{Halloween Costumes} Making Mr. T and Company

 Update:  My little Mr. T won 2nd place in the Baby costume contest at our city Halloween festival!  Yay, Sammy!

I saw a photo on Pinterest of a baby Mr. T costume and it was so cute and so funny that I had to give it a try!

My baby, Sammy, is 8 1/2 months old and the youngest of 4 boys.  So this was going to be fun (and funny)!

I started out by making a basic hood out of an old t-shirt from the thrift store.  It was too tight.  So I had to open up the back seam and add a piece.  While it was open, I thought he looked like an Ewok.  (Next year...)

Nothing like framing a chubby little face.  Look at those cheeks!
Surprisingly, once the hood was on, he didn't mind it too much.

 I had picked up some black faux fur trim at Hobby Lobby last week --  the ladies around me probably wondered at my excited laughter when I spotted it and realized it would make a perfect mohawk!

 Then, I added fur trim around the ears and under the chin, trying to make a good imitation of the famous Mr. T buzz cut.  Sammy really needed a mustache, too, but I didn't want him eating fake fur or rubbing makeup all over his face (and into his eyes).

So, here Sammy is, with his bling and camo shirt!
(Looking a bit more like an Amish punk.)

But, several people were able to tell right away that he was Mr. T and that drew some good laughs!
After all, to me, Halloween should be about good laughs not grimaces and cringing from gory costumes.  I really don't like grotesque costumes.

On the left, we have The Very Scary Spider, named Ben (age 5).  The fake legs were connected to each other as well as his real arms so that they would all rise together when he lifted his arms.  :)  And on the right, is The Very Handsome Husband, who puts up with my theatrical ideas.  He was my personal consultant when it came to Mr. T's facial and head hair design.  He was excited about the Mr. T costume.  It was really funny.

Tim (age 7) had his dreams come true and got to be a Ninja!   Ninja costumes couldn't be easier.  Wear all black, tie on a red sash and make a quick hood out of an old black t-shirt from the thrift store.  The glowstick sword was from the Dollar Store.  Cheap-o Mom Award!

Caleb (age 9) wanted to be a werewolf.  Well, perhaps I'll respect his dignity and just say the face makeup my husband did was so realistic and amazing that Caleb worried about being teased, so his costume downgraded to Hobo.  Ha!