My daughter and I went as Mommy and Baby Jellyfish this Halloween. The glowing jellyfish costume idea was a hit. And we had comments and compliments all weekend long!
The legs/tentacles/stingers/not-sure-what-they’re called were glowing too, but you can’t see it very well in the pictures. These cost me about $28 total to make both costumes. The best part is that you can simply “take off your hat” when you’ve had enough of being a jellyfish.
I got the homemade glowing jellyfish costume ideas from another costume on this site, but made it my own. Here’s how to make them:
Supplies:
* Sombrero
* Foam Board
* Bubble Wrap
* Ribbon
* Shower Poofs
* Shredded Gift Bag Stuffing (the shiny kind to reflect light)
* Battery Powered LED Lights (You have to use LED because the regular lights get too hot and will melt your costume!)
* Batteries
* Netted Laundry Bag
* Glow Sticks
* Hot Glue Gun & Glue
* Clear Packing Tape
* Scissors
* Exacto Knife
Making the Glowing Jellyfish Costume
Take sombrero and lay it over a large piece of foam board. Trace around the sombrero to make the desired size jellyfish body you want. Cut out the circle of foam board with Exacto knife. Lay sombrero back on top and poke holes through the circle part of the sombrero that sits on your head and into the foam board to mark where to cut out the hole for your head. Cut and punch out desired hole, hot glue sombrero to foam board and pull the sombrero neck strap through hole.
Take bubble wrap and roll into tubes and hot glue or tape to top of sombrero going around the entire diameter of the hat, making something that looks like a tiered cake. Stuff shredded stuffing into crannies of bubble wrapped layers. Attach battery operated lights all over bubble wrap and stuffing (with tape) and tape battery packs to underside of hat with packing tape. Make sure you have the switches in the direction you want them in and the battery covers facing the ground in case you need to change the batteries. Also install batteries before taping.
Take the laundry bag and pull it over the bubble wrap. Stretch and secure to underside of hat with hot glue. Hot glue any loose corners of laundry bag down to make it look curved.
Take a Shower Poof/loofah and cut the center string so it becomes one long, loose string. Hot glue this around the edge of hat.
Cut ribbon to desired length and hot glue to underside of hat. You can add some shower poof strands here as well.
Let it Glow
Crack glow sticks before you go trick or treating, to your party or whatever and insert under netting on underside of hat. You can also dangle some with the ribbon and/or crack one open and poor it onto the fabric itself (legs).
Warning: cracking open glow sticks can be dangerous. Make sure eyes are protected and be prepared to smell a very toxic odor. If I would have known this beforehand, I wouldn’t have cracked any open.
Place onto head, turn on lights, and go delight your friends, neighbors and all the strangers you’ll come across! Have fun and be safe.
Related costumes:
Awesome Blue Glow In The Dark Jellyfish Child’s Costume 
Cool DIY Glowing Jellyfish Costumes 
Scuba Diver Trapped by a Jellyfish Costume 
Glowing Jellyfish Halloween Costume 
Bio-Luminescent Jellyfish Costume 
Coolest Homemade Glowing Jellyfish Costumes 
Stingingly Smart Jellyfish Costume 
Cool Homemade Bio-Luminescent Jellyfish Costume
I’m wondering how many sets of LED lights you had to use for ONE jellyfish? They come in 6 foot strands and I’m not sure that would be enough for ONE hat. Any advice? Thanks!
I used the lights to go around the rim of the Hat. 1 strand went around 2 times. And it’s a pretty good size hat.
Thank u so much for the idea. My costume turned out even better than I thought I could do!!! I also won the best costume!!
What kind of foam board did you use?
I used regular foam board from Hobby Lobby. I think it was 1/4″ thick.
Hi Megan,
I used 2 sets of LED lights, so you will have one battery pack on each side of your head. Hope that helps.
Where are you guys finding the LED lights? I can only find strands with 10 lights each…
Thanks!
Kristen
Thanks for the great idea! I won best costume! Pretty easy to do, next time I will make it even better. I used a LOT of bubble wrap.
Did u by chance take any pictures while making this? It would help out a lot in recreating this project. I’m just getting confused on how this process works, im sure once i start building it it will make sense but i would also be nice to see building pictures. Thanks
I did not take pics while I was making it. Sorry.
This sounds so cool – I’m trying to make it. I’m confused about the foam board, though. Does it go on the underside of the sombero, or on top of the ring? And what’s the point of the foam board anyway? Thanks for any clarification!
I don’t know how these costumes could have been made for under $30 unless you had most of the supplies on hand. I just spent $67 – I already have sombreros and I still have to buy batteries, bubble wrap, and laundry bags.
Whoa! Where do you do your shopping??!
This is how much it cost me to make these. It might cost you more depending on where you buy the supplies, but it shouldn’t be anywhere near what you’ve spent.
The only things I had on hand were the clear packing tape, knife and scissors. Almost everything else can be found at the dollar store (with the exception of the LED lights, which I got a Hobby Lobby). I also got the ribbon on clearance at JoAnn’s Fabrics and the gift bag stuffing on clearance at Hobby Lobby. You can also ask for things like the bubble wrap (or anything really)from Freecycle.org and search your city. I am all about shopping clearance racks and shopping smart.
Your costume looks blueish on top. How did you get that look. Ours is white and yours almost looks like it has a tulle finish to it.
What if you omit the foam board…would it still work?
The foam board is necessary for support and structure. If you don’t use it, the costume will flop or sag. I wouldn’t use supplies that aren’t necessary…that would mean creating extra work for myself.
The blue tint is the color of the laundry bag. I wanted my jellyfish to be blue, so I used blue. If you want a different color, use a different color.
I love the idea, but when I priced out the materials, this is what I found:
You do the math!!
JoAnne Fabrics
Hot glue gun $10.49
glue sticks $5.99
Tulle glitter ribbon $6.98 (3.49/pkg)
Amazon
Gleam metallic shred $5.19
1 Shower Pouf $2.50 ( 2 poufs = $5.00)
Walmart
Foam board $7.96
4 AA Batteries $3.77
Clear Packing Tape $2.04
Mesh Laundry Bag $6.27
Glow stick $3.14
LED lights $15.98 ($7.99/set)
Bubble Wrap $10.18
The Costumer
Sombrero $15.98
EDITOR’S NOTE: The submitter noted the price she paid to make the costume. She may had a lot of the items already. Also, where I live several of the items you listed can be purchased for much cheaper. Thrift stores and yard sales are a good source for items like sombreros where you can usually pick one up for a dollar or two.
Where did you purchase the lights and the battery pack?
I love this idea. I have all my components.
Had the glue gun, sticks, all crafting items due to the fact I am always crafting.
I asked a Chevys restaurant employee for a hat so that I can make my costume.
Got the bubble wrap from a yard sale box of free stuff.
Bought the board at Hobby Lobby. Ribbon I got from the clearance box at HL.
Lights I got at Michael’s on sale.
I brushed all material pieces with tonic water as it glows in the dark if someone’s decorations have a black light it really shows up.
I spent less than 30.00 and most of that was lighting.
GREAT IDEA…. THANKS!
Megan, two packs per hat…one on either side of the head. :)
Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic costume idea!!! I can’t wait to try it!
BTW – I cannot believe that someone would become almost combative instead of saying thank you. Pay no attention to them!
I’m confused about where the foam board goes. Does it go under the sombrero or on top of it (with the sombrero hat poking through). Does the sombrero hat actually sit on the person’s head? Someone else asked this question about the foam board but I don’t see it answered. Thanks.
Great idea!! What type/color ribbon did you use? Can the shower poofs be colored as well, or white? Thank you.