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Home » DIY Costumes » DIY Couples Operation Costumes

DIY Couples Operation Costumes

September 13, 2021 By Jamie Dorobek 15 Comments

Did you know that the game of Operation was invented in by John Spinello in 1964? He was a University of Illinois industrial design student at the time, and sold the rights to the game to Milton Bradley for $500 and the promise of a job upon graduation. I turned Spinello’s iconic game board into a fun couples costume. This DIY Operation couples costume is perfect for the game board lover, doctor, nurse or anyone that loves comfy, easy Halloween DIY costumes. 

DIY operation costume for couples

 

Here’s What you Need to Make an Operation Costume

This Operation game costume is adorable, warm, and  cozy! I also love that since it is a DIY costume, you can make it as warm as needed for your climate. Here in Texas, I definitely don’t need a sweatshirt in October, so I opted to make mine out of a thin, long sleeve t-shirt. Oh and this post contains affiliate links.

  • Grey long sleeved t-shirt
  • Grey sweat pants
  • Red flet
  • Stiff white felt
  • Fabric glue (I always use this stuff!)
  • Sharpie marker (Great deal on Sharpies!)
  • Sewing machine (or safety pins)
  • Pliers (This one matches perfect!)
  • String
  • Clown nose (I used this one!)
  • Scissors

How to Make a Couples Operation Costume

Step 1- Cut game pieces

There are 11 Operation game pieces to cut out of white felt. I used fabric scissors to cut all 11 shapes out of 1 peice of 12 x 18 sheet of felt. If you’re nervous about cutting he felt, cut the pieces out of scrap paper first and use them as a stencil for the felt. I didn’t use any kind of template to cut the 11 pieces. The Operation game shapes are fairly simple:

  1. apple
  2. broken heart
  3. peice of bread
  4. wish bone
  5. pencil
  6. bone
  7. basket
  8. wrench
  9. horse
  10. spare rib
  11. rubber band

Step 2- Cut red shapes

Once all 11 shapes are cut out of the felt, cut the red background pieces. Use the white felt shapes as a stencil and cut the general shape out of red felt. This does not need to be percise.

DIY Operation Game Costume

Step  – Glue red shapes

I used fabric glue to secure the red felt shapes to the grey shirt and pants. Allow a few hours for the glue to dry completely.

Step 4- Sew (or glue) on game pieces

If sewing is not your thing, feel free to use fabric glue for the white game pieces too. I used a sewing machine to secure the game pieces to the grey t-shirt and sweatpants.  This was super easy on all of the pieces except for the 2 on the arms of the t-shirt. The arms of my grey t-shirt are tight and made it tricky to get the sewing machine positioned correctly without sewing the sleeve to itself. Remember, fabric glue works great too! DIY Operation Game costume (1)

Step 5- Write words with Sharpie

Use a permeant marker to write the name of the game pieces on the t-shirt and pants. I used all capitol letters to make it consistent. My goal was to space out the words so no group of words was too close together and all could be read easily.

Operation Costume DIY

Step 6- Accessorize

Once your Operation game board is made, it’t time for the fun part… accessories! A red clown nose is essential as well as a pair of pliers. For the pliers, I literally tied a string to one end of the pliers and then tied the other end to my bra strap.

Easy Halloween costume for adults

How fun is this DIY Operation costume? Best part? It’s so simple to make and can even be a no sew costume! I love the idea of doing a family board game theme too!

If you’re on the hunt for more easy DIY adult Halloween costumes, don’t miss these posts:

  • 27 DIY couple costume ideas
  • 39 DIY adult Halloween costumes
  • 37 homemade animal costumes for kids and adults
  • 29 DIY kid costumes

Filed Under: DIY Costumes

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Comments

  1. Brandi Webber says

    October 27, 2021 at 11:56 pm

    What do you write for the game pieces. I cant make some of them.

    Reply
  2. Tristina says

    October 24, 2019 at 11:57 am

    I couldn’t find or where did you find the pattern for the operation game would you please send the patterns please.

    Reply
    • Becky A Holl says

      October 20, 2020 at 11:32 am

      Look on Pinterest

      Reply
  3. Carol says

    October 23, 2019 at 2:23 pm

    Pinterest has the template but doesn’t make easy for you to get it. So I freelance and made all the pieces. I got the head from Party city. Thanks so much for sharing this great old board game as a costume. Happy Halloween.

    Reply
  4. cindy says

    October 10, 2019 at 7:48 am

    Yes, where can we find the templates to trace the pieces? Can someone email them to me? [email protected]

    Reply
    • Jamie Dorobek says

      October 10, 2019 at 9:42 pm

      There is currently no template. I drew and cut the 11 pieces by hand.

      Reply
    • Aimee says

      October 13, 2019 at 9:30 pm

      there is no template as she previously stated

      Reply
  5. stefanie romano says

    October 9, 2019 at 7:28 am

    great idea. for some reason i can’t print the pieces.

    can you send to me as an attachment?

    i would appreciate it.

    Reply
  6. Beth says

    October 8, 2019 at 4:27 pm

    Where do I get the templates to cut out? I am doing this for halloween

    Reply
    • Karmy says

      October 22, 2020 at 10:25 pm

      Can I please get the organs template?

      Reply
  7. Sue says

    October 6, 2019 at 7:48 am

    I love this idea. Every year, my boyfriend dresses in scrubs and goes as Dr. Oz (look-a-like). I am tired of being his nurse side kick. I am looking forward to trying this fun idea … something different.

    Reply
  8. Kristi says

    October 4, 2019 at 9:27 pm

    My daughter and her boyfriend will be doing this for Halloween.. I have tried forever to find printable templates for her to trace and cut out but have had no luck. Do you have a template you can email me?

    Reply
    • Amy says

      October 29, 2019 at 2:37 pm

      [email protected]
      Do you have the template for game pieces

      Reply
  9. Mindy says

    September 30, 2019 at 3:33 pm

    Where do you get the game pieces to cut out?

    Reply
  10. Stacy Havlik says

    August 7, 2019 at 12:06 pm

    Do you have a template for the game pieces?

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Jamie!
I Create Really Awesome Free Things for your home, wardrobe, kitchen, and kids in Austin, TX with the sometimes help of Andy!
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