Horse head mask

The horse mask was originally sold by novelty purveyor Archie McPhee as a Halloween costume since at least 2003. McPhee claims "a person wearing a Horse Head Mask looks downright disturbing" and that the mask "has become a worldwide phenomenon". and during Hurricane Sandy, in Washington, D. C., a shirtless man wearing a horse head mask was filmed jogging through a live news shot. in July 2014 In July 2014, President Barack Obama was photographed in the streets of Denver shaking the hand of a horse-headed bystander, resulting in national press exposure of the mask, including a series of articles in The Washington Post about the meme's history and cultural influences. ==Users==

Some YouTube video contributors have chosen the horse head mask as their trademark, including Sir Sebastian of "Sir Sebastian's Candy Corner," a candy and chocolate reviewer, as well as a Berlin street performer, "The Neigh Kid Horse," who has been photographed by hundreds of amateur and professional photographers, and who is known for only wearing the mask and his underwear. ==Unicorn head mask==

Unicorn head masks are also sold by Archie McPhee and others. They have been used by Arizona State Sun Devils fans as part of attempts to distract opposing free throw shooters. ==Antecedents==

Although the modern horse head mask meme began with the Archie McPhee rubber mask in 2003, there have been earlier antecedents. In 1997, the British satirical news miniseries Brass Eye briefly showed a horse head mask in the second episode titled "Drugs". In 2001, it appeared in the music video for "Crying at the Discoteque" by Swedish pop group Alcazar, among other animal masks. ==References==