The Studio Ghibli Museum unveils new paper mache masks paying homage to fan-favorite characters from some of their best known films.
The Studio Ghibli Museum is selling mini masks to represent two of the studio’s most iconic characters.
The masks up for sale are based on No-Face from Spirited Away and San from Princess Mononoke. The masks are made from paper mache and can be worn or used as decoration. However, they are too small to cover a human face, with each mask standing at about twelve centimeters tall. Both pieces are for sale for 880 yen (about 6.47 USD), shipping not included.
Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke are two of Studio Ghibli’s most popular films. Spirited Away held the record for Japan’s highest-grossing film of all time for almost two decades, and it won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003. It is widely considered one of the best animated movies of all time. Like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke briefly held the record for the highest-grossing Japanese film. It, too, went on to win several awards, taking home the prize for Best Film from the Awards of the Japanese Academy. Both films were directed by Studio Ghibli’s co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki.
Spirited Away follows a young girl named Chihiro who accidentally stumbles into the spirit world when moving to a new town. After her parents are placed under a terrifying spell that transforms them into pigs, Chihiro has to make a deal with Yubaba, the mistress of the spirit world’s bath house. Over the course of her adventures, Chihiro meets many spirits, but perhaps none have become as iconic as No-Face: the tall, looming spirit with a voracious appetite. In his natural state, No-Face communicates almost entirely through grunts and moans. He wears a blank mask, creating the illusion of a face, yet it is later revealed that No-Face’s true mouth is large and gaping, and is placed much lower down on the spirit’s body.
Princess Mononoke is a film about a young prince named Ashitaka. After being cursed by a rogue boar spirit, Ashitaka travels east to learn the true cause of the spirit’s suffering. He finds an ongoing battle raging between the creatures of the forest and a nearby settlement called Irontown. In an effort to make peace with the villagers and save the forest, Ashitaka joins forces with San, a human girl raised by wolf spirits. San is known for the circular red mask she wears over her face, decorated with white detailing and holes for her eyes and mouth.
Both films are currently available on HBO Max and Amazon.
Source: Ghibli Museum