How to Make Elephant Ears for a Costume

Last Updated: October 12, 2022 Tested

Elephant ears are fairly simple to put together for a costume. They can be added to an existing headband or attached to a paper circle. Both styles are explored here.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Elephant ears on a headband

1
Find suitable grey fabric. Velvet, felt, a strong cotton, etc. would all make suitable choices. Grey ribbon can be used on the headband.
2
Make a 2 to 5cm-wide (1-2 inch-wide) strip of fabric. Alternatively, if using the ribbon, skip this step.

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3
Wrap the strip or ribbon around the headband. Tie and tuck under at the end, trim to neaten. Apply a dab of fabric glue to prevent unraveling.
4
Draw two elephant ear shapes on paper, one facing left, one facing right. Use either an online image to trace over or simply draw from your imagination.
5
Cut out the ear shapes to make into a template.
6
Pin the templates to the fabric. Cut out two elephant ear shapes, two of the left facing and two of the right facing shapes.
7
Pin the left ear together, wrong side facing out. Do the same for the right side.
8
Stitch around the edges of the ears. Leave a small area open to turn the right way out.
9
Turn the ears the right way out. Stuff with cotton balls or rolled up scraps of fabric to give a light fill. Finish the stitching.
10
Attach the ears to headband. Glue the short edge of the ear to the headband.
11
Once dry, the headband can be worn.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Elephant ears and trunk mask

1
Use light cardboard or very strong paper to make this mask of elephant ears and trunk. Grey is the best color for an elephant. Silver is another option for a "shiny" elephant.
2
Cut a strip of paper that fits around your face, chin to forehead way. It needs to be wide enough to sit soundly and hold the ears and trunk.
- Tape the end of this circle together under your chin. It can help to have someone else do this; if not, fit in front of a mirror.
3
Remove the circle strip from your head. Attach a piece of elastic to one side, then attach another piece to the opposite side. This forms the tie that goes behind your head.
- Knot this so that when it's around your head, it won't fall off.
4
Draw elephant ear templates on paper. It's best to draw on paper first, in case you make an error. At the straight side (the part that attaches to the circle strip), add a small flap for each ear to enable easy attachment. Be sure to make a right facing ear and a left facing ear. Add little curve cuts (waves) at the base to emulate the elephant ear shape and keep the sides curved.
- Cut these out and use them as templates.
5
Lay the paper templates on the cardboard. Trace around, then cut out the elephant ear.
6
Design the trunk. This is very simple. Draw a block-letter T in the appropriate proportion to the ears. Cut out the large T.
7
Attach the ears and trunk to the circle strip. Do this as follows:
- Bend the top of the T over. Align this with the circle strip, above and in the middle of where you have already stapled on the elastic. Glue, tape or staple in place.
- Being guided by the placement of the trunk, attach the right ear on the right and the left ear on the left. Again, tape, glue or staple them in place.
8
Slip on the elephant mask. Make any adjustments needed and it's ready to wear.