A Great Animal Costume

A Wickersham Brother

The Wickersham brothers torment Horton. In our community theatre production they were not the traditional dark brown/black we associate with monkeys but rather yellow and purple. As the designer wanted the actors to move easily—they had to swing on rings dropped from the ceiling and do other climbing activities—she created this costume.   She started with a yellow turtleneck and yellow tights. Then made the crop top and bloomers out of purple fur. You also could use sweats as I mention in The Drama Teacher's Survival Guide. However, I don’t think they would be as effective as the fake fur.  The head would be the hardest item to sew.

I loved the idea of the wrist and foot bands and the very simple makeup—just clown white around the mouth. The rest had to be created by the actor with movement and voice.

The simplicity of this costume would work well for any animal you need to dress.  It lets the actor come up with a great variety of movement and allows for super creativity.