Like most first time mom’s whose adorable little baby has now learned to walk, I got super excited for Halloween! While pondering about what I wanted my son’s first Halloween costume to be I had a couple guidelines in place I felt were crucial.
1.) His costume had to be scary but also cute!
Although I love adorable costumes, I still felt strongly that I wanted this costume to embody the true essence of Halloween!
2.) It had to be recognizable.
I wanted to make something people would notice instantly.
3.) I didn’t want it to be generic (ex: witch, ghost, zombie)
With these rules I set in place for myself I thought “wow, I really love a challenge!” The internet was a great place to start for inspiration. I started googling classic Halloween movies for kids and one of the first to pop up was “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” This was perfect! I absolutely love all Tim Burton movies and this was definitely one of my favorites!
Now that I had my movie, picked out I instantly thought “Oogie Boogie!” I really wanted to make a costume that was original and not popular but that people would instantly recognize. The funny part is that I had no concept of how I was going to make this costume but it had been rolling around in my head for a few days before I actually committed.
First step, was fabric! I happen to love JoAnn fabric because of the coupons and the inventory. I took a trip and started searching. Originally the only type of fabric that felt appropriate for Oogie was burlap, but I wasn’t crazy about putting my 1 year old in a scratchy, itchy, burlap sack. Finally I came across some linen that had a similar look but a much softer feel. I happened to find a shade that had a bit of a grungy look to it, so I snatched it up and began perusing the store for other elements I could add to the costume. I came across some “Glow in the dark” fabric paint and thought “YESSSS! Oogie Boogie glows in the dark, this is going to be amazing!”
Next I had to figure out how would my little boy be able to see out of the costume, so I figured the hole for Oogie’s mouth would be the best place for his super cute little chubby face to poke through. I needed to create some rigidity to the opening of his mouth so that the face hole would stay in place and not obstruct his view. For that I used some jumbo chenille stem pipe cleaner wire (black of course).
Next I needed some black felt for Oogie’s eyes. For the rest, I decided to go home and wing it. If there was anything else I needed I’d probably already have it in my craft bin.
Here is a list of all that you will need to create your own toddler Oogie Boogie Halloween Costume:
- Your child’s measurements (Height, Arm Span, Head Circumference)
- Fabric of your choice ( I chose linen)
- Chenille Stem
- Black Yarn
- Glow in the Dark Paint ( I used Fabric Paint)
- A sheet of Black Felt
- Stuffing for the head
- Fake Bugs
- An old gift box for cutting out cubes for the Oogie Boogie Dice


Recent Comments