Do it Yourself "Swiper the Fox" Costume

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You can dress as Swiper the Fox.
Image Credit: Darrell Gulin/The Image Bank/GettyImages

Things You'll Need

  • Tan sweatpants

  • Tan sweatshirt with a hood that ties

  • Tan felt in a lighter shade than the sweatsuit

  • Shiny blue knit fabric

  • Elastic hair band

  • Blue gloves

  • Scissors

  • Hot glue gun

  • Black magic marker

  • Black eye liner

Swiper the Fox is a popular character on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. channel's ​Dora the Explorer​ in spite of -- or perhaps because of -- his naughty behavior. He's mischievous and tricky when he swipes things, and it's up to the show's preschool audience to stop him. Luckily, creating a Swiper the Fox costume is not tricky at all. With just a few easy to find items, your child can dress up like Swiper in no time. Just make sure to hide your valuables when your own sneaky Swiper is lurking about.

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Cut the Pieces

Trace and Cut Ovals for this Dora Character

Trace and cut two large ovals from the tan felt, one about five inches wide and one about seven inches wide. One will be Swiper's chest, the other will be his tail, the main parts of this Swiper the Fox costume.

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Cut Out a Pair of Foxy Ears

Cut two pairs of matching triangular ears from the felt. Each should be about three inches tall and two inches across.

Cut the Blue Material

Cut the blue fabric into an 18 x 18-inch square.

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Assemble the Body

Glue the Larger Oval to the Shirt

Hot glue the larger oval to the front of the sweatshirt for Swiper's chest.

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Form and Attach the Tail

Fold the smaller oval in half and hot glue it together to form a tail. Pin the tail inside the back of the sweatshirt.

Attach Swiper's Ears to his Mask

Glue each pair of triangles together leaving about a half an inch on the bottom to fasten them to Swiper's mask.

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Create the Head

Put on the Sweatshirt and Hood

Try on the sweatshirt. Pull up the hood and tie it snugly.

Make the Head From the Shirt

Fit the blue fabric to your child's head over the fastened hood so that it forms a ponytail at the base of his head. Fasten the fabric ponytail with the hairband. It should cover his eyes, the top of his head and part of his ears. Mark holes for his eyes and ears with a marker.

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Cut Holes for Eyes and Ears

Remove the blue fabric and cut eye and ear holes.

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Attach the Ears

Pull the bottom of Swiper's ears through the holes. Open and flatten the flaps and hot glue them to the inside of Swiper's mask on either side of the holes.

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Put it All Together

Wear the Costume

Pull on pants with tail and sweatshirt. Fasten the hood.

Pull on the Mask

Put on Swiper's mask by creating a ponytail at the base of the child's head. Be sure to line up the eye holes so he can see. Adjust the ears so they stand up straight.

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Draw Nose and Whiskers

Using an eyeliner, draw a black fox nose and whiskers on your child's face.

Wear the Gloves

Put on Swiper's blue gloves to complete the Swiper the Fox costume.

Tip

You can add details on Swiper's tail and ears by using markers or paint.

Warning

The size of the ovals for Swiper's tail and chest will vary according to the size of the child.

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