Just before Deadpool 2 was released in theatres, a string of risky, silly, and sometimes absurd marketing efforts took place in the name of the film. One of them was the appearance of the movie’s star, Ryan Reynolds, on a Korean game show. He was almost completely covered up by a foam unicorn mask and white cloak while he sang to a crowd of slightly confused but nonetheless supportive onlookers. His identity was later revealed to the shock of all in attendance. Within a few hours of initially viewing this stunt, I had an acceptable double in hand that I would wear to the premier of the film.
This required very little preparation. After going into a couple craft stores, I had all of the foam sheeting, glitter foam sheeting, and glitter paper I would need to recreate this mask (1/4″ white foam sheet, regular white foam sheet, regular black foam sheet, glitter paper in light gold and dark purple, and glitter sheets in light blue, dark blue, light pink, light purple, green, silver and yellow). Total material cost was around 10 dollars. The face of the mask was doodled out on a 1/4 inch white foam sheet. The same material was also used as the primary layer of the horn and also for the strap added to make this piece wearable.
The initial mask work was slow and painstaking. I was unhappy that the eyes weren’t quite right but talked myself into keeping in mind the fact that most people would not notice that detail, especially without the Ryan Reynolds version standing right beside mine. The first pieces to get glued on were the horn and “hair” that could be glued to the underside of the face. The hair colors were also not *exactly* reflective of the original. They could have been recreated with lots of glue and glitter, but that process would be quite time consuming in and of itself without trying to determine how long it might take to source the perfect colors. Glitter also tends to adhere much better to the pre-made foam glitter sheets. Sometimes we must make these concessions in cosplay. As much as my mind tries to demand perfect attention to detail, the “play” aspect should always be kept in mind. It can be difficult, but try not to be too hard on yourself. I have seen even the most meager representations of a character at a convention receive attention and praise. So have fun expressing your fandom.
To give the appearance of opaque eyes while still being able to see through them, I attached stick-on vinyl sheeting with holes throughout to scraps of clear plastic (from retail clam shell packaging). The eye coloring was drawn on first with permanent marker and given a little time to dry. Permanent marker works well on nearly any surface, but slicker surfaces should be given time to set in order to avoid smearing. The completed eyes were glued on from the back side of the mask.
