Mad Scientist Costume Ideas

Peter Cushing in The Curse of Frankenstein


Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein

To create a Dr. Frankenstein costume, first decide which version you want to be: calm, collected doctor doing important research (less fun, but you do get to look classy), or raving monster-creator (more fun, but less places to keep your pocket watch.)

For the cool, collected Dr. Frankenstein, wear a 3-piece suit with a tie, carry a pocket watch and a briefcase. For the mad Dr. Frankenstein, go for the standard lab coat, big rubber gloves, frazzled wig, and goggles.

Sheldon Lewis as Dr. Jekyll from the 1920 film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde


James Nesbitt as Tom Jackman in Steven Moffat's Jekyll

Dr. Jekyll is usually portrayed as a classy gentleman in a suit, white gloves and all that. In the modern setting of Steven Moffat's Jekyll, the main character is an ordinary man who is tormented by his evil other half. The story is open to interpretation, so get creative! Playing Dr. Jekyll gives you a great excuse to have wild, violent mood swings all night.

Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West

Re-Animator is a great story, and geeks everywhere will appreciate your homage to the Lovecraftian! Herbert West's outfit is fairly straightforward: shirt and tie, lab coat, square glasses and geeky haircut. Accessories include syringes filled with green stuff, a stuffed cat, and a severed head.

Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter

I don't think there are any mad scientists out there who have quite as much fun as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Fishnets, a garter belt, big sparkly heels, a corset-laced top, elbow-length gloves, a big pearl necklace, and of course, lots of sass. Check out this site for a very detailed break-down of Frank's (and the other Rocky Horror cast) costumes.

Frank's top is a bit of a challenge. If you can't find a front-lacing corset with straps, look for a plain black tank top. Cut it down the middle and add lacing (the holes can be reinforced with grommets). Frank's top is covered with sequins, which can be easily applied to most any garment.

Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible

Dr. Horrible's outfit is fairly simple: a white coat with goggles, thick white gloves, and white rubber boots.

Dr. Horrible's coat buttons on the right side instead of down the middle like most lab coats, so it's a little tricky to find one pre-made. An easy solution would be to buy two of the same coat, cut the side flap off of one and attach it to the other so the buttons line up with the right shoulder and side. Or you could sew two backs together and add false buttons.

Check out this Instructables guide to making your own Dr. Horrible coat from scratch! Sew a Dr. Horrible Coat

Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown

Depending on the scene, Doc Brown usually wears a shirt and pants combo with a short lab coat and goggles, or a white jumpsuit.

Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth from Futurama is probably the most literally insane doctor here. He is known for keeping a large number of Doomsday devices on hand. His outfit includes a standard lab coat and goggles with a green turtleneck, grey pants, and blue slippers.

*according to her, anyway!









Washu is the self-proclaimed greatest scientific genius in the universe! Like most Tenchi Muyo characters, she has a casual outfit and a formal outfit, as well as several other costumes. You can even dress as a cute nurse Washu-Chan!

Her casual wear consists of a dark purple or black polo shirt with a long-sleeved white shirt underneath, shorts, teal belt, colored tights, and a purple head scarf. The yellow triangle embellishments can be added with fabric or felt.

Like most of the Tenchi Muyo girls, Washu has big, crazy hair. Your best bet is to buy a long red wig and style it. You'll want to cut and style the top so it spikes up in the back (get loooooots of AquaNet) and spike out some short bits on the side. Check out this awesome Washu cosplay if you need some inspiration!


100cm Red Wig
You should be able to cut the side hair of this wig pretty easily and style the rest.


100cm Long Red Wig
This wig has a bit of side fringe that you could style into Washu's flippy side spikes.

Mad Scientist
Get the classic look with this coat and gloves set.


Steampunk Mad Doctor
The Victorian era had plenty of insane doctors!

Mad Scientist Adult Wig
Assuming you don't already have a head full of erratic white hair, you'll need a good mad scientist wig.


Swirly X-Ray Goggles
I don't think you can have a complete mad scientist costume without swirly x-ray goggles.


Working Stethoscope
No mad doctor costume is complete without a stethoscope! This one really works, too. I'm sure it's a great ice-breaker at parties.


Oversized Novelty Syringe
Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit!


Syringe Handbag
Carry your candy in this syringe-shaped purse!