How to Make a Shepherd's Crook for a Little Bo Peep Costume

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Little Bo Peep is a sweet nursery rhyme character that has inspired Halloween costumes for generations. To complete her shepherdess outfit, you must have a crook as a costume prop accessory. A shepherdess's crook is a long staff with a hooked top, which she uses to gently retrieve runaway sheep and lambs. The most familiar modern version of Little Bo Peep is the character from Disney's ​Toy Story​ series, and, of course, she carries a crook, too. For any style of Little Bo Peep Halloween costume, craft a DIY shepherd's hook (or crook) using inexpensive supplies from a home, garden or hardware store.

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Make a crook from a candy cane ornament

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A tall plastic candy cane lawn ornament is the ideal shape for Little Bo Peep's crook. Even it's a long time until the holiday season, you still should be able to find candy cane ornaments online. Check the dimensions carefully as one size will not fit all!

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If needed, you can lengthen the crook by inserting a dowel rod into the bottom or shorten it with a saw and sandpaper. This is a handy way to make one size candy cane into a crook for a child or adult costume. Otherwise, to make the ornament look like a crook, simply disguise its distinct red-and-white-striped pattern from paint, electrical tape, or ribbon and glue.

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Things You'll Need

  • Tall plastic candy cane lawn ornament

  • Primer

  • Paint

  • Paintbrush

  • White electrical tape

  • Ribbon

  • Hot glue gun

  • Hot glue

Apply primer to the candy cane

Following the instructions on the package, apply a coat of primer over the entire candy cane lawn ornament. Work outside or in a well-ventilated area. Choose a spray can of primer for the fastest, easiest application. Brush-on primer will work as well; apply a thin but thorough coat. Allow the primer to dry completely before moving to the next step.

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Paint the candy cane crook

Paint the candy cane crook using spray paint or acrylic paint and a paintbrush in a color of your choice. Place the primed candy cane on top of old newspaper or a dropcloth, and paint one side at a time. Allow the first side to dry before turning the candy cane crook over to paint the other. Repeat with additional coats of paint, allowing each coat to dry before adding the next, until the red and white stripes are fully concealed.

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Cover the crook with electrical tape

Starting at either the top or bottom of the crook, wind white electrical tape around and around the crook at a slight angle, overlapping the edges of the tape so that it sticks to itself. Stretch the tape gently as you wrap to help it lie smoothly. You can do this after painting the candy cane for better coverage or instead of painting. Secure the two ends of tape with a little hot glue, if needed.

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Cover the crook with ribbon

Wrap lengths of ribbon in a color of your choice around and around the crook in the same manner as described for the electrical tape. Secure the ribbon in place with hot glue every few inches or so. Optionally, tie an additional length of ribbon into a bow around the neck of Bo Peep's crook for decoration.

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Create an accurate Toy Story Bo Peep’s crook

The Bo Peep character in the Disney ​Toy Story​ series carries a light blue crook that is slightly taller than her. Create an accurate crook accessory for this version of Bo Peep cosplay by painting the candy cane in a light blue color. This is a fun option for a group costume idea, with others dressed up as Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the ​Toy Story​ crew.

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In ​Toy Story 4​, Bo's crook has the addition of a band of white grip tape wrapped around the crook, just under the curved top. Recreate it with a short section of white electrical tape wrapping over a plain blue crook. Note that Bo has a brand-new outfit in ​Toy Story 4​, replacing her previous pink dress with a light blue jumpsuit.

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