Coolest Homemade Cat in the Hat Family Costume Idea

It took a few weeks, but we finally decided on a “Cat in the Hat” family theme for Halloween 2010.
I bought a goldfish costume ($12) for my 6-month-old. My 2- and 3-year-old boys went as Thing 1 and Thing 2 (very fitting!). I bought red long-sleeved tees and sweat from Wal-mart ($14 total), 2 sheets of white sticky felt and a black fabric marker from Michael’s. I found a stencil set that contained some funky-looking letters at the Dollar Tree.

I used a #2 stencil from a set I already owned, and I free-handed the #1 to match. I practiced first a paper and came up with a 6.5” circle (using a good ol’ fashioned compass to trace on the back of the sticky felt). The blue hair spray cost $2 and seemed like the obvious choice after encountering difficulty finding suitable blue boas or wigs at a reasonable cost. I teased my boys’ hair first using regular hair spray, then sprayed on the blue stuff.

I originally purchased a “Cat in the Hat” costume for my husband ($33), but it ended up being uncomfortable, small (shoulder-crotch distance just didn’t work, and it looked cheap, the tail was little more than a string). I had him purchase a long-sleeved black t-shirt from Wal-mart ($7). He used some workout pants, socks and shoes he already owned. I found some white fuzzy fur/fabric from a previous art project in my craft supplies, so I cut it into an oval about as large as I could with the scrap I had for the cat’s belly. I safety-pinned it onto the shirt.

We ran out last minute to a Halloween shop and found a black cat’s tail ($5), a licensed “Cat in the Hat” hat ($7) and bow ($5) and white gloves ($3).

I bought some white face paint ($2) and was planning on using some eyeliner I had to draw whiskers on my husband, but decided against any face paint.

All-together: the goldfish cost $12, Thing 1 & Thing 2 cost $11 each, and the Cat in the Hat cost $27 for a grand total of $61.

We received many positive comments for our Homemade Cat in the Hat Family Costume Idea while we were out-and-about. My biggest regrets are 1) I couldn’t figure out what to dress up as to join the Cat in the Hat crew – I tried to fashion a “Sally” (the girl from “The Cat in the Hat”) but it just didn’t look right, and 2) We didn’t get more chances to show off the outfits!
Added bonus: the Thing 1 & Thing 2 labels pull right off, and the cat’s white belly was only safety-pinned on, so all clothes can be re-used.

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