# Don't "Bug" Me



## Shebear1 (Jul 22, 2008)

Okay, here is my delimma. I am part of a group costume and we are all going to be different types of bugs. Ladybug, butterfly and housefly have all be snatched up. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding costume ideas? I was thinking like a caterpillar or grasshopper, but wouldn't know where to start. Maybe someone on this forum has had to come up with something along those lines and can give me their insight. I hope so anyway. HELP!


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## boo who? (Feb 28, 2005)

You could always team up with a spider, wrap yourself up in cheese cloth and go as a meal.


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## Famous Pumpkin (Aug 12, 2014)

boo who? said:


> You could always team up with a spider, wrap yourself up in cheese cloth and go as a meal.


......or BE a spider!


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## Tasty Brains (Jan 16, 2019)

Along with those horsehead masks that have been so popular over the past decade, Archie McPhee has a cool praying mantis mask. Maybe you could go as that? No idea how you might handle the arms and all, though.


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## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

A few ideas based first on accuracy and then cost:

Bugs are a specific type of insect. None that you mentioned are actually bugs. So in that spirit. Don't bathe or change your clothes for a week. Wear an Antennae hair beret to the party. When people hold their breath long enough to get close to you and ask what you are, tell them you're a stink bug. Laugh hysterically when they throw you into the shower.

Not a bug, but an easy outfit that can be embellished as you choose:

Long brown coat, the longer the better, especially anything like a tux with tails. Brown slacks and shirt. Antennae hair beret. You go as a cockroach. Advise them there are better ways to control household pests when they spray you with Raid.

This one requires sewing and alteration skills. Also a bit of a budget if you use the outfits I put in the link. But I suspect if you actually sew you could make the outfit yourself with fabric bought on sale with a coupon from JoAnne's fabric:

2 Fuzzy coats, similar to those found at https://www.amazon.com/CNJFJ-Womens...533998555&ref=&adgrpid=71517209752&th=1&psc=1 .

One black coat, one beige. If you could find black and orange, so much the better










Two pair of gloves. One black and one beige. Preferably as fuzzy as you can find.

Cut the black coat in half. Use the black coat to create a top and bottom. Cut the beige coat to remove the collar if there is one, but without cutting away the arms. Using the arms and the lower part of the beige coat, sew the beige coat to the top of the black coat. Sew the lower part of the black coat to the lower part of the beige coat. Fill the lower arms with batting and sew on a pair of the fuzzy gloves. Using fishing line between the arms link the top and bottom arms together so that the arms move in tandem when you move your arms. Using any left over material, make yourself a hood with antenna.

Go as a woolly bear caterpillar. Spend the evening in a corner wrapping yourself in gauze or cheesecloth. This will approximate making a cocoon, which is what you would be doing in October if you were a woolly bear caterpillar.

Last suggestion: Wait for someone to respond who actually has a good idea.


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## Meadow (Apr 14, 2019)

Shebear1 said:


> Okay, here is my delimma. I am part of a group costume and we are all going to be different types of bugs. Ladybug, butterfly and housefly have all be snatched up. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding costume ideas? I was thinking like a caterpillar or grasshopper, but wouldn't know where to start. Maybe someone on this forum has had to come up with something along those lines and can give me their insight. I hope so anyway. HELP!


Loving bed bugs


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## Orgarob (Sep 11, 2016)

Cockroach, beetle, Cricket (Or Jiminy Cricket) Bug Catcher, Bumble Bee, fly swatter (with fly attached?), bug zapper

One idea that makes me itch is putting a lot of small white things in your hair. When people ask what you are say, you can point to them and say Lice.


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

Dragonfly. The image with the kid's back view shows how the wings/back structure could be constructed. I'd use the plastic shrink film for sealing/insulating windows or fine fabric/tulle, wrapped around coathangers bent out and have a bit of a tail of the coathanger to wrap around a center harness section (I'd suggest checking thrift stores to see if you can find one of those really cute, really small backpack purses you could use for the base) so you could put it on like a backpack (and take it off if it got uncomfortable). The wings should move a bit , so much like the pic with the woman in the white dress, try attaching fishing line to wrist bracelets (and the lower to the upper wing) so they'll move when you raise your arms. 

And looking at the pic with the corset and close up of the wing's veining, I'd get some pearlized/metallic green spraypaint and LIGHTLY mist the wing surface so they turned iridescent and then you could use a nice fat sharpie permanent marker to trace out those veins. TEST the paint/marker thing on a scrap piece of plastic first tho - don't want to suggest something that ruins any work!

Add in a shimmery/metallic matching color dress and shoes, (I've seen dragonflies in blues, greens, coppers and even purple), a headband with some large sparkly "eyes" like the little girl in the green dress.


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## Shebear1 (Jul 22, 2008)

Thanks, guys. These are all fabulous ideas and really give me a lot to think about. Glad I have a few months to get this outfit together!


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## Shebear1 (Jul 22, 2008)

I love the idea of the wooly caterpillar and I checked out the praying mantis mask at Archie McPhee. It's great, and I have an idea how to make the arms, but nothing yet on how to make the legs. I'll keep my brain working on it though.


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## MasqAddikt (Jun 19, 2019)

How about a bee or spider? Neither of those costumes would likely be too difficult.


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## [email protected] (Aug 6, 2017)

I guess a catepiller would be made similar to the butterfly-without the wings. I'm not sure where to start with this but I like the idea of a praying mathis. Think about it....


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## pluto (Aug 24, 2012)

love the dragon fly idea, you could make a bit more of a joke for it and use a dragon mask for the pun (or cool makeup with a scaled look). I was a witch doctor one year, with hospital scrubs and a witch hat... adds a bit of whimsy to the costume ?

Not sure how cutesy you want to be with the group in mind but I think a dung beetle would be funny too. dress in all black/brown, have some antenna and get a ball covered in brown/black fabric as your prop. Some of them have an iridescent look which would be fun with highlight for make up and a cool horn on their nose so you look more "in costume". Good luck!


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## skcoberly (May 9, 2016)

Shebear1 said:


> Okay, here is my delimma. I am part of a group costume and we are all going to be different types of bugs. Ladybug, butterfly and housefly have all be snatched up. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding costume ideas? I was thinking like a caterpillar or grasshopper, but wouldn't know where to start. Maybe someone on this forum has had to come up with something along those lines and can give me their insight. I hope so anyway. HELP!


You could always be the "marvelous" moth man - look up the moth man as a cryptid on Google. It would be a combo insect/fantasy costume. I created an animatronic mothman from a Spirit cocoon victim prop for the Academy of Sciences and Maker Faire shows, and it got the most comments of anything in our rooms. See below how I made it and the final version - this was the mothman breaking out of his cocoon; obviously you'd want the all grown up one.














Suzanne


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## Bipoltergeist (Aug 18, 2018)

Shebear1 said:


> Okay, here is my delimma. I am part of a group costume and we are all going to be different types of bugs. Ladybug, butterfly and housefly have all be snatched up. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding costume ideas? I was thinking like a caterpillar or grasshopper, but wouldn't know where to start. Maybe someone on this forum has had to come up with something along those lines and can give me their insight. I hope so anyway. HELP!


I saw a phot of Caterpillar


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## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> A few ideas based first on accuracy and then cost:
> 
> Bugs are a specific type of insect. None that you mentioned are actually bugs. So in that spirit. Don't bathe or change your clothes for a week. Wear an Antennae hair beret to the party. When people hold their breath long enough to get close to you and ask what you are, tell them you're a stink bug. Laugh hysterically when they throw you into the shower.
> 
> ...


I think those are some great, creative ideas!


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## yoboseiyo (Nov 14, 2015)

i'm voting for the dragonfly idea! that sounds so cool!


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## JustaBunchOfHocusPocus (Sep 17, 2007)

I also love the dragonfly idea! The pictures look great! Go for that one! 

Let us know how everything goes. Creating costumes is always fun to do.


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