How To: Craft a Realistic Rocket Raccoon Costume for Halloween

This year's biggest film certainly didn't come as a surprise: with another incredible comic book creation, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy wowed audiences more than any other movie. With its unique team of heroes, Guardians provided a set of ready-made Halloween costumes.

Although he might not seem as strange as Groot, his talking tree compatriot, Rocket Raccoon certainly surprised movie fans. With his snarky comments and gruff attitude, the tiny raccoon packed a lot more power than some of Marvel's human characters. Animal costumes are already a popular choice on Halloween, so why not take it the extra mile and recreate Rocket's look?

Making Rocket Raccoon's Ears & Tail

To turn yourself into a raccoon without adding a lot of faux fur, Commander Holly offers a step-by-step tutorial for creating a pair of ears and a plush tail.

Forming Rocket's furry features is relatively simple. With heated cardboard, cotton fluff, and furry fabric, you can bend your way to pointed ears and stuff a noticeable tail.

Making Rocket Raccoon's Armor

Of course, Rocket isn't your average raccoon. To make yourself look as tough as his character, you'll need some armor. Don't bother attempting to don an orange jumpsuit—you can alter his movie look to suit your own taste.

As Commander Holly shows, you can create custom Rocket-like armor to fit with your body and style. Not interested in showing any skin? Feel free to try their hand at crafting more masculine armor with your own tweaks.

Making Rocket Raccoon's Gun

And, of course, what superhero costume is complete without the matching weapon? Creating Rocket Raccoon's gun doesn't have to be an impossible task. Though you're most likely quite a bit bigger than the short and snarky raccoon, the trick is to play with the weapon's size.

Sketch out a gun template that's big enough to make you look as diminutive as Rocket. Once your design template is created, you'll need a few tools and some foam to craft a realistic-looking weapon.

Of course, Commander Holly's gun takes time and effort to make from scratch, but the end product looks like it came straight from the film's prop shop, so you're certain to wow with a fantastic and believable costume.

Spend a few hours getting crafty, and you'll have a realistic Rocket Raccoon costume ready in no time! If you can convince your friends to don Gamora, Groot, or even Star-Lord, you've got a great group costume, too.