DIY Pippi Longstocking Costume

I was looking for an easy character to portray for our Book Character Dress Up Day when through Google, I stumbled upon Pippi Longstocking or originally written as Pippi Langstrump (Swedish). Based on my brief research, she is a quirky, supernaturally strong, nine-year-old girl created by Astrid Lindgren in 1945. The children’s books have been translated into 70 languages and made into several films and television series.

Having known Pippi’s interesting background, I decided to dress up as Her.  After all, as Pippi said, “I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that.”

Here is my take on how to make a Pippi Longstocking costume:

The Outfit

What I love about the outfit is its thrift factor. All you need to do is rummage your closet for a denim jumper, a similar dress, or shorts with suspender. Stitch or pin some patches on them (I used Felt, which I bought for AED7 at Daiso), to create a more rugged look. Next, is to look for a bright-colored, checkered or stripes undershirt. Go on and improvise, the sky is the limit!

The key here is to mismatch every item, so throw in a bright stocking (mine is retro orange) and two different socks. I bought my purple and black knee-high for only AED10 from Brands for Less and the green one is an old favorite. Finish off your ensemble with boots or sneakers and a pet monkey.

Hair and Make-up

What makes Pippi stand out is her red, braided, firm and standing pigtails. It was hilarious seeing parents and children burst into laughter when they saw me in my super cool wig. I am always in my Nurse uniform so you can imagine the drastic change.

If you have long hair, you are good to go. Since I cut my hair very short recently, I needed to wear a wig, which is a first. I could not find a red wig though, so I opted for a brown one instead from Daiso, priced at AED32. The wig as I found out, turned out too long for what I needed. I had to cut the bangs and shorten the back a bit. Now, to make that standing U-shape effect, you will need a wire (I used a hanger wire) or a thick pipe cleaner and insert it inside your braids. Shape them as you like, and accessorize with colorful ribbons, to make your look more youthful and vibrant.

Here is a useful Youtube link (from Jamie Pettito of Gurl.com ) for a more detailed procedure.

You can play around with the make-up. For my look, I just applied a pink blusher on my cheeks and dotted them with pencil eyeliner to create freckles. Piece of cake, isn’t it?

Pippi may be an orphan but she has plenty of friends!

I really enjoyed being Pippi Longstocking for a day. It is a very economical and an awesome costume idea for Book Character Dress Up Days and Halloweens, fit for both children and adults.

If you have other ideas on how to make the costume or if you have done the Pippi look before, please leave a comment below.

Meanwhile, here is Pippi with another Pippi.

Have fun in your Pippi Longstocking transformation!