is, how did you try to link the Steve Miller Band and end up linking to [unintended link]? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/16 "2011-11-05T04:50:08Z")
Presumably he had the other link copied into his clipboard, and just didn’t realize he’d forgotten to copy the new link before pasting. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/17 "2011-11-05T11:56:07Z")
Yes, that’s exactly what happened. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/18 "2011-11-05T12:36:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Presumably he had the other link copied into his clipboard, and just didn’t realize he’d forgotten to copy the new link before pasting. I saw someone quite well-known on the SDMB (who shall remain nameless) do that with a porn link once. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/19 "2011-11-05T13:35:37Z")
SDMB members viewing _pornography?_ I am shocked! _Shocked,_ sir! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875/20 "2011-11-05T15:09:04Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > SDMB members viewing _pornography?_ I am shocked! _Shocked,_ sir! It’s true! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-halloween-mask-from-the-70s/601875.md?page=2)