Gorilla Suit Costumes

Homemade Gorilla Suit Costume Ideas

Gorillas are the largest species of primate still alive, and they have instilled amusement, affection, and fear in human beings for centuries. They’ve been depicted by Hollywood as everything from giant monsters to gentle creatures, and numerous organizations exist to stem their climb up the endangered species list. While gorillas suit costumes may not help the plight of these mammals, they do serve as a reminder of our fascination with a creature that has 95 to 99 percent of the same DNA as humans.

This article will provide you with some gorilla suit costume ideas, as well as giving tips for how to make your own gorilla suit costume. And for those who would like to know more about these creatures, I’ve also included some facts about gorillas.

Information about Gorillas

Gorillas are one of the four species of great apes (along with orangutans, bonobos, and chimpanzees). Apes differ from monkeys in that they are more intelligent, don’t have tails, and can walk upright for longer periods of time. Gorillas can be divided into the following subspecies: Cross River Gorillas, Western Lowland Gorillas, Mountain Gorillas, and Eastern Lowland Gorillas. All gorillas living in the wild are found on the continent of Africa.

When standing upright, a male gorilla measures about 5.5 feet tall, and the adult male weights anywhere from 300 to 450 pounds. Gorillas live between 30 and 50 years, and adult males are known as “silverbacks” because of the distinctive silver hair that appears on their backs.

Gorillas live in troops of six to twelve, with the silverback leading a troop comprised of infants, females, and younger males called “blackbacks.” When a male gorilla becomes old enough, he will leave his troop to form his own family or live a solitary life. Silverbacks breed with the females of the troop and make all decisions regarding movement, sleep, and location. When the troop is threatened, the silverback will defend by beating on his chest and charging the intruder. Despite aggressive behavior when faced with danger, gorillas are traditionally introverted creatures who spend their days eating fruits, vines, and leaves.

All subspecies of gorillas are considered endangered, although the Western Lowland Gorillas are the most populace at somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000. The Cross River Gorilla is in the greatest danger of becoming extinct, with only 300 estimated to be living in the wild.

Gorillas have a number of similarities to humans, and some have even been taught to use a form of sign language in order to communicate. They live in family units, raise their young with great care, and even have unique sets of fingerprints.

Buying a Gorilla Costume

Gorilla suit costumes are popular items for Halloween parties, which means a wide array of products can be found online or at your local costume shop. A gorilla suit costume will cost a little more than the average Halloween outfit, though, and the price will be even greater for those with a high degree of realism. Still, you might want to shell out the extra money if your annual Halloween party offers prizes for the best costumes.

When I was doing research for this article, I came across adult gorilla suit costumes, infant gorilla suit costumes, and even toddler gorilla suit costumes. Primates tend to be large creatures to begin with, so plus size gorilla suit costumes aren’t uncommon, either. But my favorite has to be the costume that makes the wearer appear to be a trapped in a cage and carried around by a gorilla. It’s a neat piece of illusory costuming.

Prices vary for the gorilla costumes. I saw a kid’s gorilla costume listed for $18.87 online, while full-body adult gorilla costumes were selling for over $100.

How to Make Your Own Gorilla Suit Costume

If you want to save some money this Halloween, try making your own gorilla suit costume at home. To accomplish this, you’ll need a pair of scissors, a sewing machine, gray rubber fabric, black fur fabric, elastic, black thread, and a gorilla mask.

First, measure the wearer for the lower half of the costume. Measure as if you were about to sew a pair of pants, then mark out the size on the black fabric. When you make the pants, be sure to cut the fabric larger than necessary, as this will allow some air to move throughout the costume and cool down the wearer. To hold the pants up, you’ll need to include some elastic in the waist.

For the upper part of the costume, have the wearer lay down on the black fabric. Trace around their body and use these measurements to create the gorilla suit’s arms and torso. To create the illusion of stomach and chest muscles, you can cut out appropriately-sized shapes from the rubber fabric and sew it onto the black fabric.

To cover your feet, you can purchase some gorilla feet from a retailer, or you can wear black tennis shoes. The same goes for the hands, but just remember that gorilla hands can be purchased for a few bucks. If you’re on a budget, I suggest buying the gorilla hands and saving a bit by wearing black shoes.

If you want a prop to make your costume unique, you could carry around a bone to reference the famous scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey. A blonde blowup doll might also get some chuckles, especially if you drag her around like Fay Wray from King Kong.

Acting Like a Gorilla

A bit of play-acting never hurt anyone, so you may be interested in taking on the role of a gorilla when you don your costume. If you want to be accurate, keep to yourself and pretend to eat leaves and fruit from the ground. If you feel in danger, beat on your chest and threaten to charge. You can also amble up to other guests and pretend to pick bugs and other pests from their hair.

The movie version of a gorilla can be even more fun to portray, as they seem to constantly get into trouble, eat bananas, play on tires, and carry off sexy blondes. Be sure to swing your arms from side to side, make stereotypical gorillas noises, and do everything to pass yourself off as king of the jungle.

If you need more inspiration before slipping on your adult gorilla costume, give the following movies a try: King Kong (any version), Congo, Instinct, The Planet of the Apes (any of the series), Gorillas in the Mist, and Mighty Joe Young.