A decade ago, I made a similar, adult-sized version of this. When my three-year-old began saying that he wanted to be a dragon rider for this Halloween, I was excited to make a second, toddler version with some major improvements.

Compared to the first one, using a cardboard box for the base instead of PVC made this considerably lighter and cheaper. Making stationary wings instead of articulated wings also removed some weight (and actually looked better, imo).

Working full-time and having a toddler, I ran out of time to make the dragon legs in this version, but my kid didn't mind. This is not a one-weekend project, but it's not very hard.

Supplies

Cardboard box

Box cutters

Duct tape

Chicken wire

Newspaper

Flour/water for mache paste (5:1)

Fabric (old sheet or similar)

Lock ties

Floral wire (or any thin wire)

Wire hangers

Polymer clay (or pre made teeth)

Glass cabochon eyes

Strap webbing

Knight costume, or at least cape to disguise straps

Old pants/boots for fake legs

Hot glue gun

Step 1: Create Base

Creating a stand was much easier than hanging it from my garage ceiling. If I didn't find this t-ball stand, I would have probably just built a little wood stand from scraps. With some strategic duct tape, it was as sturdy as I needed until I (ultimately) cut it off of the base with box cutters, creating the child-sized hole in the middle.

Step 2: Wire & Paper Mache Base

The chicken wire is entirely held together with lock ties. Since this is for a kid, I prioritized using the smooth edges of the wire any place that would be near the center and just shaped it as best I could. I left the back of the head open so that I could install the tongue, and ultimately left it open and inserted a Tupperware container so it could serve as a little candy bucket.

My strategy was to cut a bunch of newspaper strips, dunk it one piece at a time in the paper mache paste and weave it between the chicken wire. This was pretty slow going; I did one small batch of paste each night over the course of a few nights. I left a little fan on it overnight, and each layer was completely dry by morning. The past is 1 part flour to 5 parts water, with a bit of salt. I brought it to a boil and let it thicken up to about pancake batter consistency.

Step 3: Add Details

I opted for pre-made eyes, and made teeth from polymer clay. The teeth would probably look better if they were a bit smaller, but I was opting to prioritize sturdiness and the polymer clay bits were the parts I had the most issues with on the first version of this costume.

I braced each tooth against a wire stub and hot glued, followed by construction paper gums to save painting time later. There is a tongue inside of the mouth (wire and fabric mache, painted).

Foil and hot glue helped the shape of the head, and the wings are just wire hangers with some gift wrap tubes to add shape and bulk without adding too much weight.

Step 4: Fabric Mache

Fabric mache can be positioned and repositioned many, many times before it dries so you have plenty of time for trial and error on this step. For the under side and wings, I roughly cut the full pieces and drew lines that needed to line up. The scales took a bit more practice. Small scales are easier to work with, but take a very long time to place, so I only really used them on the face. Start from the bottom and work to the top.

Step 5: Paint, Cut Off Base

My kid chose the color (of course), so I was a bit limited in my choices here. I spray-painted the scales and used normal craft acrylic for everything else.

The next step was to cut it off the base. I lined the cardboard edge with duct tape to make it smoother.

Step 6: Add Straps, Test Fit, Add Legs

I found four old military straps and lock tied one end into place; this was much easier than my earlier version of seatbelt material, and far more adjustable. I added a little cross tie in the upper back for support when it kept tipping forward in the initial trial. It's hard to properly fit a toddler and get good pictures, but it's straightforward enough.

The legs are also simple and I didn't take many pictures. I took old pants, cut them in the middle, glued them to boots I found at a thrift shop, stuffed them with paper and duct taped/wired them to the costume. I didn't want to make them permanent in case I wanted to do anything else with the dragon in the future. Floral wire is super easy to work with and basically invisible from a normal distance.