Playing Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie made Melissa Gilbert a household name. But 1970s TV fame came with some truly bizarre vintage merchandise.
Case in point: a throwback Famous Faces Halloween costume kit from the show’s heyday that recently resurfaced online. It left the former Hallmark star equal parts amused and thoroughly horrified.
Melissa Gilbert Weighs in on the Vintage ’70s Throwback
Melissa Gilbert shared an Instagram photo of a throwback 1970s plastic Halloween costume. It was supposed to depict her titular “Little House on the Prairie” character, but it looked nothing like the “half-pint” fans knew and loved.
Made of cheap, rigid plastic held together by a thin rubber band, the sweaty face mask looked more like something out of a horror movie than Walnut Grove. Looking back at the eerie throwback decades later, Gilbert couldn’t help but laugh at the bizarre piece of 1970s TV merch.
She captioned a photo of the throwback costume, sharing her remarks about the ensemble.
“Of all the awards and accolades I have received: an Emmy, Theater World Award, Star on the Walk of Fame, nothing has flattered me more than this spot-on, beautifully conceived and wildly convincing costume from Famous Faces. When I saw this, actually, while trick-or-treating as a child, my first thought was, ‘Wow, could Lou Ferrigno be my birth father?'”
She concluded, “If anyone from the Famous Faces company is around and sees this, I just want to say thank you. I am truly honored yet strangely horrified at the same time.”
Fans Reacted to the Strange Throwback Merch
Melissa Gilbert’s Instagram followers shared their remarks in the post’s comments section. They recalled the era’s unrealistic plastic face masks and costumes, laughing at Gilbert’s reaction to her own Halloween homage.
Many fans poked fun at the tiny, hard plastic face mask mouth. They remembered how almost impossible it was to breathe while trick-or-treating in them. Others joked that the mold looked less like a young Laura Ingalls and more like a generic, creepy doll.
“Lol! I can’t even begin to imagine how odd that experience must have been as a child to see that,” wrote one follower.
A second fan penned, “I’m dehydrating just looking at that mask.” They noted that the mouth was complete covered over, making it difficult for wearers to breathe.
“Omg that is soo funny! They did you wrong! Lol,” giggled a third Instagram user.
A fourth social media follower noted, “That’s a terrible likeness. However, your post is hilarious!”
For kids growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, those cheap Famous Faces boxed sets were an absolute rite of passage during spooky season. No matter how hot, suffocating, or completely inaccurate the thin plastic masks were, children proudly wore them around the neighborhood every Halloween.
Decades after Little House on the Prairie first captured the hearts of millions, Melissa Gilbert’s hilarious throwback post proves that while television nostalgia runs deep, some vintage television merchandise is definitely best left in the vault.
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Melissa Gilbert ‘Horrified’ Over Vintage ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Costume