My four year son was obsessed with T-Rex’s last year, so Mom had to deliver! I made his T-Rex head out of a children’s plastic fire fighters helmet. I turned it around and started shaping the head from cut up cereal boxes and masking tape.
I glued on the fabric with carpenters glue and plastered over the cardboard for the teeth and eyes. I than painted it. I made his feet out of water bottles and more masking tape, glue and fabric. Again, I plastered and painted the toenails. I made my own pattern for the body and little gloves for his hands.
The whole costume cost about $8.00, for fabric and tape. There may be a cute boy inside, but a TERRIFYING T-REX outside! My son provided the roars and even mastered the T-Rex walk, so between the two of us, it was pretty convincing.
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Has anyone else tried it? What sort of plaster and paint work best without chipping/breaking?
I’m so impressed with this costume and all the other T-Rexs I’ve seen weren’t accurate enough for my little paleontologist.
The plaster was the trickiest part, and so here’s the long version of how I did it.
After I shaped the teeth the way I wanted, I used left over paint primer. I then watered down plaster and “painted” it on. When dry, I sanded down the chunkiest parts. It actually looks really good if its jagged and chunks missing, makes it look scarier. I then painted with any acrylic paints, mainly yellow, brown, white, and red, like he just ate! Kind of rub it off after you paint it on. The plaster did want to chip so I had left over découpage and painted that on, but I think lacquer or watered down glue would work too! I’m all about cheap and left overs, so check your garage for supplies!
Do the same for the eyes and toenails, except I would sand the eyes more. Good luck!
I think I found my Halloween costume for next year! This looks great!
It’s nowhere near Halloween, but I’m cooking up ideas for a T-rex suit of my own.
The trickiest part seems to be the tail and how to keep it from sagging tremendously.
Would you mind sharing how you formed this one? It looks great!
This is the best dinosaur costume I have seen!
You should consider selling them – I know if I tried to make this for my son it wouldn’t look anything like yours!
So, you’re not selling these? How much would you charge for your little boy’s costume or one like it? My boy is 4 and is also obsessed! Jen
this is amazing, I’m a fifteen year old girl and I’ve found my costume for this year!!!
I’m going to get the supplies tonight!!
I love this costume! My 3 year old is obsessed with t-rex dinosaurs! Could you give more details on how to make this to a very creativity-challenged person?
I would love to make this for my 4 1/2 year old. Can you email me more instructions? Any help would be appreciated as I am not artistic but willing to try. I would love to see my son’s face if I could pull this off. He is really into dinosaurs and wants to watch Jurassic Park all the time!
My daughter found this link and emailed it to me and said mom…we gotta make this! So needless to say, I want to try and make this costume for my 3 year old grandson; who I might add, is totally obsessed with dinosaurs! I am pretty good with a sewing machine, but I don’t fully understand your instructions. Is there some way you could please email me more detailed instructions and a step by step guide as to how this is put together. Or I would be willing to purchase this one or pay you to make one! Either way…HELP!!! Please!
Pam
How did you do the tail. I am working on my son’s costume and came across yours. Still not sure what to do with the tail how to get it so it’s not in the way and how to get it on in the first place.
hi dear, can you please help me in sharing idea for paleontologist costume….waiting for your reply.
None of the other dinosaur costumes hold a candle to this one!!! Well done, Mom!!! I’m going to attempt to recreate this for my son this year!!!! YIKES!!! :)
This is wonderful! Do you have any more pictures?
I am looking to make a costume for my sons school play and this one is so amazing that I think this is the one!! Great Job.
I make all of my children’s costumes (hate those cheesy store-bought body suits and am appalled at the price)…and YOU ARE MY HERO!
I would love to make this costume, but I need more instructions than provided. Will you be updating? My son is 3 1/2 and also into dinos. He requested to be a T-Rex this year.
You did a fabulous job on this! It is the best one I have seen yet! I started to make it today for my son… Hope it turns out!
Thanks for your awesome idea!! I made one for my little dinosaur lover
i luv ur costume. its hard for kids to find GOOD costumes, and this is one of my faves.
how long did it take to make the costume? i am lets say very challenged when it comes to being crafty but my 2 year old loves dinos!
What an amazing costume! Like so many here, I am a little craft-challenged; would there be any way you could add some more detailed instructions? I’ve been to many sites, and yours is by far the best!! Thank you!
How did he get in it? I see no zippers or buttons and it looks like one piece. Also theres no instructions which seems like its kinda the point of this particular page being that moms are looking for help in making a costume. Yours is fantastic but its of no use without a little more detailed information. Just a pictire of a cute kid in a costume. This isnt Facebook.
I would love to recreate this costume. Could you give me any more specific details about head and feet? I think I can create the bodysuit myself (just adapt the pattern I used for another costume), although I’m not sure how to keep the tail from being too heavy. When she was a skunk, I had to tie the tip of the tail to her hood with fishing line to hold it up.
Any help you can give would be most appreciated. Thanks!
Liza Decoteau
This t-rex is beyond compare! you are a genius.
This costume is AMAZING! AWESOME job! You can’t buy anything looking this great! You should consider making those and selling them online.
Hi there.
My name is Christina Kontemeniotou and I am from Cyprus. I have a 5 1/2 years old son and he is also obsessed with dinosaurs. We would like to try and make your costume. I didn’t really understand though how to make the head, teeth, eyes and feet. Do you have any more pictures or information of the procedure?
We would both be very grateful to you:)
Thanking you in advance.
Christina Kontemeniotou and Nikandros (my son)
I did a very similar head for my son a couple years ago. I also used a plastic fireman’s helmet (turned around).
I used the lip of the helmet as a platform for balls of masking tape to form the head and eye ball. I used strips of thin (cereal box) cardboard to form nostrils, eye lids and the jaw and I smoothed it all out with flat strips of masking tape.
I then further smoothed it out by covering the head with plaster of paris gauze, which also helped to secure the eyes, jaw and teeth. Once dry, I painted around the teeth, nostrils and eyes.
After that, I punched holes in the sides of the plastic helmet, stuffed-in the ends of a large strap of elastic and filled the holes with hot glue (thereby making a chin strap).
Finally, I covered the head with a thin scale print scarf material.
You are truly talented! This is the only dino costume I want instructions for!
I see many others have asked you for more detailed instructions. This costume is awesome! Have you put any instructions together that you would be able to email me? Thank you!