How to Make a Frosty the Snowman Costume for Halloween

Super simple and very cheap to make, here is a Frosty the Snowman costume that will conjure smiles at every candy-stop! It is also guaranteed to keep your child warm throughout the chilly trick-or-treating trek! Your child can even help make it! Many of the parts are things you already have around your home. You will need:

A white sweat suit a size larger than your child wears.

A pair of rain boots, black is best but any will do!

2 oven mitts for mittens.

A cardboard box.

A sheet of orange construction paper and a sheet of black construction paper.

A black magic marker.

Two pieces of string around 12 inches in length.

Lots and lots of plastic grocery bags, the more the better!

A broom. Child-sized is best for proportion, but any broom is fine!

A winter scarf.

A pair of scissors.

3 safety pins.

A roll of sturdy tape, like duct tape.

A bottle of glue.

To make the top hat, first use your black marker to color the cardboard box black, one side will do. Then cut out a round piece. This will be the brim, so be sure to make it big enough for that purpose. In the center of this round piece, cut a hole large enough to fit comfortably over your child's head without squeezing or falling over their eyes. For the stovepipe, you can choose to make it tall or taller! Around 12 inches tall is good. From the remainder of your cardboard box, cut out a rectangular shape long enough to form into a roll that fits inside the cutout of your brim. Secure the edges together by using pieces of duct tape on the inside of the roll. Squeeze a generous line of glue on the inside edge of the hole in the brim section and insert the stovepipe section securely into that hole. Squeeze an extra line of glue all around the edge at that seam. Set the "top hat" aside for the glue to dry while you make the nose. (If a "lid" is desired for the top hat, a paper plate colored black and trimmed to size can be glued over the opening at the top of the stovepipe.)

To make your carrot nose, take your sheet of orange construction paper and roll it at a diagonal so that it rolls into a cone shape. Make sure that the large end is big enough to fit easily over your child's nose without constricting their nostrils at all. Breathing is important even on Halloween! Use the glue to secure the edges together. When the glue has thoroughly dried, poke a very small hole on each side of your carrot nose about half an inch from the large end that will go over the child's nose. Tie a small knot at the end of each piece of string to keep it from sliding all the way through these small holes and then thread one string through each hole until the knots are against the paper. Your carrot nose is done!

Next, take the piece of black construction paper and cut out 3 circles about 2 inches in diameter. These "buttons" will be fastened to the front of the white sweat suit shirt using the safety pins.

When you are ready for trick-or-treating, have your child put on a long sleeved shirt and a thin pair of pajama pants under the white sweat suit. This is so the plastic grocery bags don't irritate their skin. Take your plastic grocery bags and loosely wad each one into a loose ball as you stuff them into the sweat suit. The more bags you have the rounder your snowman will be, so stuff away! Stuff the body, arms, and legs until you are satisfied with how they look. Make absolutely certain that small children are supervised through this phase and that no parts of the bags are sticking out the neck of the sweat suit.

Have your child put on the rain boots, and your homemade top hat. Take the carrot nose and tie the strings behind your child's head tight enough to keep the nose on, but without hurting. Make sure to cut off excess string to avoid any risk of accidental strangulation. Pin your buttons to the front of the shirt. Add the oven mitts, and toss the winter scarf around the child's neck. Hand them the broom and your Frosty the Snowman costume is complete!

Little extras can be added if you have time, such as a little bird glued to the top hat, a spray lacquer sprayed on the hat to add shine, a bubble pipe doubles nicely as a corn-cob-pipe. Black eyeliner or grease crayon can color on a "button nose" and "eyes made out of coal."

Use your imagination, and have fun trick-or-treating!! Happy Halloween!