#HTE

Is It Possible to Design a Friendlier-Looking Ski Mask?

These days, many businesses may be pleased to see you walk in wearing a face mask. Ski masks, not so much; however unfairly, those retain an indelible association with home invasions.

Is it possible to design friendlier-looking partial face coverings that are well-suited for biting cold? There are now a rash of these knitted hats with built-in goggles on the market, all apparently clones of each other with minor tweaks, original designer(s) unknown:

This one’s got a fleece lining and goes for $16:

This one comes in a lot more colors, but is suspiciously priced at $5.50 a pop:

This one comes with a knitted mask attached by buttons and goes for $30:

I think the idea of built-in goggles is terrible; at these price points there’s no way the lens quality is good, and even if they were, should one become damaged the entire hat becomes worthless.

Also, the aesthetic of the full-face get-up with the goggles down, while perhaps friendlier-looking than the traditional ski mask, does look reminiscent of a certain Star Wars character:

Disney licensing should look into producing Admiral Ackbar versions. I bet they’d sell well, particularly if Comic-Con were held in a colder area.