Beaker Costume

by basementjax457 in Craft > Costumes & Cosplay

16815 Views, 50 Favorites, 0 Comments

Beaker Costume

IMG00344.jpg
IMG00352.jpg
beaker plan.jpg
IMG00341.jpg
IMG00345.jpg
IMG00350.jpg
IMG00349.jpg
IMG00346.jpg
IMG00347.jpg
IMG00348.jpg
IMG00351.jpg
IMG00353.jpg
PA300980.JPG
PA300981.JPG
PA300987.JPG
After searching the internet for instructions to make a Beaker muppet costume, I designed my own.  It's for an adult male 6'3", 250lbs.  Instructions are listed below.
Materials needed:
1-  hot glue gun
5-10 long glue sticks
1-  4' x 12" cardboard tube (available at Lowe's or Home Depot for making cement footings)
1-  yard thin polyester batting
USE THIN FLEECE - NOT THE FUZZY STUFF
1-  yard pink fleece
1/2-  yard red fleece
1/2 - yard black fabric (see through like is used in the scream ghost masks)
15" of round foam weatherstripping (you could also use pieces of dowel)
1-  long sleeved button shirt (white or blue - I used blue)
1-  queen pillow case (approximately match shirt color) (you'll cut it up)
2-  6" styrofoam balls
1-  1/4" x 3" wood dowel
2-  2" corse thread screws (drywall or cabinet)
1-  3 7/8 x 8 7/8 styrofoam cone
1-  5 or 6" styrofoam 1/2 sphere
1/2-  yard orange fleece
1-  1/4" x 20" wood dowel
1-  Orange punk rock wig (this wasn't the best to use but I was in a hurry)
1-  paper template: Oval 10" x 20" cut in half so you have a half oval 10" x 10" (I used word and had to print both halves and tape them together)
1-  paper template: Oval 10" x 16" cut in half so you have a half oval 8" tall and 10" wide
1-  10" length of string

Steps:
1-  cut one foot off the tube
2-  use the 10" x 10" oval template to cut out a 1/2 oval from the piece you cut off.  THIS WILL BE 
      THE MOUTH FLAP     
3-  use the 8"x10" template and cut portions out of the bottom for your shoulders (try to have them 
      exacty acoss from each other)
4-  mark the tube 19.5" down from the top all the way around
5-  use the 10"x10" template and trace it onto the tube with the flat side on the line you just drew
      THIS WILL BE WHERE THE MOUTH GOES
6-  cut the trapezoid out of the tube centered under the mouth and on or just a hair below the line
      you drew
7-  use the 10"x10" oval template to cut out a full 10"x20" oval from the red fleece
8-  hot glue one half of the oval to the tube lining it up with the 1/2 oval you traced on the tube
      BE SURE TO GLUE AROUND THE EDGES
9-  hot glue the other half of the red oval to the inside (concave side) of the mouth flap.  It'll be tricky
      but if you take your time and make sure to glue around the edges, it'll work fine.
10-  cut the polyester batting to 19.5" and long enough to wrap around the tube
11-  use the glue gun to adhere the batting to the top porion of the tube (the pink fleece will cover
        the batting to make it look more "muppet") (I ran a bead of glue down the back(opposite the 
        mouth)and each side then down the front to the top of the mouth and down around each side
        of the mouth)  DO EACH BEAD OF GLUE INDIVIDUALLY - IT'LL SET BEFORE YOU GET IT 
        ALL DONE!!!
12-  cut out the batting where the mouth is
13-  cut the pink fleece to about 24" and long enough to wrap around the tube
14-  hot glue one edge of the pink fleece along the back (opposite the mouth) using a bead of glue
        from the top to below the 19.5" line.  Make sure the fleece is 1-2 inches higher than the tube.   
        Close the mouth and wrap the pink fabric around to the back.  Pull it tight and fold it under
        itself so it lines up just at the first edge you just glued.  Hot glue the seam.  Fold the top into
        the tube and glue.  The bottom edge of the pink fleece will be covering the trapezoid openng.  
        Cut along the left and right edges and fold the flap inside the tube and hot glue in place.  pull 
        the bottom edge tight and hot glue in place.
15-  THIS PART IS TRICKY
        Carefully cut the pink fleece around the closed mouth flap.  You will need to cut approximately 
       1" below the edge on either size to ensure the mouth can actually open.  Pull the pink fleece on
        the tube tight along the edge of he red fleece glued to the tube and fold it under.  Hot glue in
        place.  YOU'LL NEED TO FOLD AND GLUE THE FLEECE INTO THE EXTRA 1" CUT BELOW
        THE EDGE OF THE MOUTH TO GET RID OF WRINKLES - IT'S TRICKY.  Pull the pink fleece 
        tight on the outside of the mouth flap and fold it under.  Hot glue in place.
        The mouth flap will hinge slightly into the trapezoid opening.
16-  Measure the pillow case 16.5" from the opening and cut the bottom off.  Slip the pillow case
        over the bottom of the tube up to the bottom of the mouth.  IT SHOULD BE A GOOD FIT.  hot
        glue around the top.  Cut the pillowcase around the shoulder openings so you can pull the 
        fabric tight and fold over inside the tube.  hot glue all the edges in place.  The pillow case will
        be covering the trapezoid opening.  Cut the pillow case along the left and right side of the 
        opening.  Fold the flap inside the tube and hot glue in place.
17-  Hot glue the weatherstipping around he left, bottom, and right edges of the trapezoid opening. 
        This will help give dimension to the tie knot.  Cut a piece of the black fabric to fit the opening.  
        Pull the black fabric tight around the weatherstripping and hot glue in place.  Cut a piece of 
        black fabric for the tie and glue in place.
18-  Cut a 4" triangle from each corner of the pillow case bottom.  fold under the cut edge and hot 
        glue in place on either side of the trapezoid opening as shown.
19-  Push the 20" wood dowel down through the styrofoam cone starting at the narrow end 
        pushing about 2" out the flat end.  apply hot glue to the dowel and push the styrofoam 1/2
        sphere onto the dowel so the flat sides of the 1/2 sphere and cone are touching.  THIS WILL 
        BE THE NOSE.
20-  Cut approximately an 18" square of orange fleece.   Center the fleece on the nose cone and 
        pull it down tight trying to eliminate wrinkles.  Tie the 10" length of string tight at the narrow end
        and cut off the excess string and excess fleece.
21-  Poke a hole in the tube 5" down from the top of the tube centered over the mouth.  Push the
        dowel through the hole at a slight upward angle.  Apply hot glue to the dowel inside the tube 
        where the dowel pokes through the tube.  THIS WILL HOLD THE NOSE FIRMLY IN PLACE
22-  Push one end of the 3" dowel into one of the 6" styrofoam balls.  Apply hot glue to the end of
        the dowel sticking out and put it into the other 6" styrofoam ball.  THESE ARE THE EYES
23-  Set the eyes on the nose so they're level.  The should stick out over the top of the tube by just 
        about an inch.  Drive a 2" screw into each eye from inside the tube.  THIS WILL HOLD THEM 
        SECURE
24-  Use a magic marker to make the pupils on the eyes.  draw them slightly down and crossed.

The hair could be done much better but I was in a hurry.  I cut two strips from the 12" piece of tube cut off at the beginning and glued them to the top inside the tube to form a dome.  I then took the orange punk wig, cut it so it was a little wider, and hot glued it in place.  It's not perfect but it works.

If you can sew, you can also use a white sheet to make a lab coat.  That was going to be my next step but I ran out of time. 

HAVE FUN!