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Making a Monkey King Costume For Halloween

dannystaple by dannystaple
Last updated: 05/30/2011

How To Look Just Like The Monkey King

The Monkey King is an amusing and pleasant character, albeit needing to learn some wisdom and a few manners. It is easy to make a costume for adults or children to look like him, and watching the videos below will give you some of his quirks to practice too. He's not scary, but great fun, and for those who've seen the TV series, and other renditions, it may just make their day.


If you were a kid in the 80's, you may remember "Monkey Magic!", an amusing series based on a Chinese fairy tale, filmed in Japan and dubbed in the states.

Recently, it has undergone a bit of a revival. First it has appeared on Youtube and other video sharing services, with that bit of nostalgia for those remembering it and watching it again, as well as in other incarnations like the opera, Dragon Ball Z and more.

This character is both amusing and child-friendly. The costume is good fun to wear - and quite striking. Making your own costume is relatively simple and can look pretty good - considering the original in the TV Series was pretty cheaply made, you do not need big bucks for it.

It is also likely to be a pretty unique costume for any costume party or Halloween, and for adults it will not make it hard to drink, but try not to leave your staff behind.

Contents

  1. Introducing Monkey
  2. Monkey Magic
  3. About the magic wishing staff
  4. Making the small shrunken staff
  5. Making the large staff
  6. Monkeys Headband
  7. Making the headband
  8. Monkey: Journey To The West
  9. Headband Template
  10. Monkeys Belt Buckle
  11. The Top and Trousers
  12. The Belt
  13. Monkeys necktie
  14. The Boots
  15. Gallery of my Monkey Costume
  16. More Halloween stuff to get you in the mood..
  17. Love This Lens?
  18. Have you tried the monkey costume?
  19. Bookmark This Lens
  20. About Me
  21. Halloween is coming soon - do you have costumes ready?
  22. Halloween is coming - try this for fun

Introducing Monkey

The Monkey King is best known for the Japanese film, but has seen many versions and incarnations.



Monkey is based on the Chinese fairy tale - Journey To The West (Xi You Ji). It has been turned into an Opera, used for the BBC Bejing Olympics Ident (both with music by Damon Albarn of Gorillaz/Blur fame).



Monkey is the King of of all monkeys, who has learned to think, and while he loves fighting, is also seeking enlightenment and to live up to his assumed title of "Great Sage, Equal of Heaven". He leaves his mountain of fruit and flowers (an Eden) to go out into the world and battle all manners of Demons and to try and bring peace and justice while on his journey to find the scrolls that will grant him the enlightenment he seeks.



Monkey is versed in martial arts and some magic, but must acquire lessons for living well as, being a monkey, he is quite wild. Early in his journey he acquires immortality (through some cheekiness in the palace of heaven), and also his staff from the Dragon kings daughter.



Dragon Ball Z is roughly based on the same tale, and there have been films like "Havoc in Heaven".



Most show him with his staff and the crown (which restrains him), flying on his cloud although his face, degree of human-like vs monkey-like features as well as other trappings and costume varies.
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Monkey Magic

Here is the whole classic series on DVD!
Monkey - Complete Series - 13-DVD Box Set ( Saiyûki ) ( Monkey Magic ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ]

Monkey - Complete Series - 13-DVD Box Set ( Saiyûki ) ( Monkey Magic ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ]

Amazon Price: $85.00 (as of 02/15/2012)Buy Now

About the magic wishing staff

Monkeys staff is a very handy and powerful weapon, acquired from the Dragon King chosen by the Dragon Kings Daughter. It is a little less heavy than the moon, and was used by the Dragon King during creation to part the galaxy.

It can be increased in size of shrunk merely by wishing it so. Monkey can make it larger for fights, or smaller to store it away when needed. As it has such weight, it will strike very powerful blows, based on its true size and weight.
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Making the small shrunken staff

To make the costume really work, make two versions of the magic wishing staff.

You will need:

  • A matchstick

  • A little black paint

  • Gold sticky backed plastic.

  • A paintbrush.

  • Some scissors.

  • (Optionally) A ruler & pencil


All are available from a craft store.

First find a matchstick for the small version, take off the head and paint the whole match stick black.

Once the black paint is completely dry, use some of the gold sticky-backed plastic to make trim for each end. I measured the matchstick, and then measured a width of trim for the ends - which should be symmetrical. Note this size down, the large stick should roughly match the proportions for the trim, although it is not so important with the thickness.

Watch out with this small staff - they are very easily lost. I kept mine in my wallet, but brought it out as a party trick.

Making the large staff

Making A Wishing StaffYou will generally carry the large staff with the costume.

You will need:

  • Gold sticky backed plastic.

  • Wet Or Dry/Sand paper.

  • A length of clean black plastic pipe - try to choose one about the same height as the wearer will be, the width should be comfortable for them to hold in their hand.

  • Scissors.

  • (optional) Ruler and Pencil.

  • (Optional)Red paint.

  • (Optional)Paint Brush.


    • First cut the pipe to length, and sand to a smooth finish, take of any sharp areas at the ends.

    Now a little optional calculation, for the best look, measure up the length of pipe, and using the proportions work out the size for the strips of sticky backed plastic.

    Cut the gold plastic, and smooth on carefully to give an even finish.

    Optionally, you can paint some Chinese lettering on the staff.

Monkeys Headband

The Gold Headband Monkey wears is magic given to the priest Tripitaka by the Buddha. It was used to bind and control Monkey - first to bring him to Tripitaka, and later it is used to control him if he misbehaves.

When Tripitaka utters the words of a secret Sutra, it will constrict around Monkey's head giving him a headache. So although it may be fetching, it is more of a control than a gift for him.
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Making the headband

My headband is perhaps simpler than the Monkey Magic one.You will need:

  • An A4 sheet of 3mm Foam.

  • An A4 sheet of Gold Sticky Backed Plastic.

  • Pencil.

  • Stapler

  • Scissors or a craft knife.




  1. First print the template - Printable template as A4 landscape.

  2. Adhere the sticky backed plastic to the foam. Smooth it well and make sure that there are no gaps or bubbles.

  3. Attach the printed template to the back of the foam so that the foam is between the plastic and the template.

  4. Use the template as a guide to cutting the foam - be sure to cut through the foam, template and plastic. You should have two halves for the head band, and two small strips to attach them.

  5. Use one small strip to attach the curved ends of the headband so there is nearly no gap between them. Use staples to attach it.

  6. Then wrap the whole thing around your head. If they do not overlap, use the second small strip to make the difference. This would be easier if you can get someone to help - and mark the places to staple it. It should be adjusted for a snug but not tight fit. Remove from your head and then staple it.

  7. The headband is now ready to wear.

Monkey: Journey To The West

The TV series wasn't the only good representation of Journey To The West. The story is actually classic Chinese literature and has been retold many times. Reading other representations will give any fan more depth on the story and characters as well as a different POV on them.
The Monkey King: A Superhero Tale of China, Retold from The Journey to the West (Ancient Fantasy)

The Monkey King: A Superhero Tale of China, Retold from The Journey to the West (Ancient Fantasy)

by: Aaron Shepard

Amazon Price: $2.72 (as of 02/15/2012)Buy Now

Headband Template

headband template.

headband template.

headband template.

Monkeys Belt Buckle

Monkeys Belt BuckleThe belt buckle for monkey is relatively distinctive. You can make something like it quite cheaply.

You will need:

  • A wooden disk (8-10 cm).

  • Wooden pattern shapes (available in craft stores) - triangles, studs, hearts, diamonds will do

  • Superglue

  • A selection of modelling paints, including metallic colours.

  • Small/fine paint brush.

  • Square of cloth - old jeans or canvas slight smaller than the disk.



Step 1:
Find a pleasing symmetrical arrangement for the wooden pattern shapes on the disk. Pictured is the one I used.

Step 2:
Glue the patterns well to the front of the wooden disk. Let this set - it is not good for these to be falling off.

Step 3:
Consider the colour scheme you will use. You may wish to use metallic colours, I went for contrast between the stuck on pattern and the back, but they could be painted the same too.

You may need more than one coat for the colours, and depending on the shades you intend to use, a white or black undercoat may help. Let it dry thoroughly before painting on it.

Step 4:
Leaving a little area around the outside, glue the cloth square to the back of the buckle. This will be used to attach it to the belt.

The Top and Trousers

The top can be any long sleeved top which is plain red or maroon, and relatively light. I also went one step further and added some black adhesive ribbon to make it look more like the original, but it was not really noticeable (see the photo) so you do not need to repeat that.

The trousers are any dark suitably baggy trousers - I used a pair of plain black cotton joggers/tracksuit bottoms for it, which worked fine.

The Belt

A cummerbund decorated as monkeys belt.For the belt, if you have a wide leather belt, that will do fine. I made do with a maroon coloured cummerbund which did the job.

Then use some adhesive gold braid strips to give it some trim, and stitch the cloth backing for the belt buckle to it.

Another minor detail to consider is some course eye-brow make up, smudging some black mascara to thicken them up if you have thin blonde eyebrows like me.

Monkeys necktie

Me in the costume - the original Monkey Magic costumeThe necktie was made from a square of contrasting yellow material, which can then be optionally hemmed.

You will need:

  1. 1 meter square sheet of plain yellow cotton.

  2. Scissors

  3. Sewing machine or sewing kit.

  4. Yellow thread.



Making it:

  1. Cut the sheet in half diagonally - giving you a regular right angled triangle 1m by 1m.

  2. Fold about 1cm and hem each side.



To wear and tie it:

  1. Be sure to wear this after the top.

  2. For smaller wearers you may need to hold with the 90 degree point down and longest side up. Fold across the longest side. this should give you a thicker but smaller regular right angled triangle, larger people can skip this step.

  3. Place the triangle, point down on your back. Pull the two outer corners around your neck - there should be enough to go around with plenty of excess.

  4. Loosely cross the two long corners, then pull the end of the one in front up behind the cross and then down, making a loose knot.

The Boots

My monkey bootsMonkeys boots were pretty fancy. Instead of trying to be precise, I went for something simple but effective.

First choose some well worn in black leather boots - brand new shiny boots do not really look the part for this.

Then take some adhesive gold braid strips (available from craft stores) and adhere around the tops to trim each boot. They should of course match!

Gallery of my Monkey Costume

More Halloween stuff to get you in the mood..

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Have you tried the monkey costume?

Please let me know what you think of this costume or if you have related and similar costumes.
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  • Reply
    Wee Matilda Oct 15, 2011 @ 11:21 am | delete
    Good costume, my wee brother made one a few years back which I'm borrowing this year for my boyfriend. He used a karate kimono and died it red then stuck some black trim round it. He also happened to have a weght lifters belt which he painted a gold design on. He also borrowed his wife's Ugg boots and stuck gold stuff round the top. He used a wire coat hanger for the head band and covered it with gold paper. It was pretty amazing and he won first prize. Your right, not everyone remembers monkey but those who do love it.
  • Reply
    Susan52 Aug 9, 2011 @ 6:32 pm | delete
    Very cool costume! You did a great job explaining it - and your pictures really top it off. Fun lens!
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About Me

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Halloween is coming soon - do you have costumes ready?

08/10/10 6:09 pm

We've managed to find a really sweet little pumpkin costume for our 16 month daughter, and my wife is has got a very Mortitia type. I wont be rolling out the Monkey King costume this year, I am yet to find something good. Any suggestions? Other squid costume ideas welcome...

Halloween is coming - try this for fun

10/09/10 7:10 am

Even though I am an adult, I still think fancy dress and costumes can be good fun, although for me half the fun is in making them. This was the first one I have actually turned into a how-to and published, and I am sure other ideas could be added to it.

The costume is of Monkey, from Monkey Magic, and there may be Tripitaka or Pigsy costumes out there too. It is inexpensive, with basics from craft stores and a DIY store.

Now I've a little one, I think I'll probably be making costumes for her too!

This Halloween Magazine page written by

dannystaple

Yes, that is me wearing the costume. With some planning, I made it for a party and had great fun. Not everybody has heard of monkey, but those who did... more »

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