# Help with Tippi Hedren Hitchcock's The Birds



## dmjordan (Sep 17, 2005)

Hey, I'm going as Tippi Hedren from the Birds this year.

Does anyone have an idea for suspending/projecting the birds from my costume? It would be so cool if they hung away from my costume, rather than just be sewn on.

I was thinking of something with springs? I don't mind putting the work into something technical to really make this cool. 

Any ideas?

- Melanie Daniels


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## Wolfman (Apr 15, 2004)

That's a tough costume to pull of, but I absolutely LOVE the concept.


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## dmjordan (Sep 17, 2005)

Thanks! Am pretty excited about it.


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## CatMean (Jul 5, 2004)

For the lower half of your costume you could just use fishing line, the birds would bounce and move as you walked like they were attacking you. For the top, real feathered bird props might be too heavy. You could consider doing these as black silhouettes made out of paper on thin but sturdy wire. A headband or hat would give you a stronger base to attached prop birds from. 

Here's a cute picture of someone else's costume:
http://www.bigredhair.com/halloween/2001/birds.jpg

Notice the bird pulling some bloody hair away from her face.. I thought that was particularly brilliant.


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## Skulkin (Jul 27, 2005)

How about using metal or plastic coils from spiral notebooks attached to the birds. Then the birds would have movement and you wouldn't have to spend too much. The coils would have to be attached to your shoulders or a hat or headband. Attaching the coils would be a challenge...velcro? duct tape? sew? staple? Hmmm.....anybody got any ideas?


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## Ray A Rottin (Jun 8, 2005)

I found this website.... doesn't help you, but I just thought it was interesting. You have to speak french, though.  

http://alain.baron4.free.fr/


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## nyhaunter (Apr 15, 2004)

On one of the Halloween episodes on Rosanne one of the characters was the exact costume you are looking for. They should start playing the reruns on Nick-at-Night soon


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

I always thought this idea would be cool, but might take some work: 
Buy a few of those cheap battery powered "flying bats" you see everywhere. Modify the bodies and wings to look more like ravens. Wire two or three of them to a single switch you could trigger by hand and attach them to your hat/costume. Then periodically turn them on to look like real birds attacking.
Keep them away from your face, though.


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## Wolfman (Apr 15, 2004)

Battery birds, my patooey. I grew up on a farm. One spring I found a baby crow, just fledged. I raised him for five years before he flew away. He would come back from time to time, but always when I was out. We called him "Inky". He slept in a big birdhouse that I built, collected tin foil, and he would play with our dogs and cats. He was totally cool. 
Here's what you do- contact somebody with pet crows, and RENT them for your costume. I guarantee you'll win every contest you enter.


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## Newt (Oct 8, 2004)

I did this costume one year and had fun with it. I hot glued hair clips to smaller birds for my hair. My birds were attached to my clothes so no help for you there. I found older clothes at the goodwill, very good look for that era.. I also used smaller christmas tree birds and sprayed them black.. Mom still wonders where her cardinals and doves went


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## Wolfman (Apr 15, 2004)

Newt's got a good idea. Looking back, I think if we had tied Inky to our clothes, he'd have pecked our eyes out.
But that would be a good look for Hallowe'en!!!


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## dmjordan (Sep 17, 2005)

*Thank you!!*

Great Scott, it's been five years, and you all had great responses to my question!! I had figured out my answer shortly after, and yes I had come up with using those flapping flying bats after watching one at the halloween store. I put together an almost exact replica of the tippi hedren costume when she arrives in bodega bay, and sewed the crows on after i had sewn and glued feathers to the bats and made beaks for them as well.

I was featured on the 9 0'clock news in los angeles with the costume at the West Hollywood halloween festival, which was my 15 minutes of fame lol. It was such an amazing night. I had a troupe of school girls to help me run from the birds, and even had a soundtrack of risselty rosselty i had recorded from the movie. 

There is a movie file of the news feature somewhere, and i am looking for it to share with you. I finally got to Bodega Bay this week, which had been something on my bucket list, and I happened on this thread again. 

Someone had actually copied the costume and we had an awkward moment since I wore it again to the festival in 2006 lol.

Thanks again for your suggestions!! It was just so much fun!


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## BooBoo (Jun 14, 2010)

I just suggeted this to someone else to help with effect. Use a small hand held recorder with Bird sound effets from the movie. Not a answer to hanging birds but will make it feel like thier all around.


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## Halloweenie1 (Sep 28, 2008)

dmjordan said:


> Great Scott, it's been five years, and you all had great responses to my question!! I had figured out my answer shortly after, and yes I had come up with using those flapping flying bats after watching one at the halloween store. I put together an almost exact replica of the tippi hedren costume when she arrives in bodega bay, and sewed the crows on after i had sewn and glued feathers to the bats and made beaks for them as well.
> 
> I was featured on the 9 0'clock news in los angeles with the costume at the West Hollywood halloween festival, which was my 15 minutes of fame lol. It was such an amazing night. I had a troupe of school girls to help me run from the birds, and even had a soundtrack of risselty rosselty i had recorded from the movie.
> 
> ...


*Do you have any pictures of the finished costume?*


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## jll (Nov 2, 2009)

two years ago i bought this http://www.thegreenhead.com/imgs/when-birds-attack-costume-1.jpg cause i'm lazy like that. The birds on the wrist were attached by a simple elastic, the one in the hair was on a headband (glued on). I put one on my leg that was held with an elastic, same as wrist. Hope this helps a bit


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