What to wear for costume party?
December 27, 2010 11:11 PM Subscribe
Costume Party Help! Asking for a friend...
She is: female, 4'11", and short on money.
Party is: costume, based on "favorite children's book character."
Problem is: she doesn't remember her childhood favorites!
Help us please-- oh, she might be able to do a group costume with one or two others. thank you!
Can she get away with a comic book character? Velma Dinkly of Scooby-Doo would be a super easy costume...if she doesn't already own most of the items or can't borrow, I'd bet she could get everything she needed from a thrift store for less than $20.
If she can't be a comic book character, how about Wendy from Peter Pan? All she needs is a blue hair ribbon, a long blue nightgown (tied with a satin ribbon empire-waist style), white socks and mary janes or slippers.
posted by faineant at 11:46 PM on December 27, 2010
If she can't be a comic book character, how about Wendy from Peter Pan? All she needs is a blue hair ribbon, a long blue nightgown (tied with a satin ribbon empire-waist style), white socks and mary janes or slippers.
posted by faineant at 11:46 PM on December 27, 2010
Big yellow hat, blue coat, yellow dress or white collar with a red ribbon = Madeline. Appendectomy scar and little brown dog optional.
My daughter happened to have a pink jumper and won a school costume costume with a 10 minute D. W. costume (from the Marc Brown "Arthur" books.) I cut out a "D. W." out of construction paper and glued it to her dress, then made construction paper ears attached to a headband.
Cindy Lou Who?
The cheapest one I can think of though, would be The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. Great story - the dragon kidnaps the prince and burns all her clothes so she puts on a paper bag and rescues the prince herself. The prince thanks her by telling her that she's a mess and doesn't even look like a princess; she tells him he is a bum and dumps him. All she'd need is a paper crown and brown paper strapless dress. The princess also is sooty and has messy hair. For her entourage, the prince is in a white tennis outfit with a tennis racket and tennis sweater. Someone could be a dragon, too. (If I'm screwing up the story, it's because it's been a while since I've read it. You can listen to it here.)
posted by artychoke at 11:46 PM on December 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
My daughter happened to have a pink jumper and won a school costume costume with a 10 minute D. W. costume (from the Marc Brown "Arthur" books.) I cut out a "D. W." out of construction paper and glued it to her dress, then made construction paper ears attached to a headband.
Cindy Lou Who?
The cheapest one I can think of though, would be The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. Great story - the dragon kidnaps the prince and burns all her clothes so she puts on a paper bag and rescues the prince herself. The prince thanks her by telling her that she's a mess and doesn't even look like a princess; she tells him he is a bum and dumps him. All she'd need is a paper crown and brown paper strapless dress. The princess also is sooty and has messy hair. For her entourage, the prince is in a white tennis outfit with a tennis racket and tennis sweater. Someone could be a dragon, too. (If I'm screwing up the story, it's because it's been a while since I've read it. You can listen to it here.)
posted by artychoke at 11:46 PM on December 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
Bah, everybody's gonna be Velma or Cindy Lou Who? I say Miss Tiggy Winkle has an eminently thriftable getup.
posted by rhizome at 12:01 AM on December 28, 2010
posted by rhizome at 12:01 AM on December 28, 2010
Harriet the Spy: Ratty old hightops, an old hoodie, black framed glasses with no lenses, and a belt full of spy tools (with pouch for the all-important notebook).
posted by emeiji at 1:40 AM on December 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by emeiji at 1:40 AM on December 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
You might offer her the list of Caldecott Medal winners and see if that jogs anything.
Although, on a budget she could easily do an XXL yellow t-shirt and an orange knit cap carrying a small picket sign that says "I AM SAM" on one side and "SAM I AM" on the other.
posted by plinth at 2:39 AM on December 28, 2010
Although, on a budget she could easily do an XXL yellow t-shirt and an orange knit cap carrying a small picket sign that says "I AM SAM" on one side and "SAM I AM" on the other.
posted by plinth at 2:39 AM on December 28, 2010
Max from Where the Wild Things Are? White/light gray hoodie with ears, and light pants with a tail. Fairly easy, and others could be the monsters, given some lead time.
posted by Hwin at 2:41 AM on December 28, 2010
posted by Hwin at 2:41 AM on December 28, 2010
Amelia Bedelia? She could do some visual gags based on Amelia's tendency to take things very literally -- stick pieces of iron to her dress (instead of "ironing" the dress) for example, carry a rubber chicken wearing tiny clothes (instead of "dressing" the chicken to eat).
posted by bluefly at 3:54 AM on December 28, 2010
posted by bluefly at 3:54 AM on December 28, 2010
Sweatshirt, turtleneck, high-top chucks, rolled jeans, ponytail. Maybe a baseball hat. Act all bossy. Voila! You're Kristy Thomas, founder of the Babysitter's Club.
Violet Beauregarde and Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (or the films) both have very distinctive costumes, provided she already owns something similar.
Buy a box of Jumbo-size crayons. Carry around the purple one. Write HAROLD on your shirt.
posted by almostmanda at 3:57 AM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
Violet Beauregarde and Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (or the films) both have very distinctive costumes, provided she already owns something similar.
Buy a box of Jumbo-size crayons. Carry around the purple one. Write HAROLD on your shirt.
posted by almostmanda at 3:57 AM on December 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
Find some clothes that look plain and childish, those of an 8 year old girl. Get some wet oatmeal on her shirt to simulate oatmeal vomit. Carry a jar labelled "fruit flies". Bam! Ramona Quimby, Age 8.
posted by knile at 5:34 AM on December 28, 2010
posted by knile at 5:34 AM on December 28, 2010
Cutting a big clock out of posterboard and wearing it around your neck would be a dead easy and bare-bones costume for Tock from The Phantom Tollbooth. You could then embellish it with floppy ears, dog makeup, etc.
posted by painquale at 6:08 AM on December 28, 2010
posted by painquale at 6:08 AM on December 28, 2010
2nd thrift stores, while you're there see if you can be Madeline.
posted by cestmoi15 at 7:40 AM on December 28, 2010
posted by cestmoi15 at 7:40 AM on December 28, 2010
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posted by streetdreams at 11:30 PM on December 27, 2010 [1 favorite]