How to Make a Rabbit Head for a Costume

Whether for to wear in an Easter parade or as an accessory for a Halloween outfit, locating a costume rabbit head can be a daunting and expensive task. You can use a few easily acquired supplies and create your own rabbit head at home, letting kids assist you as a pre-Easter or Halloween activity. By adjusting these instructions by using a smaller balloon and less coat hanger wire, you can also adapt this lupine costume head to child's size.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Awl
• Hot glue gun
• Flour
• Water
• Pink spray paint
• White spray paint
• Black pipe cleaners
• Pink pipe cleaners
• Cotton balls
• White glue
• Newspaper
• Scissors
• Pot
• Screen material
• Balloon
• Two wire coat hangers
• Black permanent marker
• Needle nosed pliers

1. Blow up a large balloon and tie it off.

2. Twist each coat hanger into an oblong shape that resembles a rabbit ear. Use needle nosed pliers to twist the excess wire around the basic shape.

3. Use scissors to cut newspaper into long strips and set them aside in a pile. Boil four parts water with one part flour in the pot, setting it aside to cool. This will be the papier mache mixture.

4. Soak the strips of newspaper in the papier mache mixture and apply them to your shapes. Wrap the newspaper pieces in layers around each of the wire ear-shapes and completely cover the balloon in papier mache.

5. Allow the ear and head shapes to dry.

6. Pop the balloon with scissors and remove it from the papier mache mold to prepare the base head shape. Cut a head-sized opening in the bottom of the resulting round mold.

7. Cut eye holes in the front of the head shape using scissors to create eye slats. Cut small pieces of screen material out and glue them to the inside of the eye holes with a hot glue gun.

8. Hot glue each ear shape in place on the papier mache round base. Apply more papier mache over the ears and head to connect them together, allowing the new rabbit head to dry.

9. Spray paint the rabbit head, first covering the entire head with white spray paint and then using pink spray paint on the inside of the ears. Use a permanent marker to draw the rabbit's mouth.

10. Separate cotton balls into wispy masses to embellish the outsides of the ears to create a fluffy look. Spread white glue on the outer portions of the ears and apply the cotton, allowing it to dry.

11. Twist two pink pipe cleaners together and begin folding them in a connected, concentric triangle to create a nose shape. Hot glue the nose to the center of the rabbit head. Glue three black pipe cleaners to each (right and left) side of the face near the edges to create protruding "whiskers."

12. Use an awl to create small breathing holes in the rabbit head for safety. Place the breathing holes near the mouth and cheeks.

Tips & Warnings

• Always spray paint outdoors or in a well-ventilated area to avoid chemical ingestion.
• Keep children away from hot glue guns.

References

• 3 Simple Papier-Mache Recipes; Linda Anne Nickerson; Sept. 2008