When my son was recently given a sweater just like Ernie's on Sesame Street, my partner and I knew we needed to make him some helmet accessories to go with it!

While the sweater has orange and blue stripes like Ernie's, my son's helmet is a very Bert yellow. So we decided to do a Bert and Ernie mashup (Bernie?). Think of him as your favourite muppet couple's love child.

My son wears a plagiocephaly helmet, also known as a cranial remolding orthosis. To make wearing the helmet everyday more fun, we've made a bunch of helmet accessories, including sugru devil horns and a rainbow mohawk.

Step 1: Materials

For this super quick costume, you'll need:

Ernie or Bert sweater (if you have a Bert sweater, you should pair it with a white turtleneck) and coordinating pants
Black fake fur (the shaggier the better)
Velcro
Scissors
Needle and thread
Black felt (for optional eyebrows)
Tape (for optional eyebrows)

Step 2: Make a Little Helmet Toupee

Cut a piece of black long pile fake fur to fit the top of the helmet.

Step 3: Add Velcro

Sew two pieces of the hook side of the velcro to the underside of your fake fur hair piece.

If your helmet doesn't already have velcro on it, attach the soft loop side of the velcro to the helmet. We used adhesive-backed velcro, but you can also stick the velcro to the helmet with super glue or epoxy.

Safety warning:

Plagiocephaly helmets are not safety helmets. Adding adhesives and accessories to a bicycle helmet or other protective helmet may prevent it from functioning properly in a crash.