Shadow the Hedgehog

A DIY Shadow the Hedgehog costume is mostly black clothes you already own, with a white chest patch, red stripes, gold wrist cuffs and six cardboard quills on a headband. Add white gloves and red-and-white trainers, and you have his look. It costs about $14 and takes about an hour, with no sewing.

TIME

60 min

COST

about $14

SKILL

Some cutting

What you need

• A black hoodie and black joggers
• Black card or thin black cardboard for the quills
• A black headband
• White felt or card for the chest patch
• Red tape or red felt strips
• Gold duct tape or gold paper for the wrist cuffs
• White gloves
• White trainers, plus red tape for the stripes

How to make it

1. 1

   Cut six pointed quills from black card, each about 25 cm long. Make four curve upwards and two curve downwards, and tape a small tab at the base of each.

2. 2

   Tape the tabs to the black headband so the four quills sweep up and the two sweep down. Put the headband on to check the shape.

3. 3

   Stick a strip of red tape across each quill and also around the sleeves and trouser legs for his red stripes.

4. 4

   Cut a jagged tuft of white felt or card and stick it to the middle of the hoodie chest with fabric tape.

5. 5

   Wrap gold duct tape around each wrist, over the cuff of the glove or sleeve, to make his gold cuffs.

6. 6

   Put red tape across the sides of the white trainers and add a thin gold line for his red, white and gold shoes.

7. 7

   Pull on the white gloves and the hoodie. Add a small pointed cone of black card pinned to the back as his short tail.

8. 8

   Add a little red around the eyes if you like, then practise a serious look.

Make it better

• Keep everything else plain black. The red, gold and white details only show up against a solid dark outfit.
• Test the headband before you leave. Tape the quill tabs both sides so they do not fall off.
• Walk a little too fast and look unimpressed. That is the whole performance.

Questions

Unofficial. Shadow the Hedgehog and the Sonic the Hedgehog names belong to their respective owners, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by them. The names are used only to describe this homemade parody costume.