Make Mickey Mouse Ears

Mickey Mouse is the worldwide symbol of the Disney empire. He is beloved by children all over the world, so it’s no surprise kids want to wear Mickey Mouse ears while playing or out trick-or-treating on Halloween. You don't have to pay outrageous prices for mouse ears of your own. All you need are a few household supplies and soon you'll have a pair all to yourself.

Steps

Printable Template

Doc:Mickey Mouse Ears Template

Making the Ears

1. Gather the material for the ears. You will need black felt and cardboard to fashion your ears. However, if you don't have cardboard, you might be able to use construction paper that is both thick and stiff.
   • All materials needed for making Mickey Mouse ears can be purchased at a craft or fabric store.
   • If you don’t have any felt, you can paint or color the cardboard circles black or you can even paste some normal black craftsheet on the cardboard.
   • You could glue together several pieces of sturdy construction paper if you don’t have cardboard for the ears.
   • The material you use for the ears should be stiff enough so that the ears don’t flop over after affixed to the headband.
2. Purchase a suitable headband. The headband should be black and at least ½" (1.27 cm) thick. This will form the base for your mouse ears and attach them to your head. A thicker band might give greater stability to your mouse ears.
3. Create two identical circle templates out of paper. You will need to trace two circles, one for each ear. Each circle should be between 3” and 5” (7.6 cm and 12.7 cm) and have a ½” (1.27 cm) tab at the bottom of each circle. The circle template will look somewhat like a globe lamp. The bottom tab on the circle will serve to anchor the ears to your headband.
4. Trace your circle templates onto the felt. Hold the paper template with one hand while you trace four circles onto your black felt. You can trace your circles with a piece of chalk. Later, you can wipe the chalk off with a wet cloth.
5. Trace the circle template onto the cardboard. This cardboard is what will support the fabric of your mouse ears, keeping them looking perky. You will need two cardboard circles, one for the left ear and the other for the right.
   • You can also use the bottom of a bowl to create the circles you need for the ears.
6. Cut the felt circles. You'll want to use very sharp scissors or fabric scissors, otherwise you might not be able to cut smooth circles in your fabric. Follow your outlines with your scissors and a steady hand. You may need to clean up the edges once you have cut the circles free.
7. Cut the cardboard circles. In the same fashion as the felt circles, but still identical in shape to those circles, you'll need to cut out your cardboard circles. These will be used to reinforce the fabric and make it sturdy.
8. Glue the felt evenly to the cardboard. In most cases, household glue will be good enough to attach the felt to the front and back of each cardboard ear. This will give the ears the internal stability of cardboard, but the color and appearance of mouse ears.

Attaching the Mouse Ears to the Headband

1. Use a hot glue gun if you attach the mouse ears to a plastic headband. The higher quality glue used in a hot glue gun will create a better bond between the flap of the ear and the base of the band. Or, if the headband is made out of more flexible material, you can simply staple the mouse ears to the headband.
2. Fold and glue the tabs to tuck underneath the headband. The circles of your ears should be about 3” (7.62 cm) apart. Use your hot glue gun attach your tabs firmly to your headband. You can achieve the best placement for your ears by marking the position of each ear where you plan on attaching it to the headband.
   • You may need to fold the ears up and forward to encourage an upright position.
3. Allow sufficient time for glue to dry, if applicable. Staples won't require time to firm up, but if you've glued your mouse ears together, you should allow 30 minutes to an hour for the glue to set. You can improve the bond between your mouse ears and headband by holding the glued parts together while the glue sets for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Dress up in a Mickey outfit and show off your ears. You might be able to get away with a costume comprised of Mickey's classic yellow shoes and red shorts. Or maybe you'll want to imitate one of Mickey's character roles, such as the robed assistant wizard in Disney's Fantasia.

Tips

• Consider substituting pieces of stiff foam for the cardboard. Glue two pieces of foam back to back and create a tab so you can attach the foam circles to the headband.
• The Mickey Mouse ears sold at Disney theme parks are actually ears attached to a black beanie. You can make your ears with a beanie instead of a headband to make yours look more authentic.
• A sturdy stapler can work in place of a glue gun, if you have no glue gun available.

Warnings

• Avoid using regular glue for joining headband and ears together. It will not likely be strong enough to hold the ears in place for a long duration or throughout heavy play.

Things You’ll Need

• Black felt
• Black felt tip marker, black crayon, or paint (optional)
• Cardboard
• Chalk
• Foam (optional)
• Hot glue gun (and glue)
• Headband
• Heavy duty stapler (optional)
• Plain paper
• Scissors
• Stiff construction paper (optional)

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Sources and Citations

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