DIY Lego Costumes

My son loved Legos when he was younger. We were lucky enough to live within a couple of hours drive of Legoland which has costume contests each October. Now that my kids are too old to enter the contests, I am sharing my expertise so that the next generation can have some fun.

• Lego figure (the inspiration)
• 1" - 2" thick foam sheet
• 12" floral picks/plant stakes
• Yellow poster board
• Yellow duct tape
• Black tulle
• Black Sharpie
• Glue (glue gun or Beacon's 3-in-1 glue)
• Styrofoam floral circle (8" diameter, 2" deep)
• Craft foam sheets, yarn, etc. for embellishments
• Tape measure/ruler
• Scissors
• Craft paper or other material to make templates
• Auto headliner 3/16" foam backing (can be purchased at Joann Fabrics, Amazon, etc.)
• Foam core board
• Fabric (if desired)
• Suspenders
• Sewing machine
• Utility knife (to cut foam core board)
• Foam or other material to stuff the bulge on the front of the legs

These are general instructions for creating a full-sized Lego costume. Using this as the template, you can modify it to create any Lego costume you can imagine.

1. Choose a Lego figure you wish to create. We have made Lego Jack Sparrow, a Lego Wizard, Lego Stitch dressed as Elvis, and the Beatles Yellow Submarine.

2. Decide the size of the costume and calculate how big the the pieces need to be. Lego measurements can be found on the web (i.e., https://www.bricklink.com/aboutMe.asp?u=flibble3523&pageID=5271) or you can measure your Lego Minifigure and use that. I will give the sizes for some of the costumes I made as estimates. The dimensions for my costumes are when my kids were older and could also be worn by an adult.

1. Cut two 11" diameter circles out of foam. Cut the center out of one of the foam pieces leaving a ring 1.5-2" wide.

2. Insert floral sticks/plant stakes around the edge of the Styrofoam ring and place the second ring on top to create the frame.

3. Cut one 11" circle out of yellow poster board.
4. If using the 8" diameter floral Styrofoam piece to make the knob at the top of the head, also cut out an 8" circle out of the yellow poster board.
5. Cut two strips of yellow poster board 10.5-11" wide. (One strip isn't long enough to go around the head piece.)
6. In the center of one of the yellow strips, draw out your face. As my drawing skills are not that great, I cut out templates to trace onto the yellow poster board. Below are PDF templates I created for the Jack Sparrow and Wizard heads. Cut the face elements out, leaving the rest of the poster board in tact.
7. Turn the poster board over and tape several layers of the black tulle over the face area. Secure with duct tape. The tulle allows the wearer to see out and yet others cannot see in.
8. Flip back over and trace the face elements with the black Sharpie to give a crisp look.

Materials used in this step:

• 1" - 2" thick foam sheet
• 12" floral picks/sticks
• Yellow poster boards
• Yellow duct tape
• Black tulle
• Black Sharpie
• Glue (glue gun or Beacon's 3-in-1 glue)
• Styrofoam floral circle (8" diameter, 2" deep)
• Tape measure/ruler
• Scissors

9. Use the yellow duct tape to attach the face to the foam and floral pick frame at the top and bottom edges. Add the second strip of poster board to fill in the rest of the gap.

10. If needed adjust the foam on the floral sticks/plant stakes and trim sticks if necessary. (Note: depending on the costume, you may want to leave the sticks exposed to attach a hat, etc.)

11. Adhere the yellow duct tape around the edge of the 8" Styrofoam circle and glue the 8" yellow poster board circle to the top. Glue the 11" yellow poster board to the top of the head. Glue the 8" Styrofoam circle to the top of the head.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have completed the basic Lego head!

Add other embellishments as needed. For example, Yarn hair, beads, and burgundy scarf for Jack Sparrow or a beard and hat for the wizard.

Many Lego costumes are made out of cardboard, but that makes it difficult (if not impossible) to wear and move around in. I found 'auto headliner 3/16" foam backing' material (it comes in black, beige and gray) to be a flexible material that is easy to work with. Better yet, if you need black, beige, or gray Lego legs, there will be one less step in the process!

Steps to make legs:

1. Create paper pattern pieces using the dimensions you have decided on. I show two pattern sizes for the legs: the first for when the kids were smaller and the second when they were older.

2. Use the templates to cut out the pattern pieces as shown in the third picture.

3. Sew the pattern pieces together. I used this order: C to D to E to A to B to F to create the two legs.

4. Sew the Top Front piece to the front of the legs. Then sew the Top Front sides to the Outside Leg sides.

5. Use pattern pieces A, B, C, D, E, and F to cut pieces of foam core board.

6. Glue foam core board to the inside of the costume legs to help the costume keep its shape.

7. I rolled a piece of foam and secured it to the inside of the bulge in the legs with glue and duct tape. Other materials, such as flexible cardboard, could also be used to help it maintain its shape.

8. Add suspenders. Don't worry if the waist is a little tall, this will be hidden inside the top and therefore not seen.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have completed the basic Lego legs!

For those that want the legs to be a different color, cut material out using the same pattern pieces. I recommend sewing the fabric with the foam backing (as I did in with the Stitch costume) or the fabric can be sewn separately and placed on the legs as pants.

Materials used in this step:

• Craft paper or other material to make templates
• Auto headliner 3/16" foam backing (can be purchased at Joann Fabrics, Amazon, etc.)
• Foam core board
• Suspenders
• Fabric (if desired)
• Scissors
• Sewing Machine
• Glue (glue gun or Beacon's 3-in-1 glue)
• Utility knife (to cut foam core board)
• Foam or other material to stuff the bulge on the front of the legs

Luckily there are a few less pieces in making the body.

Steps to make the body:

1. Create paper pattern pieces using the dimensions you have decided on. (The dimensions shown for the larger costume size.)

2. Use the templates to cut out the pattern pieces as shown in pictures 1 and 2. In addition, cut two pieces for the arms: 20.5" width and the desired arm length (e.g., 18")

3. Sew the pattern pieces together. I used this order: Sew the arm seam on the arm pieces and then sew the arm to the body side pieces. Sew the front and back pieces to the top piece. Sew the sides to to the front/top/back piece.

5. Use pattern pieces to cut pieces of foam core board. (Do not cut foam core board for the arms.)

6. Glue foam core board to the inside of the costume to help it keep its shape. Before putting the foam core board in, duct tape the seams between the front and back pieces and the top.

7. Glue a piece of the 1-2" foam to the inside of the top to make it more comfortable to wear. Trim/carve as needed.

8. The neck can be made from a 2.5-3" strip of poster board covered with the 3/16" foam material. I found a 9" air duct ring at the home improvement store to use for later costumes. I covered it with material and found it was a more stable base for the head.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have completed the basic Lego body!

Add other embellishments as needed to complete the costume.

Materials used in this step:

• Craft paper or other material to make templates
• Auto headliner 3/16" foam backing (can be purchased at Joann Fabrics, Amazon, etc.)
• Foam core board
• Fabric (if desired)
• Scissors
• Sewing Machine
• Glue (glue gun or Beacon's 3-in-1 glue)
• Utility knife (to cut foam core board)
• 9" air duct ring
• 1-2" thick foam sheet

Steps to make the hands:

1. Create paper pattern pieces using the dimensions and patterns given.

2. Use the templates to cut out the pattern pieces as shown in picture 1.

3. Sew the arm seam on the arm pieces and then sew the arms to the holes in the hand pieces (picture 2).

4. Pin the center of one hand side piece to the hand strip side opposite the center of the arm piece (picture 3). Continue pinning the side to the hand strip and sew seams. Repeat for the second side.

5. Sew ends of hand strip together (picture 4).

6. Turn right side out.

For those that want the hands to be a different color than the foam backing, cut material out using the same pattern pieces. Sew the fabric with the foam backing.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have completed the basic Lego hands!

Materials used in this step:

• Craft paper or other material to make templates
• Auto headliner 3/16" foam backing (can be purchased at Joann Fabrics, Amazon, etc.)
• Fabric (if desired)
• Scissors
• Sewing Machine