How a Frog Built a Castle (with Help from a Werewolf)

This castle exists because of a frog costume. And a werewolf. The true story of how a nineteen-year-old art student, a homemade monster make-up, a rainy Chicago frog promotion, and a $25 paycheck eventually led to Havencrest Castle. For over fifty years, visitors have asked how Havencrest Castle came to exist. The answer is stranger than most people imagine. It begins with a terrified six-year-old boy watching Frankenstein in a Victorian mansion. It continues through homemade monster make-ups, a midnight costume contest at Chicago's legendary Oriental Theatre, a newspaper headline that read "Monster on Loose in Loop!", and a rainy afternoon promotion for the 1972 film Frogs. What does any of that have to do with a castle? As it turns out...everything. This is the true story of how a nineteen-year-old art student became the founder of Facemakers, Inc., one of the world's longest-running mascot manufacturing companies, and how a homemade frog costume ultimately helped make Havencrest Castle possible. Featuring rare photographs, archival materials, the original 1972 frog costume head, the surviving $25 check stub from American International Pictures, and a journey that spans more than five decades. Sometimes the smallest events change everything. If you enjoy the stories behind Havencrest Castle, please subscribe and join us for future explorations of the castle, its history, architecture, hidden spaces, and the remarkable chain of events that brought it to life. 00:00 How a Frog Built a Castle 01:05 A Castle, a Frog, and a Werewolf 02:12 Frankenstein Changes Everything 03:43 Learning the Art of Movie Monsters 05:28 The Werewolf at the Oriental Theatre 07:10 "Monster on Loose in Loop!" 08:05 The Rainy 1972 Frog Promotion 09:52 The $25 Check That Changed My Life 10:38 Leaving Art School for an Impossible Business 11:37 "You Can't Eat Costumes" 12:24 The First Facemakers Workshop 13:02 How the Frog Built a Castle #HavencrestCastle #FacemakersMascots #MovieMonsters