When the celebrity king of the Krewe of Bacchus called Tommy Cain of Mobile's Dynasty Collection to inquire about having a crown and scepter made for the New Orleans parade on Sunday, Feb. 15, Cain told him he'd need to start by measuring his head.

Unfortunately, John C. Reilly was unable to travel to Mobile for a proper fitting because he's in the midst of making a movie in Hollywood, Cain said.

With any customized crown, the first step is measuring the head of the person who'll wear it. So Cain laughed when he opened a cushioned manila envelope with an Altadena, Calif., return address and found inside a wire hanger twisted into a 24-inch circumference -- the measurement of the curly-haired actor's head.

As Bacchus XLVII, Reilly will follow in the footsteps of previous celebrity kings, including his "Talladega Nights" and "Stepbrothers" co-star, Will Ferrell (2012), beloved New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (2010), actors Andy Garcia (2011) and Val Kilmer (2011), and last year's king, Hugh Laurie of "House."

All of those famous heads ruled over the Bacchus parade, held every year on the Sunday before Fat Tuesday, wearing crowns made by the very hands of Tommy Cain and his in-laws, Jim and Jane Rhinewalt, in the decidedly unglamorous work space behind their elegant, sparkly showroom on Old Shell Road in Spring Hill.

Tommy and Tanya Cain started Dynasty Collection almost three decades ago. Of course, they make crowns, scepters and other jewelry for Mobile's Mardi Gras royalty, but Tommy Cain estimates that "ninety-five percent of everything we make leaves the city."

"Every city in Louisiana celebrates Mardi Gras," said Tanya Cain. "Baton Rouge and Lafayette have as many krewes as New Orleans."

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Reilly was "very involved, moreso than most Bacchus kings" in designing his crown, Tanya Cain said. "He's excited about being king."

The actor emailed a photo of himself dressed as a king, so the Cains could see what he looked like sporting a crown. "He wanted to look like Bacchus from ancient times," Tommy said. "He did a lot of research and sent us a lot of pictures to go by."

And so, after the matte gold crown and scepter were created at Dynasty Collection, the Cains sent Reilly a photo. On Jan. 10, Reilly sent them a reply email with this sentence in all caps: "They look so incredible!"

He asked them to add some ruby stones to match the outfit he's wearing, so now there's a sprinkling of rubies and rhinestones to accommodate his request. The crown, adorned with grapes and ivy leaves, and pine cone-topped scepter were shipped to his home address last Thursday.

When Reilly sent that package with the crude head measurement - the wire hanger that his wife wrapped around his noggin - he attached it to a piece of cardboard on which he scribbled with a Sharpie marker: "Hello Tommy! My head is 24 inches around. Thank you, John C. Reilly, Bacchus 2015." He also doodled a little crown above his name.

"His trash is my treasure," Tommy said, with a laugh. He plans to have the cardboard memento framed and will hang it in his shop along with photos of previous celebrity kings of Bacchus.

The theme of the Bacchus parade is "Children's Stories That Live Forever," according to NOLA.com. Its 31 floats will include Bacchagator, the Bacchasaurus and the Bacchawhoppa whale.

The parade starts at 5 p.m. at the corner of Napoleon and Tchoupitoulas. It processes through uptown and downtown New Orleans before concluding at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on the riverfront, according to the website kreweofbacchus.org.