Making a King Koopa suit

 by Fylke
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A few weeks ago I was invited to a video game-themed party. Since I knew the hostess would provide so much more than your average run-of-the-mill-party I too wanted to come up with something extraordinary.

I was very inspired by that guy who made a MegaMan suit for his son and had all but decided to do a remake when a friend talked me into my second option; a King Koopa suit. Also, I couldn't find anyone who had made (a reasonable-looking) Koopa suit which made it a bit more fun.

There were parts that didn't come out quite as nice as I'd hoped, but on the whole I'm really satisfied.

All in all it took around two weeks of working non-stop in evening and weekends. Cost wasn't that high actually, maybe $50 or so.
 
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Step 1: Materials and tools

For this project you need a sewing machine (and some sewing machine chops, nothing spectacular, but if you had trouble in school, this project probably isn't for you). You also need all that goes with papier-mache. Heavy duty staplers, both one that bends the staples and one that just shoots them in. Sheet insulation to make the mouth out of and some sort of Dremel-like tool to shape it with. Several friends pointed out the goodness of just using a hot metal thread to cut with and that would probably be great, at least for rough cutting, but for the fine bits I would really go for the Dremel.

To paint and glue the sheet insulation you need water based glue and paint. This is very important since the usual solvents all make the sheet insulation turn into a sticky goo. I used about 5m of fleece fabric and just over a kilo's worth of teddy bear stuffing as well. Oh, and about a meter of velcro.

Okay, I know the pic sucks but I forgot to take a picture of all the stuff and had to settle for what I had left.
redpepper237 says: Aug 20, 2012. 1:44 PM
I've seen that costume before
bobhill125 says: Dec 15, 2008. 1:55 PM
thats bowser there is no such thing as king koopa
ikoda in reply to bobhill125Dec 17, 2008. 9:58 PM
In Japan Bowser is known as King Koopa
nerd97 in reply to ikodaJun 3, 2012. 1:47 PM
SO WHAT? EVERY AMERICAN GAMER THAT KNOWS MARIO KNOWS HIS NAME IS BOWSER! WHY ELSE WOULD THERE BE A GAME CALLED "Mario And Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story?!?!?! AND BESIDES, BOWSER ISNT EVEN KING OF THE KOOPAS! AND TO THINK THATS WHAT HES CALLED IN HIS HOMELAND (SORT OF..)!
nerd97 in reply to nerd97Jun 3, 2012. 1:50 PM
SORRY FOR MAH OUTBURST THERE. BUT REALLY, ITS ALL TRUE.
bobhill125 in reply to ikodaDec 26, 2008. 9:31 PM
oh i didnt know dat
Fylke (author) in reply to bobhill125Dec 15, 2008. 4:13 PM
Well I'm pretty sure he was just King Koopa in the very first SMB (Wikipedia seems to support that) and he still goes by that name in Japan. Seems like got at first name around SMB3.

But mostly, I just like the ring of "King Koopa" better, Bowser sounds silly to me. =)
thinkdunson in reply to FylkeDec 19, 2008. 9:25 AM
i think it sounds kind of sinister in a G rated way. but if you've ever paid attention to cut scenes, bowser was kind of silly. so if his name sounds that way, then it's only fitting.
falcotheimpaler says: Dec 14, 2008. 12:18 PM
Wish i had these kinda parties... the only thing that happens now is all my roommates friends get drunk and i have to step over bodies on the way to work... =[
nerd97 in reply to falcotheimpalerJun 3, 2012. 1:48 PM
DEAD OR ALIVE?
nerd97 in reply to nerd97Jun 3, 2012. 1:49 PM
BODIES, I MEAN. BUT WHICH IS IT?
Pocket Universe says: Dec 19, 2008. 1:28 AM
Jösses vilket jobb du har lagt ner på den där! Kudos!
Fylke (author) in reply to Pocket UniverseDec 19, 2008. 9:26 AM
Tack så mycket! Det tröttnar man aldrig på att höra. =)
toogers in reply to FylkeOct 31, 2010. 10:27 PM
päj! that's all i know.
jongscx in reply to FylkeDec 20, 2008. 10:40 AM
Que? No comprendo...
Fylke (author) in reply to jongscxDec 20, 2008. 11:08 AM
We're speaking swedish, nothing exciting though. The usual congrats-thanks a lot-dance you could say.
jujitsu-mam says: Oct 29, 2010. 11:37 AM
Your costume looks AMAZING!

Good job!
annoyingfeatures says: Oct 28, 2010. 12:07 PM
can you make a tutorial on the toadette head piece?
dombeef says: Dec 30, 2008. 2:41 PM
Very Funny Quote"On my way home there was a little kid happily shouting "Hi Bowser" LOL!
aglaranna says: Dec 19, 2008. 5:42 AM
Looks like an awesome party! Now I want to have one!! Except I don't think most of my friends would put that much thought into it.
marcward86 says: Dec 18, 2008. 2:13 PM
I always thought it was Bowser, King of the Koopas, or King Koopa for short.
daniel! says: Dec 15, 2008. 3:28 PM
isnt his name bowser?
acaz93 says: Dec 15, 2008. 1:44 PM
The only thing I can say is : lol awesome definetely 5*
canida says: Dec 15, 2008. 8:49 AM
That's awesome! Great job, and thanks for sharing.
moesboy says: Dec 14, 2008. 6:50 PM
awesome lol
Doctor What says: Dec 14, 2008. 6:32 PM
Excellent.
trayo says: Dec 14, 2008. 4:24 PM
Fantastico!
LuminousObject says: Dec 14, 2008. 12:36 PM
Sweet! I tried making a Koopa costume out of cardboard once, the shell turned out well, but the front didn't. So, I abandoned that project. This looks a lot better than mine.
Arbitror says: Dec 14, 2008. 12:29 PM
Awesome instructable!
Arbitror says: Dec 14, 2008. 12:28 PM
King Koopa?... Ill stick with bowser!
colorednoodles says: Dec 14, 2008. 11:42 AM
That's just awesome :)
=SMART= says: Dec 14, 2008. 11:30 AM
haha awesome !! LOVE the work pics lol ! 5*
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