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When you think of cosplay, does your mind automatically go to the big, hulking suits of armor, props built from scratch and lit up with electronics, or full, intricately sewn gowns? While that may be true, not every cosplay has to be time-consuming or expensive.

To demonstrate that, I want to share a cosplay I put together a few years ago that didn’t cost that much, came together quickly, and is one that I still enjoy wearing today – Fix-It Felix.

Fix-It Felix is a character from the 2012 Disney movie Wreck It Ralph, a handyman that picks up the pieces after Wreck-It Ralph destroys everything in the fictional video game Fix-It Felix Jr. Felix is voiced by Jack McBrayer and is also in the upcoming sequel Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet coming out November 21, 2018.

This was a cosplay I came up with doing when I was due to attend Indy Pop Con in 2016 and decided that I wanted to add a new cosplay one week before I left. Felix was a character that I enjoyed in Wreck-It Ralph, so I quickly began researching and realized that it wouldn’t take too much time or money, especially since I already had several items that would work for this costume.

Below, I’ll break down each costume piece, sharing which ones I had and how much the pieces I purchased cost. All told, I spent less than $50 on this cosplay!

Costume Pieces

• White undershirt (optional) – owned
• Blue work shirt – purchased from Amazon, $15.21
• Blue cap with logo – hat $8.99 on Amazon, felt for logo $0.50 at local craft store, fabric glue previously purchased
• Nametag – $5.50 from Etsy
• Jeans – owned
• Work boots – owned
• Tan work gloves – owned
• Tool belt – owned
• Hammer – toy tool set $11.89 on Amazon, gold metallic spray paint $4.59 from local hardware store, paint primer and sealer previously purchased

Tips For Finding Pieces

As you can see above, many of the things I did not own were purchased on Amazon. It is also likely you could find many of them at your local thrift store.

The shirt doesn’t have to be a work shirt – it could just as easily be a jean shirt.

For the nametag, you could use a stiffened piece of dark blue felt and some white thread.

If you don’t have work boots, they have to potential to be thrifted or can be easily found online/in stores.

If you don’t have any tan work gloves, you should be able to find them fairly easily at your local hardware store.

You might also luck out and know someone with a tool belt like I did, but it might also be a worthy investment. I was able to find some that weren’t terribly expensive – $15-40 depending on where you look. The best search words to use would be “carpenter’s tool belt” or “contractor’s tool belt.”

For the hammer, the key is finding a toy hammer that looks realistic. And if you do end up buying a toy tool set like I did, you can always pass the unused parts to a child so that they can get use out of them.

Assembly

For the hat logo, you can use this free template from DeviantArt. It also includes a template for the name tag if you want to go that route. You will need two pieces of felt – one dark blue and one yellow.

Cut the two “F”s out in blue and attach them to the yellow square using fabric glue.

You can use fabric glue to attach the entire logo to the hat, but make sure to follow the curve of the hat as you press down so that it attaches cleanly.

For the hammer, start by using sandpaper to rough up the surface as much as possible, which will allow the paint to adhere better.

Once that is done, spray down the entire object with paint primer.

After that has dried, use the metallic gold spray paint according to the instructions on the can. I recommend using light coats, so that you can slowly build up the color.

When you have the desired coverage on your prop, you want to use a glossy top coat to seal everything and give it extra shine.

If your nametag is an iron-on patch, you can attach it to your shirt using that method. Just be sure to have a damp cloth between the iron and the patch – otherwise it will melt the top side of your patch! If you’re not sure or don’t have an iron, you can also attach it by either sewing it on or using fabric glue.

All that’s left now is to try your cosplay on, make sure everything fits and looks right, and practice those epic poses!