When I was a kid, animal costumes were very popular. Dalmatians, bunnies, bears, and kittens were regular trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood. While so many kiddos want to be princesses or superheros, I still have a special place in my heart for those simple animal costumes.

That's what today is about. I wanted something super cute, super simple, and guaranteed to bring smiles.

Whip this costume up in an hour or less!

All you need is a black petti romper, black pettiskirt, black hard headband, black tulle, white tulle, black felt, and white felt. Everything but the felt can be ordered from our website!

Measure the length of tail that you'd like and then double that measurement. Cut several strands of white and black tulle that length. I think I cut probably ten strands of white tulle and twenty strands of black tulle. Lay them out (all black together and all white together) and tie a small length of tulle (maybe 6") at the middle. Fold them in half and tie another short length of tulle at the bottom. Spread the tail around so that it looks like a black tail with a white stripe. IT IS THAT EASY!

I had the model wear her pettiskirt backwards so I could use the ribbon tie to hold the tail in place. You could always use a safety pin or attach it to a belt loop.

The ears were made by cutting felt and gluing it around the hard headband. Nothing fancy. I totally free-handed it and it turned out great. I tied white strips of tulle between the ears to give her a little fur puff on top!

Kids love wearing tails. And they love gross things. (Why???) So this costume was a huge hit!

Need more costume ideas? Visit our Costume Making Guide. Need help making this (or any other) costume? Email me at ruffles@thehairbowcompany.com.