The Captured Mermaid Costume

This was an illusion costume I made entirely myself. I got the idea online while looking up mermaid costumes. The one I found online was very simple so I really went above and beyond to make this costume what it has become. I designed my "dummy" pirate by making a duct tape dress form and attaching a styrofoam head to the neck via tape. I mounted this piece onto a backpack to make for easy on and off capability. The pirate's face came from a wizard mask that I cut, colored, painted and revamped to look like a pirate. I had to glue this over the styrofoam with extra foam underneath to fill out the face. I bought all of his wardrobe at Goodwill for a very reasonable price. I made the treasure chest out of a styrofoam cooler and cut the bottom so I could stand in it. I attached a belt around the chest to attach around me so it would not slip down. The top of the cooler was covered with cardboard where I mounted the tail I made from fabric and floral pieces at Joanns. Everything else was accessories and finishing touches to give the costume what it needed to really stand out. The illusion came out great and a few times during my ventures with this costume - people have tried talking to the pirate thinking he's real. I even ordered taxidermy eyes to put under the mask! The costume in total cost me around $150 to make with all of the supplies. I love this costume so much and it wows people time and time again.