A wide variety of costumes (called "mas") depicting traditional Trinidadian Carnival characters are seen throughout the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. After emancipation in 1838, freed slaves combined African culture with colonial influence to create characters that parodied the upper-class customs and costumes of Carnival. Over the years, characters would rise and drop in popularity, and many became overshadowed by more modern, "bikini and bead," costumes.
