Introduction: Toy Green Army Man Halloween Costume
If you were once a kid like me, then you probably played with little plastic green army men. They were one of my favorite cheap toys from childhood. And if you have kids like me, then you are familiar with the movie Toy Story. My favorite Toy Story character is not Buzz or Woody, but the little green men hopping around yelling 'hutt, hutt, hutt'. When the annual halloween party that my family attends went with a Disney/Pixar theme, I knew I had to BE a toy green army man.
With the right clothes this is actually an easy outfit to make, is inexpensive, very original, and will be a hit at your costume party.
Materials you need:
Jacket - I used an Army BDU from Ebay. Or try an Army Surplus
Pants - Army pants or any cargo pants that have leg pockets
Utility Belt - Another Ebay or Army Surplus purchase
Boots
Helmet
Panty Hose/stockings
Balloon
Toy Gun
Plywood scrap
Screws
Primer - aeresol
Green Paint - About 12 aeresol cans
Step 1: Select Your Green
When I began this project, I picked the cheapest, most readily available green spray paint I could find. They were around one dollar per can and I used about a dozen. You will also need primer. The clothes just soak up the paint without it.
Next, I purchased several versions of green halloween facepaint to try to match the spray paint. I was not happy with the results and went another direction (pantyhose). More on that in step 5.
Step 2: Prime / Paint Clothes
The MOST IMPORTANT step in creating this costume is the primer. I tried to pant the pants without primer and it just soaked up the paint.
Prime the jacket, pants, shoes, and utility belt. The primer will make the clothing stiff, but it is the only way to get a consistent green on so many different types of surfaces.
Paint all the items. This will take 2 or 3 (or 4) coats. You will know how much paint you need once you start painting.
Again, the more layers of primer and paint that you apply will stiffen the outfit. But once you start wearing it, it will loosen up.
Step 3: Baseplate/Foot Piece
The baseplate that you stand on is really the one accessory that makes your costume look like a real toy army man.
Freehand draw the shape of the baseplate onto a scrap piece of 1/4" plywood based on an actual toy army man. It is almost 3ft long and 18in wide and looks like a golf green.Cut the shape out with a jigsaw and sand as needed.
Prime and paint. Again, PRIME first so that all the items will be the same shade of green.
I used three short screws and from the bottom of the baseplate screwed through the board and into the sole of ONE boot. I only attached one boot so I could walk around. When I stopped, I could just set my other foot in the proper position.
Tip: You can actually cut the baseplate into two halves and screw each piece to its respective boot. Then you can walk easier (like a set of snow shoes).
Step 4: Prime / Paint Accessories
The helmet I used was a child's plastic army helmet. I tried on a real army helmet at an Army Surplus, but it didn't fit as tight on my head as I thought it should. The child's plastic army helmet fit perfectly around my head (okay it was a little tight), and it was only a few dollars.
Any toy gun or rifle will work. I found a black machine gun at a halloween superstore.
I used a utility belt and pouches that I bought from Ebay for under five dollars. An Army Surplus has a lot of different versions to pick from also.
Prime everything first and paint.
Step 5: The Faceless Man
I tried several different green face paints to find a color match. I also tried to mixing green with red, black, and white to make a green that matched. All were unsuccessful.
This is where the balloon and panty hose were used. I cut the feet out of a pair of panty hose for use over my hands. I used the ..ummm... 'main' portion of the panty hose to go over my head.
Put the balloon in the 'main' portion of the panty hose and inflate to somewhere near the size of your head. This is the one place I DID NOT use the primer. Since you are going to be wearing panty hose that are spray painted, you need to breath as much as possible.
Hang the balloon and paint the panty hose green. I only used a couple of coats because I didn't want the paint to gum up or stick to the balloon.
Repeat for the 'gloves'.
Step 6: Stand Still
Strike the Army Man pose.
Hang out with all of your favorite Toy Story characters.

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Halloween Contest
193 Comments
7 years ago
How did you drink/eat with the pantyhose over your face? did you have to lift it every time and just bring it down when it was time to post for pictures?
8 years ago on Introduction
In total, how much do you think you spent on the costume? Also, how fast does the paint/primer dry? I have to make a costume for tomorrow...
9 years ago
Wait did u go to sleeper state park with these? I saw a set if three that looked exactly like this!?!
Reply 9 years ago on Introduction
Wasn't me. I have seen a lot more green army men pop up the past few years after I posted my Instructable.
9 years ago on Step 2
I think stiffness of the clothes will help the look of a plastic figure.
10 years ago
Do you have to put on the primer? Couldn't you just put on the green spray paint. Or grab a bucket of paint and brush and start painting it? Cause I'm getting ready for Halloween already and this year I have to make it!
Reply 9 years ago on Introduction
Sorry for the late reply. I recommend the primer. If you just use spray paint it soaks into the clothes and you don't get the right effect. And it takes a lot more paint.
Good luck on your costume. Come back and post a picture if you make it.
10 years ago on Introduction
I did this costume this year, turned out great, helmet is not pictured.
I decided to use costume makeup on my face/hair, and I just spray painted my hands
12 years ago on Step 6
The only down side to this is that painting over, or removing, the brightly colored tip on a toy gun violates Federal Laws.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
I love the costume, I have a son at college who still ask me to make cotumes. He would be suspended for bringing even a toy gun to college.
Reply 12 years ago on Step 6
you could make the minesweeper guy, put a frisbee on the end of a broomstick and wrap with some wire. paint it green and put on a backpack.
Reply 10 years ago on Step 6
Minesweeper FTW! great idea
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Yeah, the nation wide ban on guns on campuses is a bit useless. If people (as long as they can legally own it) were allowed to have a firearm on school grounds it would be a deterrent for homicidal maniacs. When someone wants to inflicts massive amounts of damage with a firearm they go places where no one can fight back, i.e. where almost no one can even have a firearm, such as schools. Oh well, this is only my opinion.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
I totally agree with your thinking about carrying firearms at public places. I might even push for making it legal on airlines. It will make Al Queda operatives think twice before trying to hijack a plane!
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Ha-ha! Very much so! It might sound "scary" to someone who has no idea what responsible firearm ownership means, but it's nice to hear someone else who is like minded!
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
I am not opposed to guns especially since we had someone break in and kill out dog some years back. Yet I can for see people perhaps getting killed accidentally because " I thought they were an intruder". I am sitting on the fence. On the flip side I did make my son a cool jack in the box costume he is a resturant spoke person but not well known outside of st louis area.
thanks for sharing your great costume, Someday I might try it on a small scale grandchild when i have them.
Reply 12 years ago on Step 6
he could be the mdic or may bye the guy with binoculars
Reply 12 years ago on Step 6
Very true! You could make a backpack sized fake field radio, or even a piece of PVC pipe to look like a "Bazooka".
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Yeah, cuz that stops the gang bangers from putting ORANGE/RED tips on their REAL guns in LA.
Dumbest law on the planet.
This is an awesome '-able, with the GREEN gun and all...
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
No, the reason that this law was enacted was because toy guns have the ability to look quite real with out these brightly colored tips, and this has caused people to become injured and even killed. I agree that people should not be so stupid that they point a toy gun at someone who they do not know or that has a real firearm (i.e. a police officer), but this is still a Federal Law we are dealing with. If laws are seen as unfair then there is a procedure that is to be gone about to have them changed, not just blatantly break them.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/la-police-shoot-boy-carrying-toy-handgun.html