Homemade Sponge Bob Costumes

By Donna Theobald

Donna Theobald

Donna is a freelance writer, yoga, and exercise instructor.

Homemade Sponge Bob costumes are easy to make and often look better than store bought outfits. Sponge Bob costumes are popular for children and adults alike.

Sponge Bob The Character

Sponge Bob is a popular animated character from the cartoon that started airing in 1999 and is still very popular today. The SpongeBob Square Pants cartoon, even though it airs on the children's Nickelodeon channel, has irreverent humor that can be entertaining for adults as well. Sponge Bob toys and costumes are marketed fiercely and have yet to go out of style. Making homemade Sponge Bob costumes, for an adult or child is fairly easy.

Sponge Bob the Costume

Sponge Bob is an easily recognizable costume, even if you just get the colors correct for the pants and shirt. The basics of a Sponge Bob costume are a yellow head, brown pants, white shirt, black belt, and red tie. Interestingly, if you ever take a closer look, Sponge Bob's whole body is really a rectangle not a square.

Basic Homemade Sponge Bob Costumes

Wearing brown pants, and a yellow t-shirt is the easiest way to dress up like Sponge Bob Square Pants. Paint a Sponge Bob face and red tie on the yellow shirt and your costume is complete.

More Elaborate Sponge Bob Costume

A more elaborate Sponge Bob costume will require you to cover a big rectangle cardboard box with material, so that you look like you have "square pants". Find a large cardboard box that will fit over your shoulders and come down to your hips or thighs. To make the box look rectangle, cut off the backside and move that wall forward. Tape the edges with heavy-duty tape. Gather together the following items:

Several yards of yellow fabric
A couple of yards of brown fabric
A strip of white fabric two inches wide and long enough to fit around the box
Black, white and red felt squares or foam craft paper
Scissors
Fabric glue

Option One-Sponge Bob Over the Head Costume

Follow these steps to make your Sponge Bob Costume:

Cut arm holes in the cardboard box
Cut the bottom off of the box so you can slide your head all the way in with the box still coming down to your thighs
Cover the top ¾ of the box with yellow fabric and glue it in place
Cover the bottom half with the brown fabric and glue it in place
Glue the white fabric strip over the area where the yellow and brown meet, and glue in place
Cut out the tie, eyes, nose and mouth from the craft foam
When you cut the mouth, form it in such a way that you can see out
Cut a space in the tie or collar area of the box for a breathing hole
Glue these pieces in place

Option Two: Sponge Bob Costume with Exposed Head

If you do not want your head inside the Sponge Bob costume, follow the same directions as above but cut a hole in the top of the box for your head to fit through.

Accessories

Homemade Sponge Bob costumes will be more fun if you are holding or wearing one of the following accessories that appear during the cartoon in one of the episodes.