Kids Yogi And Boo Boo Bear Halloween Costumes

Hey Boo Boo, what do you want to be for Halloween?  Halloween is  around the bend and I could not wait to share these costumes!  I feel smarter than the average bear because they turned out so cute!  These totally unique home made costumes were fun to make and even more fun for the kids to wear!

Last year my son had a bit of a Yogi Bear fetish after a stay at Jellystone campground.  Of course, he decided he wanted to be Yogi for Halloween, and do you think I could find anything that resembled Yogi Bear?  Nothin!  So I attempted my first ever homemade Halloween costume!  I feel smarter than the average bear because they turned out so cute!  These totally unique home made costumes were fun to make and even more fun for the kids to wear!

Because I couldn’t find what I was looking for I created my very own costumes, just the way I wanted them.  I had been making some appliqued shirts at the time an decided applique would be how I made these adorable little costumes.  My original plan was to find some little brown jogging suits and just add the faces and the ties to them, but again, I couldn’t find just what I needed to make the costumes.  I was able to pick up the fabric for these for around $3 a yard – it was the perfect fuzzy bear colored fabric.  I picked up a pattern for a kids jogging suit as well, and crossed my fingers.  I don’t love to sew, and am not “good” at it by any means but I had everything I needed to make these costumes, and I was determined!

I made the jogging suits in the kids sizes first, and added little bear feet to the Yogi costume.  Boo Boo bear did not get feet because Olivia was so little, I didn’t want her to trip and fall on them.  The suits were not perfect but the colors and fabric were just right.  This was the first time I had ever sewn an item of clothing let alone a bear costume!  I wish I could tell you how I put the feet on, but I have no rhyme or reason to how I did it.  Just made it up as I went, and kept trying until it worked.   Next came the bow tie and Yogi collar.  I appliqued them onto the sweatshirts and then sewed around them using brown thread that matched the bear color!

Next I made the faces.  Basically, I just printed out a picture of Yogi and Boo Boo’s heads the size that I needed the faces to be .  I cut out each individual piece and used that as my guide for creating the faces.  If you have never appliqued anything on fabric before, it is really quite simple.  Here is a quick explanation of how I made them  (Go to my tutorial on how to applique).  I use Heat N Bond, an iron on applique fabric to do my projects.  Make sure it is the lighter weight kind and is sew able and washable.  You can find it at any craft store that has fabric.  First, I decided what pieces I needed  in what color (like the eyes, nose, and mouth black and the muzzles brown, and outer eyes white.)  Then I add heat n bond to the fabric, traced my shapes that I need, and cut them out.  I then layer the pieces to create the face how I want it and iron on the pieces one at a time.  I made the entire face and then literally used the heat n bond to attach the face to the hood of the sweatshirt.  I then sew around each piece to secure with matching thread.  Heat N Bond doesn’t need to be sewn in place to stay, but I like the way it looks!

I sewed a little hat for Yogi, stuffed it, and attached it using safety pins.  I also added little ears and tails for a 3D effect.  These costumes were a definite learning experience for me, but were so worth the time and effort.  They were far less expensive then buying a costume too.  The kids still love to wear them for dress-up and they were exactly what I pictures when I started.

We even went to a family Halloween party where my husband dressed as Ranger Smith, and I was Cindy Bear.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get a picture of us all dressed up together.  Here are a few photos of all four costumes.  The kids carried pic-a-nic baskets when they went trick or treating and were a total hit!  Keep an eye on your pie, cause my little Yogi and Boo Boo are on the loose!

Come back soon for more Yogi and Boo Boo fun! We celebrated the kids birthdays with a Yogi and Boo Boo themed party that I will share soon!