Halloween is nearly upon us, and what better way to celebrate than by dressing up as the mischievously magical Winnie the Witch and her black cat Wilbur!

To make a Winnie the Witch costume

First of all find a blue dress, purple cardigan and stripy tights with a string of shiny beads.

Winnie’s hat

You will need:

• Blue, yellow, orange and purple paper
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Black felt tip pen
• Glue stick
• Hole punch
• Elastic
• Hat template from the Winnie the Witch website

Instructions:

• If you don’t want to use coloured paper, just print the hat template on white paper and colour it in. Simple!
• Print out the hat template twice – tape together and use as one whole template, onto blue paper, then cut out.
• Copy the ‘stripes’ template on to a folded piece of purple paper and cut out. Unfold the semicircle and put to one side.
• Copy orange and yellow stripes on to a folded piece of yellow and orange paper. Cut out. Unfold the semicircles. Then carefully cut along the yellow strip so it is in half again.

• Cut out the moon and star from the template on yellow card.
• Glue everything on to the flat cone and leave to dry. Then go over all the lines with a black felt tip pen.
• Attach the hat together with some double-sided tape and/or a stapler. For a little extra touch, push a small bit of rectangular paper through the hole at the top of the hat and bend to one side!
• Use a hole punch to create a hole on either side of the hat to tie the elastic to, to secure under the child’s chin.

Winnie’s hair

You will need:

• Black card (long enough to fit around a child’s head – A1 or A2)
• 2 x A1 sheets of black sugar paper
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Stapler
• Sellotape/double-sided tape for neatness

Instructions:

• Measure a length of card around the child’s head. Tape into place so you have a card ring that fits perfectly around their head (the one in the photograph is 5cm deep).
• Tape another piece of card across the top of the ring. Repeat on the other side so you have a cross.
• Cut two more pieces of card and place diagonally over the cross. Staple into place. Then attach the last piece of card to cover any gaps so you can have the basis of your Winnie hair (like a skullcap).

• Now the fun really begins! Fold two A1 pieces of black paper like an accordion for Winnie’s frizzy hair. Gently pull the ‘accordion’ apart and cut into the strips.
• Attach the strip around the top part of the hair ring with double-sided tape or use a stapler. Then attach pieces from the top of the head, down. It doesn’t matter if there are different lengths or widths of hair, as that adds to the effect!

To make a Wilbur costume

No Winnie costume is truly complete without her faithful cat Wilbur by her side. Create the perfect costume for siblings or friends, or even a playful parent!

You will need:

• Black card
• Green, pink, black and blue paper
• Scissors
• Double-sided tape
• Pencil
• Glue stick
• Stapler
• Ruler
• White pencil
• Wilbur head template from the Winnie the Witch website

Instructions:

• Cut out a strip of thin black card, long enough to wrap around the child’s head. Staple or tape together.
• Cut out Wilbur’s head shape, then fringe the edges slightly for Wilbur’s fur.
• Use the eyes, nose, teeth and ears from the template. Draw round the eyes on to green paper, nose on to pink paper and ears on to black and blue paper.
• Glue the eyes, nose, ears and teeth to Wilbur’s head. Add some pupils to his eyes, white whiskers and mouth line with the white pencil.

• Then attach his head to the headband. There you have it!
• For the rest of Wilbur’s costume, wear a black jumper trousers or leggings and shoes. Another idea for Wilbur’s face would be to use face paints.

Abracadabra, everything you need to make this Halloween magic!

Download PDF instructions

We’d love to see pictures of your mini-Winnie and Wilburs – share your photos on Twitter @OUPChildrens

For lots of Winnie the Witch fun, visit www.winnie-the-witch.com

Why not start off your Halloween night with a brand new tale from Winnie the Witch?

In her latest picture book Winnie sets sail for a swashbuckling pirate adventure!

For older readers, try Spooky Winnie, or Winnie’s Halloween Gift Pack, which contains two brilliant Winnie books and a pumpkin orange trick or treat bag.