Coolest Homemade Mr. Wing Costume from Gremlins

Hello. This year I dressed as Mr. Wing (Grandfather), the shop owner from the movie, Gremlins. This costume came to me at the last minute after I’d already searched everywhere for a few months for parts to my other weird costume ideas.

With only a week or so left, it was too late to get a Kung Fu jacket or uniform online. Well, too late to get a cheap one. I had no luck searching for that style in town, except for a ladies velour that was too small. I even called some martial arts instruction places. I finally located one Asian grocery store that sells clothing in a nearby city, but their jackets cost twice as much as the ones I’d seen online. Aiya! I ended up buying a hoodie-type jacket for $3 at a thrift store. In the first movie, Mr. Wing actually appears to wear more of a vest over his robe or long shirt. I cut off the sleeves of the thrift store jacket, made some buttons out of shoestrings, and glued everything together because I cannot sew.

The robe is from a previous priest costume.

The shoes were new from Wal-Mart.

The black pants are just my pants.

I tried making the hat a few days before Halloween, but I messed it up horribly. I’d glued fabric–which I gleefully found for under $2 in the Hobby Lobby clearance bin–onto a beanie and didn’t take into account the stretching needed for my head. The finished project would not fit, would not stretch. So, I then got one of my dad’s baseball caps and cut off the brim and glued on some fabric and a red tassel.

The pipe is just a dowel rod I bent and poked into the bottom of an acrylic paint bottle. I sprayed it white, added orange to the mouth end.

I tried to spray paint my hair, but it just did not work out. Luckily, I had found a wizard mask the night before and was able to use it for the hair and beard. I added some gray spray to both, and then I attached the facial hair with liquid latex.

I used a white contact from a previous costume, and I got a brown non-prescription sample from my clinic (my eyes are blue).

I was in a rush before work on Halloween and did not try any of the creams or makeup I’d purchased. I wanted a little color because I am so pale.

The Gizmo doll is smaller than I’d have liked, but I couldn’t afford to spend too much money. I got an MP3 of Gizmo singing, transferred it onto an MP3 player, and placed it in the box.

Which brings us to the box, Gizmo’s carrying case. I built it with my dad’s assistance. Whenever I’m in his workshop, I like to use the scraps and such that he really just wants to throw away. I found some old cabinet or entertainment center doors or whatever to use. After putting it together, I painted the outside with acrylic paint (the attached side-of-box picture with flash make the colors too bright, in my opinion). It’s not a perfect replica, but I think it’s still nice.

I didn’t take any pictures during the process of making everything, but I can take pictures of the mess I made in my house if you want to see that. :-P

I wore the costume to work on Halloween. Some people knew it immediately, some people figured it out after I opened the box, and some sadly have never even seen the movie. When not carrying him around, I sat Gizmo on the counter of my desk to greet our customers.

Not counting the items I already had (pants, robe, paint, etc.), I probably spent $40-$50. The most expensive item was Gizmo at around $15.

I guess that’s everything. Thanks for taking the time to check out my costume, and I hope you had a great Halloween!