Cardboard Jester Hat Inspired From the Amazing Digital Circus

Hats are usually made of felt and similar materials to make them form fitting, warm keeping, or authentic looking in the case of cosplay; however, as students studying abroad who don't have much sewing equipment and materials in hand, we wanted to make a cosplay out of cardboard. We thought it would also be easier with our current skill set. We had experience in kirigami (paper cutting and folding, and in this case also gluing) and computer 3D modelling. We have combined these to make a cardboard template, cutting the template out of coloured cardboard, and assembling this decent looking hat.

We made this hat for my friend who wanted to cosplay as Pomni from The Amazing Digital Circus, a newly released 3D animation show with a large cult following. I am so glad we managed to finish it before the Halloween costume party he is going to join, which is what we have intended.

Supplies

• Printer or a printing service available
• Red and blue cardboard, 50x70cm or 20"x27.5" each. These are sold at hobby stores in rack shelves usually and used as a base for posters.
• Glue. Preferably PVA glue, but we had to use staples, a lot of plastic tape, stick glue etc.
• Scissors
• Yellow nylon sheet or ribbon

Step 1: Get the Template

The template took a lot of time to prepare but it was worth it. We are providing it so you don't want to spend 4 hours designing it. We have used the Blender 3D software (you don't have to) to design the 3D shape and to export it as a papercraft template. The exported papercraft template consisted of a lot of parts, so we had to process it in Inkscape to reduce it to 6 pieces, which nicely become the 6 stripes of each colour.

You will need the same template printed or transferred onto both cardboard sheets. We have transferred one of them in a reflected fashion though this wasn't necessary.

The provided PDF is 50x70cm. You can have this printed directly in such size if you want to, even directly onto the cardboards. What we did was printing it into 8 A4 sized paper sheets using a regular office printer, and joining them using tape. Later we have transferred this onto the two cardboards using the following procedure:

First, have the template printed onto office paper or multiple. Make sure they are joined together if you have printed onto multiple sheets. Next, hang the template onto a window during day to use the window as a light table, the printed side facing outside. Tape one coloured cardboard onto the back (you will have to separate it later). Then, lay the contraption with the cardboard side down onto your table, and score over each line to make a mark onto the cardboard. Remove the template from the cardboard and go over the indentations with a pen for better visibility. Repeat for the other cardboard.

Note: You might find out that some parts are hard to bend the right way, especially the part with edges 3 and 4. This is due to the model not being very suitable for papercraft. Worst thing that can happen is that this piece will become crooked or torn in the middle due to the strain on it. If you make the papercraft template attached in Step 1 instead, there should be no strain in the structure at the cost of having to assemble a lot of parts.

Step 2: Arrange Your Pieces

First, cut out each part. From each template you cut out, some pieces go to one half of the hat and the rest go to the other half due to the alternating stripe colours.

I have given you the layout for the right hand side of the hat; you should reflect it on the horizontal when arranging pieces for the left hand side. The colours will be counterchanged, meaning red and blue switching places for each half.

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We didn't arrange our pieces first and got the joining of the parts wrong while assembling, on both sides! Therefore, I don't have photos of this step but I arranged the shapes on the computer such that you can visualize it better. Each half of the hat should be assembled in opposite ways such that they will form symmetrical halves.

Also, we have messed up how each half is assembled therefore our hat has the alternate colours of Pomni's hat from the show. You should follow the instructions in the attached picture regarding tabs going onto the corresponding edges, and not let our mistake confuse you.

Step 3: Assemble

Glue the tabs to the corresponding edge to assemble two horn-like halves. In our situation, we found it helpful to staple the ends and sharp tips of two halves at the correct points first, then glue or tape the rest of the tabs. We have also added staples to other places we see needed. If you use the right glue (PVA), however, you shouldn't need as much stapling and taping.

You might find out that some parts are hard to bend the right way, especially the part with edges 3 and 4. I had a note about this in Step 1.

Once the two cones are done, you should join the two halves at the edges marked "other half." The rest of the edges will form the head opening so don't join these. We have stapled the edges in the back and glued/stapled the edge on the top. We have also used the sticking out triangles to join the two halves at the very bottom better. Congratulations, you are done with the bulk of the assembly!

Step 4: Add Decoration

This step is open to customization. To get the look of Pomni's hat right, you should add a yellow ribbon or strip of nylon around the head opening and also two pompoms at the tips of the conical extensions. We attached these through stapling. Once done, the hat is ready for your costume.