Coolest Homemade Zoltar Costume

This Homemade Zoltar Costume was inspired from the movie “Big” and the popular amusement park fortune teller attraction. The costume was entirely handmade by my brother, my husband, and I. The frame was made with wood. Each piece was measured and cut, nailed together, then stained. The sides were then made by cutting pieces of wood paneling, and nailing them to the frame.

A piece of wood was cut for the table inside. The piece was measured and cut so that my body would fit into the booth. The back was made from wood on two hinges and a latch was put on so the door could easily open and close. The window was made by cutting plexiglass and nailing it into the frame. The whole box was put onto casters so I would be able to walk and push the whole booth with me wherever I went.

The lettering was cut out by hand and all the trim was also painted by hand and nailed on. The sconces were nailed on the back door and flameless candles were put inside to give a real flickering effect. Fabric was purchased to create the curtains for the backdrop and the tablecloth inside the machine.

We purchased a real coin acceptor online and cut a whole to put the acceptor into the front of the booth. We nailed a Tupperware container underneath the coin acceptor inside the machine to catch the coins. By using the inside of a flashlight, we wired a light to flash on when someone put a coin in. This allowed me to know when to hit the switch for the globe to light up and begin talking.

I had a microphone hidden in my beard and hooked up to an amp. Another hole was cut into the paneling in the front of the booth where we used an old speaker grill to cover the amp. The amp was propped up inside the booth on a ledge built out of wood. This allowed people to hear their fortune through the booth.

We also cut a slot out of the table inside the booth and created a chute out of heavy-duty poster board for the card to slide out another slot that was cut out of the front. We spray painted a small Tupperware lid silver, cut a slot, and screwed it into the machine for the fortune tickets to drop out of.

A wig was used to cut hair to use for my beard, mustache, and sideburns. The hair was glued to my face with spirit gum. I also used professional stage make-up to make my skin look older. Finishing touches of tarot cards, gold coins, and beads were added to the table inside.

The pictures posted will show Zoltar as it is being created, along with many view of the final product. We would also like to share a video of what it was like when someone came up and put a quarter in me. Although the project was very time consuming, we had a great time making this and even better time hearing reactions of people when seeing it on Halloween. I hope you enjoy it!

1 thought on “Coolest Homemade Zoltar Costume”

Madison
September 9, 2011 at 2:57 pm
This is the best Halloween costume I have ever seen!!! I love it! I am planning on making a Zoltar costume for Halloween this year but mine is going to be made out of a cardboard box! Ha ha ha. Not nearly as high tech as yours.
Good luck on your next projects!

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1 thought on “Coolest Homemade Zoltar Costume”

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