How to Make Curious George Party Hats

Curious George is a crafty little monkey who first appeared in a book published by Hans and Margret Rey in 1941. Curious George's face today appears on numerous products, including lunch boxes, clothing and pillows. A Curious George hat is certain to please any young party guest, and even those that are not so young. This article provides step-by-step instructions for making this quirky party hat.

Things You'll Need

• 1/8 sheet of white construction paper for each hat
• Inexpensive paper plates (with small ribs around the edges)
• Scissors
• Permanent magic marker
• Stapler with staples
• Roll of heavy-duty transparent tape
• Glue (white)
• Template sample (from the first hat)
• One piece of Velcro (1/2") with front and rear sides of tape
• Paint or foam brush (one small and one large size), artist preference
• Dark brown yarn (optional)

Instructions

1. Take a look at a "Curious George" book to determine the color paint and construction paper that will need to be purchased. Large amounts of light and dark brown paint will be needed. Small amounts of white construction paper will also be required. As a general rule of thumb, one 16 oz. bottle of tempera paint will be enough for 10 hats.

2. Purchase supplies. Some of the items, such as paper plates and staples, may be found in the home. The others are available from any craft supply or big box merchandise store.

3. Lay out all of the paper plates in an area with adequate ventilation. Two plates will be required for each hat. Adult heads may require an extra plate to make an extended head strap.

4. Paint one of the plate fronts with the light brown paint. Paint the second plate front with the dark brown paint. Use a foam or bristle brush.

5. Cover the rear side of both plates with the dark brown paint and allow the plates to dry.

6. Place the dark brown plate behind the light brown plate. This will make a moon-type shape, allowing 2 inches of the back plate to peek over the front plate. This will be the top of George's head and have space for his eyes.

7. Staple the back plate in place and trim the excess plate off the back.

8. Save the discarded part of the back plate. This will be used to make the hat strap.

9. Cut oval shapes from the white construction paper. You will need two ovals for each hat. These will be used for the background of George's eyes.

10. Draw a large round dot in the center of each white oval with the black magic marker. These are George's eyes.

11. Glue the eyes to the stapled plates (the head).

12. Take the magic marker and draw a nose on each plate. The nose should be a hollow, rounded arch on the top and a triangle shape on the bottom.

13. Draw a line for George's mouth. Since George's mouth expresses a range of emotions in the books, use your discretion in selecting an emotion. A smiling George is always a good choice for a party hat.

14. Cut the hat strap from the leftover material from the back paper plate. The size of the strap will be determined by the size of the party guest's head. Small children will require half of the length of the paper plate for both sides.

15. Glue the Velcro to each side of the hat straps. Place the sticky piece on one side and the fabric-type piece on the other strap.

16. Staple the top part of the straps on each side of George's face, making sure that the Velcro pieces match up so they will stick.

17. Use the first hat as a sample to place the eyes, nose and mouth on the other hats.

Tips & Warnings

• Place heavy-duty tape over the staples so that they will not scratch the wearer's head. To add a realistic touch, cut three or four ¾" pieces of dark brown knitting yarn. Attach this to one side of the top of the head.

• Allow all glue and paint to dry fully before wearing the hat. Never use the hat as a mask since this may lead to injuries.

Resources

• Curious George images from PBS Kids