Happy Halloween from the forest moon of Endor!
After strategically calculating the cutest possible costume for our child, we settled on ewok. You be the judge.
(If you’re interested in the DIY tutorials, scroll toward the bottom.)
{“Look, Ma, I have a spear!”}
{Ewok with Endor Leia.}
Some people suggested that I go with the white-robe-and-cinnamon-roll-buns Leia because it’s more recognizable (and metal-bikini Leia just ain’t my style) but I was adamant that I dress as Endor Leia, to be consistent with the ewok, you know? My costume isn’t nearly as detailed as the Comic-Con crowd (see my costumes pinboard to check out some impressive cosplays, as the kids call ’em), but this is by far the most effort I’ve put into a Halloween costume, and it was a lot of fun.
It actually worked out perfectly to dress Lars as an ewok, because his just-learned-to-walk stride is uncannily ewok-like. And it is adorable. Just watch:
{The photo is blurry, but baby’s patience was wearing thin, so oh well. We’re a happy family.}
{Han Solo.}
{Princess Leia.}
Full credit for most of the costume creation goes to my awesome mom.
Happy Halloween, everyone! And may the force be with you.
SIDENOTES
:: The Return of the Jedi has always been my favorite in the Star Wars series. You are required to share your favorite film in the comments.
:: Did anyone else watch those made-for-TV Ewok Adventure movies? My brothers and I loved them, and got so mad when my mom got rid of the VHS. In retrospect, it was kind of violent and the orphaned-girl plot was sad. Not sure what appealed to us so much.
:: When I was young (maybe 9 or 10?), my siblings and I teamed up with a family of boys we knew from church to put on our own production of Star Wars. I’m pretty sure we did A New Hope and Return of the Jedi (but skipped The Empire Strikes Back, because it’s such a drag). The only two concrete memories I have are (1) lovingly fashioning a homemade R2-D2 out of a Quaker Oats canister and (2) reenacting the scene where Leia shares a cracker (we used saltines) with Wicket the ewok. We were very detail-oriented children. Also, one of the kids is now a super-talented playwright. Well, I guess he was back then too. š
:: Doesn’t it blow your mind that they never say the word “ewok” in the movies? I didn’t believe it when I first read that, but it’s true!
TUTORIALS
Endor Han costume
Supplies
- Black fabric (about 1 yard)
- White collared shirt
- Black pants or dark skinny jeans
- Belt
- Boots
- Yellow tape (electric, washi, masking, or whatever)
- Black marker
- Toy gun and holster
How to
1. To sew the vest, we (a.k.a. my mom) used Simplicity pattern 2346 (option D). We were already buying it for another project and it was really useful, but if you’re a resourceful seamstress you could probably draft your own pattern. It is about a straightforward a sewing project as it gets. So, you can buy and follow the pattern, or you can cut the fabric into once back piece and two front pieces, roughly like this:
2. Following the pattern, sew the shoulders and sides together, then fold it inside-out to hide the seams. If you want to simplify like we did, you can skip doing a lining–so for the neck and armpits, just fold under the edges and sew a simple hem. If you want to go the extra mile, you can add pockets, but we didn’t bother (there’s a super-detailed tutorial here.)
3. Put on the vest over the shirt. Either button down the collar or flip it inward so it looks more like Han’s shirt (you could make your own shirt, but we were doing the quick and dirty version).
4. Stick a strip of tape on the outer side of each pant leg. Draw horizontal stripes on the tape.
5. Attach the holster to your belt. Wield a toy gun (ideally a blaster, if you’re really on top of things–we didn’t go that route because they’re pretty expensive).
6. Be a charming scoundrel. But don’t get cocky, kid.
Endor Leia costume
Supplies
- Green fabric (about 2 yards)
- Green and brown spray paint
- Green or brown shirt
- Skinny jeans
- Brown or black belt
- Boots
- Watch
- Hair elastics and bobby pins
- Yarn or twine
How to
1. To make the camo poncho, measure the green fabric so that it drapes at the length of a tunic (mine was about 3 feet wide and 5 feet long).
2. In the center, cut out a circle about 5 inches in diameter.
3. Cut a strip of fabric about 8 inches wide and 2 feet long.
4. Fold the strip lengthwise with the green facing out. Sew along the edge of the circular hole in the middle of the cape. Alas, I didn’t catch any pictures of this step, but this tutorial is the closest approximation of what we did.
5. Lay out the sewn poncho outside on newspaper or other paint-safe surface. Spray paint splotches of various shades of green and brown to create a camo effect (with a pic of the original Endor Leia poncho on hand for reference). Let dry.
6. To style your hair, first check out these shots of Leia’s hairstyle. And feel free to google other tutorials that may be fancier/more useful than mine.
7. Separate a section of hair right behind each ear and braid it, securing each braid with an elastic.
8. Pull the rest of your hair into low pigtails and secure with elastics. Braid each pigtail and secure each braid with an elastic.
9. Take the behind-the-ears braids and pull them toward each other, arranging them on your head like a headband. If you want to give it that special ewok touch (and if you have a friend to offer a helping hand), wrap some twine or yarn around the braids. Pin firmly in place.
10. Take each of the pigtail braids and twist into a bun. Pin firmly in place. (You can see in the pictures that I did a ponytail instead of pigtails, but I still separated it into two braids.)
Note: Clearly, my final look is not very neat. But you know what? That’s OK. Leia’s hair wasn’t plausible or practical anyway. š
10. Drape the poncho over your shirt. Belt the front of the poncho to your waist, leaving the back loose like a cape. Add a watch and boots–and a blaster, if you have one! 
Ewok baby/toddler costume
Supplies
- Hooded bear suit
- Brown suede-ish fabric (about a yard, cut to about 2 by 2 feet)
- Brown yarn and a few brown buttons
- Bamboo (1 yard)
- Leather cord or twine (2 feet)
- Grey foam (I got a cheap foam sword and cut it down)
How to
Note: The great news about this costume is that the look is very rough, so it doesn’t have to be perfect!
1. Buy a furry hooded bear suit from your local Goodwill (I visited two stores and there were a half-dozen cheap baby/toddler bear suits at each).
2. Cut off the feet of the suit and fold into an ear shape. Stitch onto the hood of the suit.
3. Drape the suede-ish fabric over the head of the suit. Cut out a hole for the face and holes for the ears to poke through. Trim roughly around the edge to create the proper shape of the ewok hood. Here’s what it looks like:
4. Stitch a few buttons on the ewok hood and lace some yarn haphazardly through them. Sew a few stitches to hold the ewok hood to the bear suit hood.
5. To make the spear, cut a spear blade shape out of foam. Drill a hole toward the top of the bamboo and through the foam.
6. Glue the foam blade on top of the bamboo to hold in place. Lace the leather cord or twine through the holes and wrap it around, then tie it to secure.
7. Teach your baby to say “yub, yub.” (We failed at that, but came close with an “ub.”)
8. Wiggle the baby into the suit, and hand him or her a (toy) spear. Guaranteed fun!
spifftacular. 