Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared — DIY / Budget-Friendly / Parent-Maker Adventure
My daughter has inherited my love for costuming. Every Halloween she and her best friend dream up something wonderfully weird, and I become the designated “costume engineer.” Last year, they were Katniss Everdeen and Effie Trinket — and honestly, I’m still proud of those looks.
This year?
They went full Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.
My daughter wanted to be Red Guy
Her bestie chose Yellow Guy
And I was once again on costume duty — happily.
Materials for Red Guy
- Red fuzzy zip-up pajama suit (Amazon — we sized up so it would be loose)
- Red beanie
- Red yarn (a lot — at least one skein)
- Ping pong balls (for eyes)
- Hot glue gun
- Needle + thread
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Steps In The Process
Step 1: Pajama Suit (Red Guy’s body)
I found a red fuzzy pajama zip-up suit on Amazon and ordered it in a large so it would look oversized.
My daughter wanted the look to feel exaggerated and even wore heels under the suit to add height.
Time required: 0 minutes
Because… we did nothing except unzip the box.
Step 2: The Yarn Wig (the star of the costume)
We started with a red beanie as the wig base.
While watching a show together, we grabbed red yarn and cut a LOT of strands to roughly equal length.
(Think: a mountain of yarn spaghetti on the couch.)
Then:
- Group yarn strands into bundles of 3–4 pieces.
- Tie a quick knot at the top of each bundle (this keeps strands together).
- Hand sew each bundle onto the beanie.
I placed the bundles close together to make it very full and floppy — just like Red Guy.
I sewed about four rows across the beanie (front + back).
Tip: Try the hat on occasionally to check fullness before committing.
Could you sew it with a machine?
Yes.
Did I?
No.
It was peaceful handwork — like yarn meditation.
Step 3: The Eyes — Ping Pong Ball Magic
Red Guy’s eyes are simple but unsettling — perfect for Halloween.
Here’s what we did:
- Take two ping pong balls.
- Wrap a stripe of yarn around the back of each ball.
- Hot glue the yarn in place.
- This gives the yarn something to grip when attaching to the hat.
Space the ping pong eyes toward the sides of the hat.
Once everything was glued and cooled, we trimmed the wig ends.
That was the moment the costume really looked like Red Guy — oddly charming and slightly disturbing.
Step 4: Yellow Guy (bonus)
Her best friend made most of the Yellow Guy costume, and I helped finish the headpiece.
We used:
- Yellow skull cap (rubber swim cap style)
- Fuzzy blue fabric scrap
I used low-temp hot glue and anchored it with three small safety pins (rubber caps don’t love glue).
Final Result
They looked absurd.
They looked amazing.
I laughed harder than I should have when they put the ping pong eyes on.
And — my favorite part — we made it together.
Not perfect.
Not professional.
Just joyful.
Play It Out Studio 