Netflix's new horror series Cursed dropped yesterday with a dark fantasy setting befitting its title. The right prop can make or break a character, just ask Henry Cavill of The Witcher, and the most iconic ones need originality. The creators of Cursed may have missed that mark.

The controversial prop appears in Episode 3: Alone. It is a staff with a spine cradling a skull mounted on top, which appears in the hands of Lord Rugen when Merlin is brought in to his lair. The spine has been affixed to the back and top of the skull to resemble a mohawk, and a bird's skull adorns the end where it rests on the skull's forehead.

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Netflix may have a problem: Rugen's staff exactly matches a latex skull staff that German LARP prop maker Sander-Propworx made four years ago. It first appeared on Propnomicon's blog on February 23, 2016, and was subsequently sold as a limited edition item. It is unclear who ended up purchasing it.

Sander-Propworx posted on Facebook, "A lot of people wrote me last night, asking if I was involved [in Netflix's production of Cursed]. IF they had [asked] me if I would be ok with this, I probably [would have said] yes, but no one did."

If this style of staff had appeared in historical records in any way resembling the prop that appears in the show, this could be dismissed as creative minds thinking alike. However, to date, this staff only appears in Cursed and on Propnomicon's blog and website well predating the series. It could very well be that whoever selected the accessories for Lord Rugen happened to have this item stored somewhere, and chose to use the staff as is rather than attempt to create something from whole cloth.

Reuse of ideas is understandable, but when someone puts a lot of work into making something special, say The Ark of the Covenant, it hurts to see it appear in a popular series without permission or attribution. Sander-Propworx may or may not have the legal endurance to stand up to Netflix, but it could take advantage of future cosplay popularity by making the limited edition staff available once again.

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Source: Facebook