How to Dress Like Mrs. Potato Head for Adults

Mrs. Potato Head is a fun costume, sure to bring out plenty of smiles.

Few characters are as recognizable as Mrs. Potato Head. With a resurgence in popularity thanks to the "Toy Story" movies, Mrs. Potato Head is a fun costume for any adult Halloween party. It's a wonderful choice if you don't feel like showing too much skin, and it's warm for trick-or-treating in cold weather. Pair it with a friend or significant other dressed as Mr. Potato Head for a fun couples' costume for a Halloween party.

Things You'll Need

• Paper and pencil
• 4 Yards of light-brown felt
• Sharp scissors
• Sewing machine
• Light-brown thread
• .5 Yard of bright red felt
• .25 Yard of pink felt
• .25 Yard of white felt
• .25 Yard of orange felt
• Black permanent marker
• Straight pins
• Fabric glue (optional)
• Long-sleeved t-shirt
• Brown pants, tights or leggings
• Plastic clog-style shoes, large colorful rain boots or clown shoes

Instructions

1. Fold the brown felt across its width to create a rectangle. The fold line will become the top of the shoulders. Cut out a neck hole in the middle of the fold line; it won't need to be hemmed because felt doesn't fray. Leave 8 inches of fabric open at the top of each side of the rectangle (this will create the arm holes) and stitch the two sides of the folded fabric together. Repeat on the opposite edge of the rectangle.

2. Look on the Internet or at pictures in books of Mrs. Potato Head to see the various lip, ear and eye shapes she comes with in her different incarnations (see Resources). Choose the feature shapes that you like best, and draw a template of them on plain white paper. The mouth should be approximately 10 inches wide, and the eyes 5 or 6 inches in diameter (or at their widest point across if you choose oval-shaped eyes). The nose should be about 9 inches long.

3. Use the paper templates to cut the ears, eyes, mouth and nose out of the colored sheets of felt. Use red for the mouth, pink for the ears, orange for the nose and white for the eyes. Use the permanent marker to draw a large dot in the middle of each eye.

4. Try on the simple sack garment you created by sewing the rectangle of brown felt together. Look at it in a mirror, and decide where you'll place the eyes, ears, mouth and nose. Don't place the ears right under your armholes, or they'll be hidden when your arms are down. After you've decided on the proper placement, pin the felt pieces in place on the brown sack garment, and take the costume off.

5. Stitch the mouth and other facial features to the brown garment, or use fabric glue to attach them.

6. When wearing the costume, wear it over a brown long-sleeved T-shirt, and either brown leggings, pants or tights. Finish the look with colorful, whimsical shoes.

References

• "Mr. Potato Head Celebrating 50 Years of One Sweet Potato!"; Gil King
• "Funny Face: An Amusing History of Potato Heads, Block Heads, and Magic Whiskers"; Mark Rich and Jeff Potocsnak
• "The Halloween Handbook: 447 Costumes"; Bridie Clark et al.

Resources

• Pop Tower: Mrs. Potato Head