
The Designer Behind the Costumes on The Masked Singer
The Masked Singer is a reality singing competition that premiered in the United States on Fox in January of 2019. In this competition, contestants are disguised using full-body costumes that conceal all of their features. Contestants in each season are a mix of Hollywood celebrities, including singers, comedians, and actors.
Due to the complex nature of each of the contestants’ costumes, producers found a designer who had the skills to create eye-catching designs that fully concealed the wearer, and, most importantly, were lightweight. The woman behind these costumes is Marina Toybina.
Background
Marina Toybina is a four-time Emmy award-winning costume designer who has been creating costumes for the Hollywood elite for eighteen years. After attending the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, she continued on to design costumes for various live performances, prime-time television shows, films, sporting events, and commercials, among others.
Toybina has designed costumes for all six seasons of The Masked Singer. During the show, panelists Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Robin Thicke, and Nicole Scherzinger have the task of guessing which celebrity is hiding beneath each of Toybina’s creations. The goal of Toybina’s costumes is to create memorable and eye-catching costumes that keep the contestant’s identity a secret from the judges while also reflecting the person underneath.
How are the Costumes Designed?
Each costume Toybina created for The Masked Singer was named for the character, animal, or person it was modeled after. For example, “Elvis Presley” featured a tall collar and vibrant colors reminiscent of the singer himself. “Peacock” had a full train of peacock feathers and was made of vibrant shades of blue and green.
The costumes Toybina designs are incredibly complex. For example, Monster, the costume worn by singer T-Pain, was made using a 360 foam suit with vents built in to ensure he received sufficient oxygen. Other costumes included pieces made from clay, gemstones, and battery-operated fans.
How Were the Costumes Received?
The celebrities who participated in The Masked Singer were incredibly pleased with the costumes Toybina presented to them. In addition, many were excited to take steps to reinvent their public images.
Toybina, herself, was very satisfied with her work. She had created many sketches during the design process for each costume and was thrilled when each costume came out just as she’d imagined.
Toybina received two Emmys in 2020 for her work on The Masked Singer. Before that, she received Emmy awards for her work on other reality television shows, sporting events, and live performances.