Little House on the Prairie star 'horrified' by vintage costume of her childhood character

Melissa Gilbert encountered plenty of reminders of her childhood on Little House on the Prairie, but one particular piece of memorabilia has given her a fright.

The actress, 62, shared a vintage Halloween costume inspired by her character, Laura Ingalls, on Instagram, complete with a plastic mask that prompted a wonderfully unimpressed response.

Packaged as part of the Famous Faces collection, the costume paired a floral pioneer-style outfit with a face intended to resemble the young star. Melissa shared the throwback alongside a photograph of herself from the series, inviting followers to assess the likeness. 

Recalling seeing the costume while trick-or-treating as a child, she joked: "Wow, could Lou Ferrigno be my birth father?" The actor famously played the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk television series. 

Melissa Gilbert's Halloween costume has Little House fans laughing

Melissa approached the discovery with plenty of humor, comparing the dubious honor of becoming a Halloween costume with the recognition she has received throughout her career.

Her tongue-in-cheek caption praised the manufacturer's interpretation of her face, before offering a mock thank-you to anyone involved in creating it.

Followers were equally entertained."Someone at the factory said, ‘Just put braids on the leftover ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ masks," one joked. 

The outfit was made by Ben Cooper, Inc., the Brooklyn company behind the Famous Faces range, and included a vinyl smock alongside the plastic mask. Several followers shared memories of dressing as Laura using homemade dresses, aprons and braids instead. 

Little House on the Prairie welcomes a new generation

Melissa was just 10 when Little House on the Prairie premiered in 1974, playing Laura opposite Michael Landon as her father, Charles Ingalls. She grew up on the series, which continued until 1983. 

More than five decades after that debut, Laura's story is reaching another generation through Netflix's adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books.

Alice Halsey plays Laura in the new series, alongside Luke Bracey as Charles and Crosby Fitzgerald as Caroline. Its first season premiered on July 9, 2026, with a second season already commissioned before the launch.

Netflix confirmed on October 9 that filming on season two had finished. The next installment will take the family to Walnut Grove and introduce Laura's familiar rival, Nellie Oleson, played by Willa Dunn. A release date has not yet been announced.

As for the original Laura's unexpected Halloween tribute, Melissa signed off with a message that neatly captured her mixed feelings: "I am truly honored yet strangely horrified at the same time."