Creative Ideas for Snake Halloween Costume

Isn't it wonderful when our kids are so specific about what they want??
The only thing that comes to mind is getting a small hula hoop for the base of a coiled snake. You can make a sort of cone with green fabric, using black fabric paints to draw the individual coils and snake skin, gathering each coil in a little more as you work up. Using a baby rattle in the tail would be really cool! Remember the reflective add-ons for safety, maybe for the eyes? Kids love getting their faces painted. Keep with the green and black scales on the face and add some fangs. Good luck to you!

I'm not sure how they did these, but some ideas:

http://www.ppp.org/prod/prods/00-03-eden/animals/rattle%2...

http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/bab/889643434.html

http://www.ebrandon.ca/ItemView.aspx?item_id=58350

What about dressing HIM as a tree (brown clothes, paper grocery bags, or the 'fabric tube' idea from above; then real or cardboard braches sticking out?)and then wrapping one of those big stuffed animal snakes "hiding" in the tree?

On a totally different and personal note, my mom will be laughing in commiseration over your posting. When I was 10 I was DETERMINED to be C3PO from Star Wars, so she came up with the idea of wearing a pair of goggles and wrapping me in foil. By the end of the night, most of my costume had fallen off, with just my left shoulder and right shin still silver -- I had left a trail of aluminum foil throughout the neighborhood!

F., Here is what I found just by doing a search

http://malaysia.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=2007...

http://www.ppp.org/prod/prods/00-03-eden/animals/rattle%2...

Here is an idea although it is for an adult...
http://www.buycostumes.com/Inflatable-Wrap-Around-Snake-A...

http://www.knowledgehound.com/topics/costumes.htm

Dear F.,
Thank you so much for making me laugh remembering my children's determination when they were 5.
It looks like Jennifer's websites are your best bet.
All I have to add is to applique the word "NICE SNAKE" in big letters across the front and/or back of the costume.
Although the costume may be otherwise unidentifiable, you can explain to your son that people will now know that they don't have to be afraid of this particular snake (or you may need to say "MEAN SNAKE" if that's what he wants).

I would go to the fabric store and get some sort of stretchy fabric. Then you could basically just sew a big long tube, loose enough that he could walk, but the stretchiness would also help so that it wouldn't have to be so loose that it looked baggy/droopy. (Maybe a slit up the back might be necessary too, kind of how some formal dresses are made to be "walkable".) Maybe put elastic or a drawstring around one end... he could poke his face through that and then draw it up so it would stay, sort of like a hoodie. I would just make a couple of slits for arm holes... he could keep his arms in for full snake effect, and just stick them out when needed. Add a little green or brown face paint, and green or brown sleeves to help camouflage his arms when they're out. I can't think of any good ideas for having a forked tongue that would last. Maybe he could carry a handful of red Twizzlers that were split on one end. I'm sure he'd wind up eating them as the day/night progressed, so he'd need back-ups! Ha! Good luck... hope it's a blast!
PS - One last thought... maybe you could attach some kind of rattle to the top of one of his shoes (baby rattle maybe, decorated to look like a snake rattle) so he could periodically poke it out and rattle it...

Wrap him up in tin foil with designs painted on it.