DIY Corgi Costume for Kids: No-Sew, 8 Steps, One Afternoon
The ears are the whole costume. Get two tall, stiff felt ears on a hood, and everyone on the street will say “corgi!” You can make a DIY corgi costume for kids in one afternoon with no sewing: an orange hoodie, felt ears, a white bib, a fluffy tail and a painted nose. Here are the 8 steps, with swaps for babies through big kids.
The short version
- Base: an orange, tan or rust hoodie with matching or white pants. Black or brown for a tricolor corgi.
- Ears make it a corgi: hand-tall felt triangles stiffened with cereal-box cardboard, glued to the hood.
- Add a white felt bib, white socks for paws, and a black face-paint nose instead of a mask.
- Tail: a big pompom for a Pembroke look, a long stuffed felt tail for a Cardigan.
- For toddlers, put the ears on the hood (not a headband) and do two test runs before Halloween.
What you need for a corgi costume
Most of this is already in a closet or craft drawer. The rest is a few sheets of felt from a craft store.
Supply checklist
- An orange, tan, caramel or rust hoodie (black or brown for a tricolor corgi)
- Matching or white leggings or sweatpants
- Two sheets of tan or orange felt (stiff felt if you can find it)
- Two sheets of white felt and a scrap of pink
- One empty cereal box, for the ears
- Fabric glue, or a hot glue gun for grown-ups only
- Safety pins, a big pompom or a handful of fiberfill, and white socks
- Kid-safe face paint in black and white
- Reflective tape or a glow stick
What makes a costume look like a corgi?
From across the street, most four-legged costumes look alike. A corgi costume needs five details to read as “corgi”:
- Big, upright ears. Taller than you think. This is the number one detail.
- A white chest. Corgis have a white bib that runs up toward the chin.
- White paws. Short legs, white socks.
- A fluffy back end. Pembrokes have round, fluffy rumps with short or no visible tails. Cardigans have long, bushy tails.
- Warm colors. Red and white, which reads as orange and white in felt. Sable and tricolor (black, tan and white) work too.
Want to show your kid the real thing first? Our kids' guide to corgis has the basics. Our free coloring pages include a corgi your child can color as a costume plan before you cut anything.
How to make a corgi costume, step by step
Plan on one afternoon. Fabric glue takes a few hours to set, so make the ears the night before if you can.
1. Pick the base outfit
Dress your child in an orange, tan, caramel or rust hoodie with matching or white leggings or sweatpants. For a tricolor corgi, use a black or brown hoodie and add tan felt cheeks to the hood.
2. Add the white bib
Cut a rounded shield from white felt, wide at the collar and narrowing to mid-chest. Glue it on with fabric glue, or pin it from the inside if you want the hoodie back after Halloween.
3. Make the ears
Cut four tall felt triangles with rounded tips, each about as tall as your child's hand. Sandwich a slightly smaller cereal-box triangle between each pair and glue. Add a small pink felt triangle to the front of each ear.
4. Attach the ears
Fold a small tab at the base of each ear and glue it to the top of the hood, well apart, pointing up and slightly out. No hood? Glue the ears to a headband wrapped in matching felt.
5. Make the tail
For a Pembroke look, glue a big white or tan pompom, or a ball of fiberfill wrapped in felt, to the seat of the pants. For a Cardigan corgi, stuff a long felt tube and pin it on securely.
6. Add white paws
Have your child wear white socks with their usual shoes, or wrap white felt cuffs around ankles and wrists with safety pins.
7. Paint the face
Use kid-safe face paint: a black dot on the nose tip, a few freckles on the cheeks, and an optional white chin patch. Test a small patch of skin first, and wash it off before bed.
8. Add the corgi glitter
Glue a few tufts of white fiberfill along the hood edge and the back of the hoodie so your corgi looks like it's shedding. Real corgis shed a lot, and kids love being in on the joke.
Step 8 comes straight from Rally Takes the Train, where a real corgi leaves a trail of “furry corgi glitter” down the train aisle. Every corgi owner will laugh.
How to adjust a corgi costume for babies, toddlers and big kids
The same costume works from 6 months to 8 years with a few swaps. Find your child's row.
| Age | Base | Ears go on | Skip this | Add this |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby (0 to 12 months) | Soft orange or tan sleeper | A soft hat | Face paint, pompoms, anything glued that could come loose | A felt bib pinned from inside, out of reach |
| Toddler (1 to 3) | Familiar hoodie and leggings | The hood, not a headband | Long tails that drag | Two test runs before Halloween |
| Preschooler (3 to 5) | Hoodie and sweatpants | The hood or a headband | Hot glue near little hands | Let them glue the bib and fluff the tail |
| Big kid (6 to 8) | Hoodie, any corgi color | Their choice | Nothing, they can help with most steps | A tricolor or Cardigan version, a fact card to recite |
The hood trick matters most for toddlers. A child who rips off a headband will usually keep a familiar hoodie on, and the ears come along. Wear it for a snack and a story twice before Halloween so it feels normal on the night.
On cold nights, layer a long-sleeve shirt and tights underneath. Then nobody has to cover the costume with a coat.
Your little corgi will want to meet a real oneRally Takes the Train is a hand-painted picture book about a real corgi’s train ride, short legs, furry corgi glitter and all. Read it the week before Halloween. Ages 0 to 8.
Buy on AmazonRally Takes the Train family costume
If siblings, parents or grandparents want in, the book has a cast ready to go:
- Rally: your corgi, from the steps above.
- Mr. Conductor: a blue button-up shirt, a blue cap, and a clothespin ticket punch.
- Mom and Dad, the travelers: a small suitcase holding a turtle toy, a green bone and a yellow ball. It doubles as a candy bucket.
- Grandmommy and Papa: a hand-lettered sign that says “Hi cute boy,” held up at every door.
- The train: a cardboard box with shoulder straps, painted red, with arched windows drawn on.
Our corgi children's book page shows the characters, so everyone can match their part. For more October read-alouds, see our not-too-scary Halloween books for toddlers.
Is a homemade costume safe for trick-or-treating?
Yes, with a few checks before you head out:
- Be seen. Put reflective tape on the back of the hoodie and the tail. Carry a flashlight or glow stick.
- Paint, not a mask. Masks can block a small child's view.
- Check the length. Pin the tail high enough that it can't reach the ground and trip them.
- Hot glue is for grown-ups. Kids can do fabric glue, coloring and fluffing.
- Keep fluff away from flames. Fiberfill and felt don't mix with jack-o'-lantern candles. Use battery tea lights on your own porch.
Corgi facts to share with the neighbors
Someone will ask what your child is. Give them a line or two to say:
- “Corgis come from Wales. They herded cows, and short legs kept them low and quick.”
- “There are two kinds, Pembroke and Cardigan. You can tell by the tail.”
- “Queen Elizabeth II had Pembroke corgis for most of her life.”
- “Corgis shed a lot. That's why I have fluff on my back.”
A bedtime story for the corgi on your couchAfter the candy is counted, read about a real corgi’s first train ride. Hand-painted in watercolor, rhyming, about five minutes long.
Buy on AmazonQuestions parents ask
How do you make a corgi costume for a kid?
Start with an orange or tan hoodie and matching pants. Glue a white felt bib to the chest, make two tall felt ears stiffened with cardboard and glue them to the hood, add a pompom or fluffy tail, and finish with white socks and a painted black nose. No sewing is needed, since fabric glue and safety pins do everything.
How do you make corgi ears that stand up?
Sandwich a cardboard triangle, cut from a cereal box, between two felt triangles and glue them together. Fold a small tab at the bottom of each ear and glue that tab flat to the hood or headband. Stiff felt makes it even easier. Let the glue dry fully, ideally overnight, before your child wears them.
What colors do I need for a corgi costume?
The classic corgi look is red and white, so an orange, tan or rust base with white felt for the chest and paws works best. For a tricolor corgi, use black or brown with tan cheeks and a white bib. Add a little pink felt inside the ears and a black face-paint nose.
How long does it take to make a DIY corgi costume?
Plan on one afternoon of hands-on work, about two to three hours, plus drying time. Fabric glue needs several hours to set fully, so many parents make the ears and bib the night before, then attach everything and do the face paint on the day. A hot glue gun used by an adult is faster.
How do I get my toddler to wear costume ears?
Put the ears on the hood of a hoodie instead of a headband, since most toddlers will keep a familiar hoodie on. Do a few short test runs in the days before Halloween, like wearing it for a snack or a story, so it feels normal. Let them help decorate it too. Kids wear what they made.
What is a good family costume with a corgi?
Try a Rally Takes the Train family costume: one child as Rally the corgi, someone as Mr. Conductor in a blue shirt and cap, parents as travelers with a small suitcase, grandparents with a sign that says Hi cute boy, and a cardboard-box train. It works for any family size, and the suitcase holds candy.
Can you turn a fox costume into a corgi costume?
Yes, a fox costume is the closest shortcut, since it already has orange fur and tall ears. Add a white felt bib to the chest and white socks for paws, then trade the long fox tail for a fluffy pompom if you want a Pembroke look. Keep the long tail and you have a Cardigan. A lion hood can work too if you glue tall felt ears over the round ones.
What is the easiest last-minute corgi costume?
Use what you already have: an orange, tan or brown hoodie, white socks, and a black nose dotted on with kid-safe face paint. Cut two tall ears from a cereal box or paper plate, color them to match, and tape or safety-pin them to the hood. Pin a white paper or fabric bib to the chest. It reads as corgi from across the street and takes about thirty minutes.
What can I use instead of felt for corgi ears?
Craft foam is the easiest swap because it stands up on its own and cuts cleanly with kid scissors. Fleece scraps, cardstock, or a paper plate colored with markers also work. For floppy fabric like an old T-shirt, glue it over a cereal-box triangle so the ears stay upright. Whatever you use, test that the ears survive a few head shakes before Halloween night.
What corgi book can we read before Halloween?
Rally Takes the Train is a rhyming picture book about a real Pembroke Welsh corgi who rides the train to see his grandparents, with short legs that need a boost up the train steps and a trail of furry corgi glitter down the aisle. It reads aloud in about five minutes, so it fits a busy October week. Our corgi children's book page has a closer look.