We have been doing our best to indoctrinate our seven year old with the excellent films of the 90’s. Imagine my happiness, then, when he asked me to make him a Rufio costume for Halloween! And not just regular Rufio — Rufio from the end of the movie, when he is battling Hook and decked out in his armor. I was thrilled to oblige!
From the top down:
- Used black hair wax to dye and spike his hair.
- Cut a red mohawk wig in thirds and stitched wig clips onto the three pieces to complete Rufio’s distinctive ‘do.
- Threw together a quick earring with red suede, clip on earring base, feathers, and beads.
- For the necklace, I sculpted the boar’s teeth out of air dry clay and painted them with acrylic paints. Used black string, and hung a tea strainer from the center.
- For the bamboo collar: glued trimmed & painted bamboo garden stakes onto a cardboard collar base, then covered the bottoms with dyed, frayed, and gathered fabric to mimic the feathers used in the movie.
- Bone armor and all bone pieces: did a faux aging job on several sets of mini femurs. Mounted with plastic beads in between on rubber cording meant for pony beads. Glued the whole chest/back/sleeve armor piece to the underside of the collar.
- Crop top: serged together, using two colors of knit fabric.
- Vest: heavily modified a boys’ button down shirt pattern with a one piece yoke and mandarin collar. Used faux leather. Added a crapton of fringe and lots of beads.
- Double headed serpent vest clasp: sculpted out of air dry clay and painted with acrylics.
- Elbow/knee pads: distressed tubes of knit fabric.
- Gloves: cut the fingertips off of black gloves from the Halloween store and sewed aged bones onto them.
- Pan sword: spray painted the blade of a cheap plastic sword gold. Cut a coconut in half, added a slit, and slipped the blade in. Handle is a cardboard tube covered in a leather scrap.
- Loincloth: Red suede with beads.
- Jeans: Distressed a pair of black skinny jeans.
- Shoes: some kind of weird red dance boot that I found for cheap on Amazon.
