Made by Amanda Carr
Our middle school decided to do the Lion King Jr. for our spring musical. I used a number of your amazing mask patterns to create the animals for this production. I got so many compliments on how professional they all looked! I gave you all the credit for your amazing patterns. Thank you so much Jonni!
How I made the Mufasa headpieces:
I printed the “Mufasa Mask” pattern from the “Lion Headdress Masks for the Lion King Jr. Play” pattern set out on cardstock to keep them as light and flexible as possible. I used this as the base for my mask. After studying many images of Mufasa, I built out the features (eyes, eyebrows, chin, etc.) of Mufasa using aluminum foil, masking tape and cereal box cardboard.
I also took inspiration from the post “My twist on Mufasa by Beverly Broderick”. (It is incredible!) I used brown packing paper and a mixture of 2/3 white school glue to 1/3 water for the paper mache. I applied the glue solution to the ripped squares of brown packing paper using a paint brush.
We were going for a Jr. Broadway look, so I fused some of the softer, animated Mufasa characteristics, contours and coloring with the sweeping pampas grass mane of the Broadway mask style. I bought some fake pampas grass from a local craft store and pulled all the sections apart. I tucked these into tubes of dried plant stems (hosta I think?) for a more natural look. I cut and dipped them in white craft glue for support. (Painted straws could have worked too.) I attached the tubes to the back of the mask using hot glue. I then strung twine between the tubes for some added strength, texture and style.
Finally, I added some metallic gold paint on the nose and mane hairline to add a royal finish while under the stage lighting.
Here are some images of my Mufasa. He was truly stunning and gave the full regal presence we were hoping to capture on the stage.
Beautiful masks, Amanda! I love all the creative ideas you used to make them so special – they really do look like they belong on Broadway. Thanks for showing them all to us. 🙂
Thank you Jonni! That means a lot coming from you! I wanted to make them fun and friendly while honoring the work done by the Broadway and animated creators!