Yes Totoro....
For Halloween my mother, Azile Mescher, and I created my Totoro costume. It took many man hours and attempts to make him. Also to be honest my mother did a lot of the work, because she can sew and I cannot. ANND without further-a-do here is Totoro!
Pictures by Kevin Harkness
So I hope you enjoyed my costume as much as I did wearing it. He has a permeant residence in my apartment, and he gives great "therapy hugs"
Thanks for reading,
MELANIE S MESCHER
This is absolutely FANTASTIC!!!! Well done....
ReplyDeleteThe awesomeness of this is totally inspiring! What did you use on your feet?
ReplyDeleteWe used foam to sculpt the shape of the feet then covered them in the fur. The claws are just the foam carved down to a claw shape. I was able to wear my tennis shoes in them as well.
DeleteThat's really awesome - I want one!
ReplyDeleteAny chance you have a pattern?
ReplyDeleteI love it.
Not really, we used a paper pattern as a reference on the shape of him. We had to revise some of it though for it to work.
Deletehttp://www.nicepapertoys.com/photo/totoro-co
That costume is toooo fantastic!
ReplyDeleteAlso, you made it to Kotaku!
http://kotaku.com/5959689/this-totoro-costume-is-so-incredibly-adorable
Amazing work! But did it ever get painfully warm inside?
ReplyDeleteHello Melanie, saw the article on Kotaku and the costume looks awesome. I have a question about it though: how did you make it so that the belly stays round?
ReplyDeleteI'm asking because I made a Tokunaga (Tales of the Abyss) costume and the part I'm not happy about is the round belly that was far from perfect. I've been looking for a way to make a sturdy frame to have a nice round belly and yours looks excellent.
Hello Mathieu,
DeleteFor the belly it was actually pretty simple, we got 2" foam and laid out I think it was 8 panels, and glued them together with spray adhesive. Thats pretty much it, for the shape. We then hand-sewed the fur around the foam, and it held the foam together during times when the form is under pressure...such as getting through doors. It's amazing how great the foam holds the shape, you can squeeze him almost flat and he will go back to his shape.
Foam is expensive, but it is so worth the price how great it is to forming shapes! I would suggest thinner than 2" because it started getting really heavy after about a hour.
Sometime I'm going to have to post up different WIP shots. They are kind of crap because they were taken by cellphone, but it might give an idea. And a picture of the inside now and how it looks in there.
Hope that helped!
That looks better than some theme park characters. Very nice!
ReplyDeleteHey you made it on one of my favorite websites, Geekologie.com! http://www.geekologie.com/2012/11/i-want-a-neighbor-like-that-awesome-toto.php
ReplyDeleteGood job!
Wow, fantastic work! What is it like to wear, see, and move around in?
ReplyDeleteIt was a lot of fun for the first hour, but then it got really heavy. I mean the fur alone weighed 17 lbs! I don't have much upper body strength, and I had to wear this for a contest for 3 and a half hours!! I also got attacked by a bunch of people wanting to dance with Totoro :). But overall it was a great experience, and I can't wait to wear him again!
DeleteIt looks very cute. A kid would be so adorable in that, just like they do when they are using some amazing giraffe costume for Halloween. It's a nice costume if you're looking at quality materials and design, you can't go wrong with either one.
ReplyDeleteit looks great but what all did you use to make him...as far as getting the shape and stuff?
ReplyDeleteHi Melanie,
ReplyDeleteHope you are well!
I, as most people really love your Totoro. I bet he costs alot to feed!
I am creating a wee kickstarter project that I thought you might be interested in. If you could pop me an email or something to hear my thoughts that would be great! If you have time that is!! :)
Thanks
Simon t Messer
Scotland, Gla
Twitter @simontm12
Instagram @LTNP12
Mail ltnp@me.com