Cool Optical Illusion Contortionist Costume

I wanted to create a costume that was an optical illusion. I searched many ideas on Google when I came up with the idea to be a Contortionist. Creating the costume was a lot of trial and error. I started on a Monday and created a set of legs in one night! I was very excited but realized that they were too heavy! ( I went crazy with the duct tape). I started over on Tuesday.

To create the legs (second set) I started with Tubular Pipe Insulation to make the feet, calves and thighs, then I stuffed them with packing peanuts to give make them thicker. I wrapped them in saran wrap and then connected the pieces with 16g wiring so that I could bend them. I then used two 2ft x 2ft foam project panels and cut out inserts to slide my waste into the center of each piece. I secured them with double sided tape. Then I draped twin sheets over the square panels to create a table look. The legs were covered with nylons and used a pair of slip on shoes for the feet.

To connect the legs to me, I taped a belt to the back of the homemade legs/torso and secured it around my waste. The costume took about four evenings to create. It was a bit of a trial and error to find out what worked best. The funnest part was the reactions! Many people came up to me and said they had to do a double take wondering how in the world I was that flexible. I was able to keep the legs up without having to hold them so I was free to use my hands. People were using me as a table for their drinks which was also entertaining. I won “Best Overall” at the Halloween Party I went to!

Gathering Supplies

First I got together a list of items to create my costume. Then I headed to my local home improvement store to get duct tape, Tubular Pipe Insulation, foam project panels and wiring. Then I gathered supplies I had at home: Saran wrap, packing peanuts, nylons and a belt.

Creating feet, calves and thighs

I cut pieces of the pipe insulation to the length of my feet, calf and thigh. Then I cut additional pieces to create the calf muscle. Next, I stuffed each piece with packing peanuts to thicken the pieces and wrapped them with Saran wrap to secure them.

Adding Wire

I took the wire and started at the feet. Secured the wire to the bottom of the foot with Saran wrap and began to bend the wire to make the ankle. Next, I taped the calf to the wire. Then I created a bend in the wire for the knee and taped the thigh on. Once one leg was connected, I filled the ankle and knee with packing peanuts and secured with more saran wrap.

Creating the Table

To create the table I took two 2ft x 2ft foam project panels and cut an oval in the center of them for my body. Then on one side of the boards I cut a rectangle out that opened up into the circle so I could slide into the pieces. Once on, I added double sided tape to secure the pieces to me.

Adding Tablecloth

To create the tablecloth I took two twin sheets and tucked them into the board around my waist. I made sure that it covered all sides and draped to the floor.

Adding the Legs

To attach the legs to my body I connected the legs with saran wrap and stuffed it with packing peanuts to create the butt and lower back. I then used duct tape around the torso area to secure a belt to it. I then attached the belt to my waist. This secured the legs to me and the rest on top of the “table” I created.