Anglerfish Costume Tutorial
Our family did Things Found in the Sea for our annual family Halloween costume tradition, and this anglerfish costume was my handmade pride and joy. With no tutorials to be found online, I had to rely on some photos and my own creativity. I hope this helps you if you ever want to make this costume. Amazon associates links used in this post.
Anglerfish Costume Supplies Needed
Cardboard (I used an old box)
Two screws with nuts
Booklight (be sure to get this one!)
Push lights for eyes
How to Make an Anglerfish Costume
To make the body, cut strips of cardboard to wrap around the helmet. Basically, the helmet is helping you form the shape (the fish will be bigger) and make it easier to wear. It is very important to stack the pieces beneath one another, as you can clearly see in this photo. I first did it the opposite way and the shape was all wrong.Be sure to cut the jaw large enough to both get a head through to put the costume on and to make a big mouth for the large teeth.
I used a small screw and nut to attach the jaw tightly to the head.
For the fins, I cut a template and traces it three times. The side fins I superglued on (over the screws), and use reams of paper to help it dry securely. Pay attention to having the fins even and leave room for the eyes. One fin I initially had to high and I had to remove and reattach. In the past I have found hot glue to not work as well on cardboard, and with the layers of this costume, I think the superglue was a good call.
I cut a small slit in the top to slip the booklight through. I did have to release the pin from the booklight to remove the clip, but then it just balanced between the cardboard and the helmet. This gave it some nice movement that was fun for the costume. This booklight was perfect because it had touch on and off functionality, which made it easy to use with the costume.
The back tail was tricky. I made a slit in the cardboard and slipped it inside, then duct taped it, but it was still floppy. I added a strip of hot glue and that helped a little. If I did it again, I would insert more cardboard through the slit to make it more stable. 
For the eyes, I ordered these touchlights. They looked fantastic. A few tips/things I would do differently. Glue the lights to the costume, tape the light part and then spray paint everything. I glued after my spray painting and had to spray paint again because the lights were white and I got some glue on the painted cardboard. If I had glued first, this wouldn’t have happened.
The last thing I did was attach the white foam teeth with hot glue. I simply cut craft foam in strips, and added points the ends. I had my son wear the costume and then attached the teeth. That way we could make sure he could still see. It was a bit tricky to see for him, even with space between the eyes, so I wouldn’t do this costume for anyone super young (he’s almost 8).
This costume is a bit tedious, but totally doable! I hope it helps you make an amazing anglerfish costume.