How to Make a Bumblebee Costume

Carry a flower for added effect.

Bumblebee is not only a fun word to say but it makes for a great costume. Being a bumblebee makes you immediately recognizable and gives you leeway to walk around making an annoying buzzing sound. You can also get a lot of mileage out of a bumblebee costume, wearing it on Halloween and on Earth Day and at celebrations marking the coming of spring.

Things You'll Need

• Foam core
• Elastic
• Glue gun
• Needle and thread (optional)
• Paint
• Striped shirt or solid shirt with felt strips
• Black pants and shoes
• Plastic headband
• Pipe cleaners and Styrofoam balls

Instructions

1. Hook up the wings. Sketch a pair of bumblebee wings on a piece of foam core. Make them large enough to fit nicely in the center of your back. Leave them connected in the middle. Cut out the wings with a pen knife and fold the two sides toward each other so they stick out. Paint the wings black. Cut two pieces of 1-inch or wider elastic that will wrap from the top of the center of the wings, beneath your armpits, and meet in the middle of your back. Use a glue gun to connect the top part of the elastic to the top middle of the wings and the bottom part of the elastic to the center middle of the wings.

2. Create the shirt. Search thrift shops and discount stores for a black and yellow striped shirt. Find the shirt and you're all set. If you cannot find an appropriate shirt, get either a solid yellow or solid black T-shirt and felt. Pick yellow felt for a black T-shirt and black felt for a yellow T-shirt. Cut the felt into 2-inch-wide strips that are long enough to fit around the entire shirt. Glue the strips on the shirt with a glue gun or sew them on by hand or with a machine. Make sure the strips are at least 2 inches apart for a uniform look.

3. Make the antenna. Get a black plastic headband that fits snugly over the top of your scalp. Paint it black if you can't find a black one. Paint two small Styrofoam balls black and attach each one to the end of a black pipe cleaner. Attach the other end of the pipe cleaner to the headband with the glue gun.

4. Finish it off. Wear your shirt, wings and antenna with a black pair of pants and black shoes. If you want to go all out, add a black Lone Ranger type mask, which is available at costume shops and sometimes dollar stores.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make your wings fancier by using a white or silver paint pen and drawing small veins and lines on the black wings. All your supplies are available at arts and craft stores and fabric shops.