Baby Octopus Costume - Moving Tentacles

This is a costume that i wore with my 7 month old daughter in a baby-bjorn. The concept was an octopus with flailing tentacles attacking a snorkeler. I was working with a zero budget in mind, although I did end up buying the snorkel gear. All of the materials were things I had laying around the house. Hope you enjoy!

Black long sleeve tshirt

Purple fleece blanket

Animal Print fabric

Rubber gloves

Stuffing

Wire

Paint

Styrofoam balls

Snorkel gear

Baby-bjorn (structured baby carrier)

I drew out half the octo body onto the folded fleece, sizing it to make the most of the fabric, and to cover my body and accommodate my arms.

Once cutout, I had the full front half of the octopus body, I then used the blue animal print fabric to create the underside of each of the arms. On the second-from the top arms, I made a secondary lining (dark fabric) which was the pocket for my arm to slide into.

I prepped a black long sleeve shirt by cutting it up the back and attaching velcro closures. The Octo body was sewn to the front of the shirt. I then cut a hole through the shirt and the purple fabric - for the baby's face to go through.

I put wire into each tentacle arm to make it bendable, then used a long paintbrush to stuff the stuffing into each one. I stuffed my "arm-tentacles" only half full, and only on the underside of the double-lining to leave room for my arms, but padded it enough so it looked the same as the others.

The humans arms were stuffed and attached to the gloves and put into the sleeves of the shirt.

I slit holes in the shirt under the long sleeve in the armpit area - this is where my arms go into the tentacles.

I obviously wasn't going for a very realistic look, I didn't even look at what real octopi look like. I wanted the look to very cartoony and fun. So the fabrics were random, and the patterns we painted were done in a really loose style.

The little eyeballs were painted onto styrofoam balls and attached to the hood.

Because the costume did up on the back, it was really easy to pop it over the front of baby once she was strapped into her baby-bjorn. Then my arms slid through the shirt slits and into the tentacles. Flippers and snorkel to finish off the look! My baby didn't mind the costume, she likes her carriers so I guess it was like being bundled up in a blanket. Happy Halloween!!!