Animal and Miss Piggy from The Muppets Couple Costume

by Jayme & Drew
(Milwaukee WI)

After going back and forth on costume ideas (Halloween is a big deal to me, my boyfriend - not so much!) So, he agreed that if he was dressing up, he was going ALL OUT! And all out he did!! We decided on a Homemade Animal and Miss Piggy from the Muppets Costume.

I found as many photos of Animal as I could and researched how to even form a head, etc. This costume was definitely my biggest undertaking to date and it was so worth it!! After about 15 hours of labor, the head was completed. We added a couple additional things to make it more "realistic", drumsticks, a dog collar with chain, gold shirt and armbands? He put black tights over his head (tied legs in a knot and cut off excess) and cut eyeholes so he could see.

Materials needed to make Animal head:
-Head: 1" thick Nu-Foam - 1 yard
-Head: Orange fleece
-Mouth: Black felt (my local JoAnn’s had 12" squares - 4/$1)
-Tongue: Pink felt
-Nose: Red clown nose
-Eyebrows: Black Maribu Feathers - < 1 foot (JoAnn’s had 1ft "craft feathers" for $.99)
-Teeth: Mini Styrofoam balls
-Eyes: Compressed foam balls & Googly eyes
-"Hair": Ostrich (plumes) feathers - Red (4-6); Fuchsia (2); Orange (2)
-Spray glue
-Hot glue gun & lots of glue sticks.


Instructions:
It all started with this pattern.

I enlarged the pattern so that it spread across 9 legal sheets of paper (I think it was about 300%, but it depends on the person you’re making it for). Taped the pages together and cut out my pattern.

Traced the pattern onto the Nu-foam using a Sharpie (nothing else worked)

Cut out the foam and spray glued all edges together

With a little modification, I reformed the mouth (The pieces didn't meet because it wasn't designed to be used the way we were using it, so I had to glue in a triangle shape in the front of the mouth and trim it down to size)

I decided to add a visor so that it stayed in place on the head, otherwise it slid around, etc.

Sprayed Nu-Foam with glue (in sections) and then covered the head with Orange fleece, slowly working my way around the whole head and mouth (it was a little tricky). Trimmed off excess and hot glued seams together. Added black and pink felt for the mouth and tongue.

I used mini styrofoam balls for the teeth and cut & shaped them to replicate Animal’s teeth.

I used a clown nose for him (although, it was off center, so I had to take it off and reglue). Pictured are some of the ostrich feathers in place to start it off.

I used pressed foam for eyes, which I had to actually sew on (& hot glue for extra stability). When they were on right and sturdy, I glued on the googly eyes and black maribou eyebrows.

After finally finding more ostrich feathers (which was a witch hunt all on its own), I glued red, fuchsia and orange feathers around the head (both individually and in small groups of 3 or so), using many different photos to ensure the proper coloring, etc.

After this I also created a neck, using extra fleece, so that my boyfriend didn't have to wear facepaint on his neck & chest as well.

Couple additional things to make it more "realistic". He put black tights over his head (tied legs in a knot and cut off excess) and cut eyeholes so he could see and had drumsticks, a dog collar with chain, "gold" shirt and armbands.
The finished product!! Animal is ready to PAR-TAY!


Miss Piggy was also homemade! The pictures is so representative of our personalities!

Costume Photo Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•