Yip Yip Costume Tutorial
Create your own DIY Yip Yip costume with our step-by-step tutorial! Transform into these iconic Sesame Street aliens for a fun and nostalgic Halloween look.
This Yip Yip Costume Tutorial has detailed step-by-step instructions and even includes a free downloadable pattern to follow.
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Are you possibly as excited for Halloween as I am??!?!? The boys’ Birthday is October 26th which totally adds to the fun factor! Check out these Yip Yip costumes that I made for the whole family this year.
Awesome hey!? We’re all going to be Yip Yips – from old school Sesame Street!
My original inspiration was from Disney’s Family Fun site. I had intended to make costumes for just the man and I but had enough fabric left over for the kiddos too!
First off, I have tried to make these instructions as clear as possible with free patterns that you can download at the bottom of this post. Please keep in mind that this tutorial was originally written in 2010 with a few updates over the years for clarity.
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Supplies for this costume:
- Queen size fleece blanket **
- 20″ x 30″ roll of cotton batting
- 13″ x 13″ of black sheer material
- 2 – 4″ Styrofoam balls
- 2 – 1/2″ Styrofoam balls
- 4 pipe cleaners
- black paint
- paint brush
- pins
- coordinating thread
- hot glue gun
- sewing machine and accessories
** cut into 70″ x 35″ for the top of the costume and for the bottom, three pieces 70″ x 12″, 70″ x 16″ and 70″ x 20″.
How to make a Yip Yip Costume:
1. Cut your fabric as shown in the pattern. Start with the body and pin the right sides together.
2. Sew along the dashed lines shown on the pattern, creating the head of the Yip Yip.
The mouth is left open at this point.
Here’s what the costume will look like turned right side out.
3. Cut the tentacles into the three pieces of extra fleece. The tentacles should be left about 4″ from the top of the fabric and 2″ in width.
Now let’s work on the mouth.
4. Pin the black fabric to the opening of the mouth, right sides together.
5. Sew the black mesh mouth to the opening of the mouth in the fleece. Turn right side out.
6. Now roll up your batting and pin it on the inside of the mouth, wrapping the fleece around the batting.
7. Whip stitch this into place.
It will look like this.
8. Sew the tentacles onto the bottom, layering the longest at the back.
9. Hot glue gun the eyes into place.
10. Twist two pipe cleaners together and hot glue gun a 1/2″ Styrofoam ball to the end. Repeat.
11. Twist the two antennas together and hot glue gun them to the eyes.
12. Paint black pupils onto the styrofoam eyes.
The finished Yip Yip Costume should look something like this.
Thank you for taking the time to scroll through my plethora of pictures. I am so glad that you stopped by. Please let me know if you’ve used this Yip Yip Costume Tutorial. I would love to see your finished project!
Get The Yip Yip Pattern Below…
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Yip Yip Costume Tutorial
Equipment
- 1. Cut your fabric as shown in the pattern. Start with the body and pin the right sides together.
- 2. Sew along the dashed lines shown on the pattern, creating the head of the Yip Yip and leaving the mouth open.
- 3. Cut the tentacles into the three pieces of extra fleece. The tentacles should be left about 4″ from the top of the fabric and be 2″ in width.
- 4. Pin the black fabric to the opening of the mouth, right sides together.
- 5. Sew the black mesh mouth to the opening of the mouth in the fleece. Turn right side out.
- 6. Now roll up your batting and pin it on the inside of the mouth, wrapping the fleece around the batting.
- 7. Whip stitch this into place.
- 8. Sew the tentacles onto the bottom, layering the longest at the back.
- 9. Hot glue gun the eyes into place.
- 10. Twist two pipe cleaners together and hot glue gun a 1/2″ Styrofoam ball to the end. Repeat.
- 11. Twist the two antennas together and hot glue gun them to the eyes.
- 12. Paint black pupils onto the styrofoam eyes.
Materials
- Queen size fleece blanket
- 20 ” x 30″ roll of cotton batting
- 13 ” x 13″ of black sheer material
- 2 – 4 ” Styrofoam balls
- 2 – 1/2 ” Styrofoam balls
- 4 pipe cleaners
- black paint
- paint brush
- pins
- coordinating thread
- hot glue gun
- sewing machine and accessories
More costume ideas:
- DIY Yip Yip Costume
- Muppets Beaker Costume
- Plants Vs Zombie Pea Shooter
- Demogorgon Mask
- Plague Doctor Mask
- Plants Vs Zombie Chomper
- Demo Dog Costume
- Beetlejuice Costume
- Mario and Luigi Costume
I always loved the yip yips! Great costumes!
love this! and how comfy too! if you have time come link up to Handmade Tuesdays @ http://www.ladybug-blessings.com
I love this costume, I have been looking for an easy way to make one and this one looks really good, I hope mine comes out the same way. I may have to email you if I get stuck. :)
THANK YOU!!!! I am making this for my teenage son who needs a costume for a marching band concert (in 3 days!). I’m soooo excited to find this pattern. I’ll share with you when I’m done. THANK YOU!!!
https://dorothy-lifewithboys.blogspot.com/2012/10/happy-halloween.html
Thanks so much!!! My Yip Yip for my 9th grader came out GREAT!!! Above is the link.
OMG, thank you so much for this! I am totally making these this summer for next Halloween! (Yes, I’m a Halloween nut and start on next Halloween pretty much ASAP.)
Yip Yip costume: I think I did the lip wrong. Was I supposed to leave a few inches of mouth fabric around the edge when I was sewing in the black mouth? I don’t understand where/how I’m supposed to put the batting to make the lip, as the black fabric is sewn right to the edge of the fleece. Please help.
The batting to make the lip is put on the inside of the costume around the mouth. The mouth is sewn directly to the body – no extra fabric is needed. Where the mouth meats the body, the batting is rolled and sewn to the body fabric around the mouth from the inside. Hope that helps – its been a long time since we made these!
Thank you for your comment in regards to the mouth. I was wondering about this too.
Just so that I am clear-
Batting on the inside, then I pull body fabric over the batting and whip stitch to the seam of the mouth?
Any clarification would be great!
Yes! You’ve got it.
I hope you still remember how to make your Yip Yip costume. I am a great fan of them also. I’ve always wanted to make them for Halloween. I’m 70 and there couldn’t be a better time to try. I understand most of your instructions. I haven’ t cut anything yet I just can’t follow where the mouth will go. I think once it is cut out and sewnI will see it more clearly. Is that a seam down the front? Would appreciate anyhelp you can give me.
Thank you,
The outfit will be for me.
Yes, the seam is down the front. Good luck :)
Hi, I love this! How do the kids see through the costume?
Disregard….I read the instructions. LOL!
Hi, Heather! Thank you for the tutorial! I am having problems with the lip of the mouth. I saw on the other comments that you put batting on the inside and pull fabric to mouth seam. I am having trouble pinning stretched enough where the mouth looks pronounced. My question is do you have any other tips and tricks for lips. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you!
If the batting isn’t working you could try using a pool noodle to help distinguish the mouth? Good luck!
I’m a complete novice at this and I’m having trouble following this tutorial. I have a lot of questions; please bear with me. :)
I’m looking at the pattern in pdf format, and rotated the image to where your handwritten “1 of 2” is in the upper left hand corner.
– Where is the “head,” “mouth,” and “front” from the photo in the tutorial in relation to your drawing/pattern?
– The way I get the 35″x 35″ dimension is if I fold the fabric twice; giving me four layers (single folding will give me 35″ x 70″). Am I supposed to fold the fabric/blanket twice? If so, what is your “sew” line referencing? Am I supposed to sew through all 4 layers?
I don’t see a seam down the front in the photos with the finished product.
I appreciate any help. Thanks.
Dear Heather,
thank you for the great pattern and inspiration!
Here is my YipYip version for my daughter: https://blog.erbsenprinzessin.com/2018/02/yipyip-kostuem-fuer-fasching/
We added a zipper for the mouth and holes for the arms.
Love it!
:)
Wonderful!! Thank you for sharing <3
Thank you so much for this post. We used it as inspiration for my son’s costume this year, at 13, he is taller than me, and we could only find smaller blankets, but we made it work. I’d love to share a photo but I don’t know how to do that. We have had so many laughs over this costume, it is hands down the most fun I have ever had with a fleece blanket LOL
I am so glad that it worked for you! These costumes are so fun to wear :) You can always send photos to heatherpainchaud@hotmail.com I would love to see them <3
I bought a pool noodle . Could I use that to make the lips instead of batting?
Yes! That would totally work :)
What height adult is the costume for? Was it made for a man of 6 feet or would I need to lengthen it?
It falls to the floor at about 5’4″ but would be easy to lengthen :)
How would you modify this so you could eat/drink with the costume on? If I eliminate the black mesh, will the mouth lose it’s shape? Maybe a pool noodle or some wire inside the opening would help. Suggestions?
We used velcro to attach the mesh on our final costumes which made it easy to peel off and drink/eat.
I’m making this costume for this years Halloween! I have a quick question, do hold up the mouth with my hands? Help
maria
The mouth hangs and holds its shape with the cotton batting. To move the mouth we grab the bottom lip from the inside with our hands and make it move.
ever consider selling these? i would buy one. I’m not too good with a sewing machine
I wish that I had the time <3
I am making these costumes for people i work with and I’m using a fleece blanket as the material.when i cut the material for the tentacle part, it is peeling and it looks like i killed Elmo. What can i do to help with the peeling?
I’m not sure what you mean by “peeling”. Is the blanket actually falling apart or it it shedding some of the “fur” where you cut it? It its shedding then you can simply use a lint roller or masking tape to clean up the fun/cuttings.
I am trying to make 4 of these. All I could find is 54″ by 60 inch cuts. I bought 2 for each. I have been trying to find the best way to join them ect to make this work.
Any suggestions? I can join them and get 70×60 without having an akward 10 inch join but if I do that is there a side that would worj at 60 inches?
I would just trim off the excess (10″?). As long as you have enough fabric to fall over the body and down your legs it will work. I would love to see your finished costumes!! Happy Halloween.