Oscar the Grouch Costume

The pants, shirt, and gloves are all made from faux fur (Mongolian Olive Green). Templates are made from cardboard, traced onto the fabric, carefully cut out in an attempt to not several all the long fur, and then sewn using a sewing machine.

The head is fabricated from 1/2" foam, with an internal jaw and head structure made from 1/4" PEX, and then skinned with faux fur. The eyes are are from a 4" styrofoam ball with felt for the pupils. The eyebrow is a scrap of the faux fur, which was spray painted brown. The mouth is lined with a see through black fabric with red fabric for the tongue.

The trash can is a standard galvanized can from a home center. The bottom is cut out leaving a few tabs for rope, which provides a method for strapping the can to a chest harness. The lid is attached with a simple wooden hinge made from scrap plywood, poplar, and 1/4-20 bolts/washers/nuts. For the beat up look, dents are added. For weathering, spray paint is applied in small areas and rubbed around/off with contractors paper (newspaper would work). Once the paint dries, more distressing is achieved with 100 grit sandpaper.

Purchased Materials

Fake fur - Mongolian Olive Green [Amazon] = $22.70/yard. 4 Yards = $90.80
1/2 foam [JoAnn's Fabric online] = $18.49 (that includes shipping)
1/4" Pex tubing [Lowes] = $1.76
Green thread [Micheal's] = $1.30
Brown spray paint = $3.68
Suspenders = $6.50
4" Styrofoam ball = $1.25
Galvanized trash can = $24.98

Total = $148.76