Carnival Masks (or masquerade masks) were a major part of Venetian Carnivals in the 13th century, where the city’s residents participated in festivities anonymously. These masks, which became less of a facade and more of an incredibly ornate accessory, were worn by men and women alike, allowing them a night of… well, debauchery without the consequences. Even today, these masquerade masks are often worn as an element of intrigue, helping mask people’s identities at parties and social events. Although this mask’s history may be a little morally questionable (to each their own, I guess), it’s managed to stick around as quite the cultural icon… and now a LEGO user is turning it into a LEGO set.
Built to scale, these Carnival Masks from LEGO builder gpc-x collectively use roughly 800 bricks, but do so with sheer mastery. Each mask captures the ornate beauty of what the original carnival masks looked like back in the day. An avid mask-collector himself, this felt like a natural idea for gpc-x, building out LEGO masks that people can not only keep in their house as collectibles, but occasionally even wear, should they choose to step out into the night for, dare I say, illicit affairs!
Designer: gpc-x
The larger mask is styled to look somewhat like a Venetian reinterpretation of your Guy Fawkes mask. It covers the entire face, but comes with a trade-off of being a little too heavy to simply be worn with a ribbon across the head. Instead, gpc-x suggests mounting it on a handle that you can hold up to your face, just like they did in the old days.
The smaller mask is a little more suited for wearing regularly. A simple elastic band or ribbon will secure the mask around your noggin, giving you a bird-like appearance thanks to that beak-shaped nose element. Both masks come with an ivory finish, although there’s definitely space for color exploration, having the masks match your outfit with bold colors like black, red, blue, gold, and silver.
“As my inspiration for these were the carnival masks I used plant and flower parts to decorate them – but I think they would look great with many other decorating styles as well (minifigures, weapons, accessories, fruits, animals), so I have my fingers crossed that I will get to see many personalized masks in the future,” says gpc-x on their LEGO Ideas project page. “I love the botanical collection – they make wonderful gifts, that my friends always appreciated, and I think masks would make similarly great gifts,” they add.
The Carnival Masks are currently a submission on the website, an online forum where LEGO builders and fans get together to share their own creations with the entire community. This particular MOC (My Own Creation) sits with over 1,300 votes, and if you want to see this build become an official box set (fingers crossed), you can head down to the and cast your vote for it.
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