Part of me was very proud; mostly because the theme for Australia’s Childrens’ Book Week was “Reading is My Super-Power”. That means teachers could finally see comic books as “acceptable reading material”. And Squirrel Girl is positively one of the BEST role models for all kids today. Our 10-year-old son loves how Squirrel Girl thinks her way out of most conflicts, while the 13-year-old says her wacky sense of humour is refreshing amongst the heavy-laden sarcasm today. However, part of me was like, “Squirrel Girl? But the Wild Rose Fairy was such an easy kids cosplay outfit to do!! Now I have to make a squirrel tail!” Well, I have good news for Squirrel Girl fans!! If I can pull together a simple and casual Squirrel Girl cosplay for my 6-year-old daughter in under a week, so can you. And here’s how!!
Choose Your Squirrel Girl Cosplay
First up, you have to choose which Squirrel Girl you want to cosplay. The good news is there are plenty of options to choose from. There is Ditko’s original outfit in 1991 (with weird eye makeup), or Henderson’s modern approach with some very cute variations. Hell, there’s even a space Squirrel Girl outfit, if you are so inclined (apparently, our daughter is now so inclined). So long as you have the foundation pieces, you are pretty much set. Since we were limited to a week, we passed on space Squirrel Girl this time and chose a casual approach to the Henderson’s earlier run.
What You Will Need
A brown bomber-style jacket or similar
We found a small brown fake leather jacket at our local second-hand clothes store. It was clean and in great condition. You will be sewing clips into the jacket, so don’t go for a major purchase or use anything you want to keep in original condition.
A red or brown shirt Grey pants A yellow belt – bonus points if it has pouches attached Little ears headband Brown boots 4 x Press clips to attach the tail to the jacket A Big Fluffy Squirrel Tail – This is the DIY job
DIY Detachable Squirrel Girl Tail
And now for the most important critic of all: the 6-year-old daughter… Just for that, I think I’ll bake you some nut-shape cookies as well.
If you want to learn more about Squirrel Girl, pick up a copy of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North and Erica Henderson. It is a great introduction to the charm of Doreen and her squirrel sidekick, Tippy Toe. You can also read more about the artwork with fellow Book Rioter Marcy and her article, Why The Art of Squirrel Girl Matters. You can also read about 8 Times the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Made Me Lose My Nuts, from fellow Book Rioter Christine Hoxmeier.
