How to Make a Tarzan Costume

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Things You'll Need

  • Long-sleeved shirt

  • Quilt batting (roll)

  • Thread

  • Fabric (leopard-printed)

  • Jockey shorts

  • Pencil

  • Bronzer

  • Hair oil

  • Flip flops

  • Stuffed monkey toy

How to Make a Tarzan Costume. Tarzan may be very easy to recognize, but the character itself has been around a lot longer than many of us imagine. Tarzan was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1923 and appeared in 23 sequels as well as countless cultural references. This character makes a great Halloween costume and is relatively easy to put together.

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Learn More About Tarzan

Step 1

Know that Tarzan is considered one of the most well-known literary characters in the world.

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Step 2

Remember that Tarzan is immortal, so you can dress as a young Tarzan no matter what the year.

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Step 3

Stay nimble. Tarzan is an accomplished treetop survivalist and can easily walk on all fours.

Make a Tarzan Costume

Step 1

Choose a tight-fitting top in flesh colored nylon. The closer the top is to your natural coloring, the more realistic it will be.

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Step 2

Turn your long-sleeved shirt inside out and lightly trace an outline of pectoral muscles, biceps and abdominal muscles in pencil.

Step 3

Cut out quilt batting (a padding material) in the shape of each traced muscle.

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Step 4

Use peach or tan thread to sew the batting to the shirt.

Step 5

Put on your long-sleeved shirt with the batting facing in. You can wear an undershirt for comfort.

Step 6

Take a strip of leopard printed fabric and tie it around your waist. For authenticity, go as short as you dare.

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Step 7

Wear a pair of black jockey shorts or briefs underneath your loincloth.

Add Tarzan Makeup and Accessories

Step 1

Add skin bronzer to complement your costume and give you that essential outdoorsy feel.

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Step 2

Slick your hair back with hair oil.

Step 3

Put on a pair of simple leather flip flops or gladiator style sandals.

Step 4

Carry a stuffed monkey toy to complete your look.

Tip

Use a comic book as reference when tracing the outline of your Tarzan muscles. You can also affix the quilt batting to the shirt with fabric glue.

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