Bodysocks Inflatable Airplane Costume (Adult)

Product Information

With the patterns for all the structural components printed at full scale I set about assembling the plane's "bones." Both to keep the weight to a minimum and because its a very easy material to work with, I chose 1" rigid insulation foam for this step. It cuts very easily with just a box cutter and, because of the paper (or is it a foil?) covering both sides, The material resists bending and warping even when cut quite thin. Bring the remaining sides of Box 2 together in a point so that the box forms a triangle. Use strong tape to fasten the point where the two sides come together.

Create round propeller housing as shown in the bottom right-hand corner below. Mine has a hole in the center because I added a motor (this is not necessary, but wows the kiddos). Our oldest daughter went through a phase a couple of years ago where she was obsessed with Amelia Earhart. She'd devour any book or video she could find about her. She even declared that she'd be the person to finally figure out the location of Earhart's final resting place. The great thing about creating Halloween costumes made out of cardboard is that you don’t need to spend a whole lot of money, develop any sewing or other crafting skills, or search too far for the perfect material. I ended up covering the entire plane including the main wing and the nose in two layers of paper mâché. This was enough to strengthen and maintain the plane's shape without adding unnecessary weight. Note that I did also apply the paper mâché to the nose even though it was a solid piece. I wanted it to have the same texture as the rest of the plane.

Install the Wings

To hold it in place and to help it maintain its round shape, I built a set of internal supports visible in the third picture. These supports allowed the nose to slide on and off the main fuselage without the need for additional supports or attachments. Obviously, the engine and propeller are an important part for any airplane. Our version was no different. While I'm sure I could have built this piece using the same technique for the rest of the plane, I chose to go a different route because I knew I wanted the propeller to spin and was going to need a way to easily access the internal motor and battery compartment. So she was thrilled to learn that the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum had one of Earhart's planes on display. She told us that she wanted to be Earhart for Halloween. That sounded great to us but a simple pilot's outfit would never do so we decided that our young Amelia would need to be "flying" her plane.

Place the triangle-shaped Box 2 up against the end of Box 1, remove the end flap, bend the top end flap of Box 2 over and down into Box 1, and fasten the flap so that it is securely taped to the inside of Box 1. Cut slits in the sides of Box 1. Slide the hangers through the slits and bend down at a 90-degree angle. Then tape the wire hangers to the interior side of the plane. Your wings should now be in place.Tip! Whenever you tape something on the outside of the project, double the strength by taping the inside as well. Don’t worry about making it look pretty on the inside as no one will be able to see it.