Disney Trader Sam Costume

I wore my Trader Sam costume at 2017’s D23 on my trip with Meghan. A bunch of folks recognized the look, but with Disneyland Park only steps away, most didn’t. Trader Sam in Disneyland has a very different look than his “twin” in Walt Disney World. Nevertheless, I had a great time offering people my “2 of my heads for one of yours” jokes!  

Trader Sam Costume Supplies

I made it easy for you to duplicate my costume! While some of the supplies I got were from Etsy or my local craft store, this is a great place to start. Fill up your cart and share your Disney Parks love with your Halloween crew. 

 Mini Black Top Hat Adult Hula Skirt, 36 Mini Shrunken Head Fun Foam Sheet in Baby Blue Sports Face Paint Stick (2Pk) 6mm Polished Rosewood Beads Wood Geometric Earrings Red / White Stripe Poly Cotton Fabric

 

Trader Sam Costume Skirt Pattern

When my fabric came in, I laid out a LuLaRoe skirt I had for a flat pattern. With two skirt pieces and a foldover waistband, it was the perfect shape. I made sure to measure generously (the fabric didn’t have the same amount of stretch as the skirt) for the waistband and account for seam allowance.

Then, I flat patterned my skirt, marking my hemline with pins and cutting below that for seam allowance or a folded up hem. There was no need to serge the fabric as it was a knit.

Here are the skirt pieces and the waistband (folded down) and laid out.

Next was the waistband construction. You may be able to see the Trader Sam Costume Skirt waistband is folded in half, lengthwise with the waist circumference. I stitched it shut. Then, I folded it in half the other way (see middle photo) and created a no-edge waistband. 

Next up, I stitched the skirt front and back panel together and applied the waistband with a zig-zag stitch to assist with any stretch that might take place. I used a short, wider stitch.

With the waistband folded up, the skirt is done! I chose to leave the hem unsewn, for an extra bit of length. Since I didn’t make a pattern for this design, I ended up cropping it a bit too short for my taste.

Trader Sam Costume Jewelry

I felt like Trader Sam’s jewellery was pretty iconic. A trip to Joanns cleaned out their red and wooden bead supply so I could recreate his three necklaces as faithfully as I could. I even got some closeups on the beads and tried to replicate the patterns! The teal necklace is a teal strand of beads mounted to fun foam because I straight ran out of time and cash to create a paneled turqouise necklace! It behaved fairly well for my D23 Expo day even though it was very lightweight. The wooden bead necklace was where I stitched my shrunken head. After all, how else was I going to offer my “deals” to get ahead if I didn’t carry one of my own?

Trader Sam Costume Grass Skirts

Trader Sam boasts a lot of grass! He’s got an elbow circlet, a shoulder set, and ankle bracelets, too! Once I narrowed down the areas of coverage, I hacked up a few grass skirts and attached them to grosgrain ribbons. These were much softer than the twin ropes against my skin and were easier to tie, as well. Using two full grass skirts, I trimmed them to length when they were being worn.

The top hat you can purchase with the link above (I mounted mine to a headband) and the tank top was acquired from Kohls. It’s a nude cami that I tucked into my skirt to keep the coloring of Trader Sam going. I also picked up an umbrella from the $1 store and cut slits in it just like the real one… The nicest thing was that the umbrella served as shade in the burning Anaheim July sun while we waited in line to enter the Expo. Security lines and bag check was often 90 minutes to get into the building, no matter how early we showed up! 

Are you a Jungle Cruise Fan? I know you’re going to love dressing up as your favorite Head Salesman of the Jungle… be sure to brush up on your improv and jungle jokes to give everyone around you a good chuckle!