What Is Scarier Than a Flying Monkey? Put Together Your Own Customized Costume for $50

When looking for a unique Halloween costume skip the usual zombies, clowns and pirates, for a flying monkey. Tell me, what is scarier than a flying monkey?

The annual viewing of the Wizard of Oz in my home was always followed by nightmares of these winged primates. The Wicked Witch, or the Great and Powerful Oz, did not have the same effect. No the former could be defeated with the glass of water sitting on my end table and the latter was a proven fake. The flying monkeys on the other hand were frightening henchmen who never failed to scare me.

While you can purchase a pre-made costume, the price can be scary on its own! It is more fun and satisfying to build your own customized flying monkey get-up. Create a family of flying monkeys by changing the base outfit and you can spread nightmares throughout your neighborhood, just don't look in the mirror!

Prepare the base outfit
Start with a base outfit in a dark solid color. Look in your closet for a dark grey, brown, black, or even blue base. Anything goes here; try a sweat suit, footie pajamas, yoga pants, a leotard or black jeans and a black turtleneck. The main requirement for the base is that it is comfortable. Ladies feel free to wear a form-fitting or embellished base in order to add a bit of your own personal style to the flying monkey.

Transform yourself into a primate.
Add a monkey costume kit over the base. This includes a brown and tan monkey headpiece featuring big ears and a neck cape, big monkey eyes and a brown nose. It also comes with monkey paw gloves. Approximate cost $17. One important detail is missing from this kit and that is the monkey tail. Make your own by stuffing one leg of a sock with stuffing. If you add a piece of wire from a wire hanger inside the sock it can be formed to curl up. Pin the top of the tail to the back of your pants or attach it to a piece of elastic. Approximate cost for this part is negligible especially if you use an old unmatched sock.

Dress the monkey
Top the monkey headpiece with a fez cap. This red and gold fez reminds me of the bizarre hats the monkeys in the Wizard of Oz wore. Approximate cost $4. The flying monkeys did not just stop their outfit with a hat, they also wore little outfits. Imitate the look with a red vest. Approximate cost $17.

Prepare to take flight
Black feather wings finish the transformation from ordinary monkey costume into a frightening flying monkey costume. A pair of black angel wings, even child-sized wings will work for an adult. Approximate cost $12.

All the components of this outfit add up to under $50. Of course you can save money by looking in your closet first and using what you already own. A flying monkey costume may be unexpected, but it will not go unnoticed.