How to Create a Prince Eric Costume

If you're going to dress up as any Disney prince, Eric is probably the easiest choice. He spent most of "The Little Mermaid" in one outfit, which you can approximate using basic pieces that are probably already in your home. The Prince Eric costume DIY process might take you just a few minutes – but you'll still be dashing enough to catch the eye of any red-headed mermaids you might come across.

Like his fellow cartoon princes, Eric had a great head of hair. If you already have dark hair that's just long enough to fall over your forehead – well, it's easy to see why a Prince Eric costume DIY is an easy choice for you. If you have lighter hair and don't want to wear a wig, temporarily color your hair black using black hair spray or hair color gel. They should both wash out when the costume event is over.

Of course, black hair isn't an absolute must-have for a convincing Prince Eric outfit. If you don't want to wear a wig or color your hair, just comb it neatly.

Prince Eric's signature look includes four main components. The first is a collared white shirt with a deep V and sleeves rolled to the elbow. Wear any basic white dress shirt and leave the top several buttons undone. Use fabric tape or double-sided tape to attach the points of your collar to the shirt; this should help create the V-neck shape of Eric's shirt.

The second component of Eric's outfit is a pair of dark pants with the cuffs folded up to mid-calf. Any pair of basic dark jeans or dark pants will work, as long as they're cut in a straight-leg style. Skinny jeans won't create the kind of loose cuff that the costume requires. Fold the bottom of each leg up and use safety pins to keep the cuffs in place.

The third component is a red waist sash that's at least a few inches wide. Tie a red scarf around your waist, or cut a piece of red fabric to be a little longer than your waist size and safety-pin the two ends together. Rotate the sash so the pinned side is at your back.

The final piece of a basic Prince Eric costume is a pair of tall, flat black boots. They should be tall enough that the top of each boot is concealed by the cuff of your pant leg.

Your Prince Eric outfit should be instantly recognizable to anyone who grew up loving "The Little Mermaid," but some people might need a few extra context clues to identify you. Carry a fork and call it your dinglehopper, like Ariel does when she's first learning about how humans behave. (If a child is the one dressing as Prince Eric, hand him a plastic toy fork to avoid any safety issues.)

If you or anyone you know owns some stuffed animals based on "The Little Mermaid" characters, they'll also help people identify your costume. Carry a stuffed sheepdog to represent Eric's dog Max, or carry Flounder and Sebastian toys; technically they were Ariel's friends, but more importantly, the fish and lobster are iconic symbols of the movie.

While the character is known for this one specific look, fans of the movie know that he does appear in one other memorable ensemble. During the final scenes, including when he marries Ariel, Prince Eric wears a formal suit: blue pants with gold trim down the outside of each leg, plus a white military jacket with tails, with a white sash and gold epaulets on his shoulders. This is a trickier Prince Eric costume DIY project than many people will want to take on, but it's another way to dress up as your favorite Disney prince.