Tamatoa Costume
Get shiny with a golden treasure shell and purple crab claws.
Tamatoa, the giant, treasure-obsessed coconut crab from Disney's Moana, is a popular villain costume choice for fans who love to stand out. The look centers around a bright purple body, large crab claws, and a massive, glittering gold shell piled high with stolen treasure. Whether you craft your own shell or buy a ready-made outfit, this costume is guaranteed to turn heads.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Time
- ~45 min
- Budget
- $35–110
Try it on
See yourself as Tamatoa
One clear photo of yourself; we render you in this costume — face untouched, full body, about 20 seconds.
One render, $1. No account needed — if it fails you're not charged. Pricing.
Your photo is sent to Google's Gemini API to make the render and isn't used for training. Renders are AI-generated and labelled.
Want a different costume on this photo, or a whole group in costume? Open the Try-On Studio.
What you need for a Tamatoa costume
Short on time? Buy it ready-made
Spirit Halloween sells the complete Tamatoa costume — one box instead of 6 pieces.
Purple hoodie or long-sleeve shirt
A solid, bright purple top to serve as the crab's upper body.
DIY: Use any plain purple sweatshirt or long-sleeve t-shirt you already own.
Purple leggings or sweatpants
Matching bright purple pants to complete the crab's lower body.
DIY: Any matching purple athletic pants or tights.
Golden crab shell
A large, dome-shaped gold shell worn on the back, decorated with shiny gold elements.
DIY: Spray paint a round plastic sled or cardboard dome metallic gold, then attach backpack straps.
Faux gold treasure
Assorted plastic gold coins, bead necklaces, and colorful fake gems to glue onto the shell.
DIY: Collect old costume jewelry and paint plastic bottle caps gold to glue onto the shell.
Purple crab claw mitts
Oversized purple fabric mittens shaped like crab claws.
DIY: Cut claw shapes out of purple felt, sew or fabric-glue the edges together, and slip them over your hands.
Stalk eye headband
A purple headband featuring two tall, flexible stalks with cartoonish crab eyes at the top.
DIY: Attach purple pipe cleaners to a purple headband, then glue white foam balls with drawn-on black pupils to the ends.
Rather not assemble it? See ready-made Tamatoa costumes at Spirit Halloween ↗
How to put it together
- 1
Put on the purple long-sleeve top and matching purple pants.
- 2
If DIYing the shell, hot glue the plastic gold coins, gems, and bead necklaces all over the metallic gold shell surface.
- 3
Secure the gold shell to your back using the attached backpack straps or harness.
- 4
Place the purple stalk eye headband securely on your head.
- 5
Slip on the purple crab claw mitts.
- 6
Finish the look with dark or purple shoes to keep the focus on the colorful costume.
Makeup & hair
Apply purple face paint around the eyes and cheeks to blend in with the purple hood, or wear a purple balaclava under the headband.
Tamatoa for couples, groups, kids & more
- couples
- Pair up with someone dressed as Moana or Maui holding his giant fishhook.
- group
- Form a Moana group with Moana, Maui, Heihei, and a Kakamora coconut warrior.
- kids
- Use a purple toddler jumpsuit with a lightweight, stuffed golden fabric shell attached to the back.
- Plus size
- A loose-fitting purple hoodie and matching sweatpants provide a comfortable, flexible base for any size.
- pet
- Attach a lightweight, gold-painted plastic dome decorated with shiny sequins to a purple dog harness.
Tips
- Keep the shell lightweight by stuffing a fabric shell with bubble wrap or crumpled paper instead of heavy materials.
- Ensure your claw mitts are easy to slip off so you can easily hold drinks or use your phone during your event.
- Apply a layer of metallic glitter spray to the gold shell to make it catch the light and look truly 'shiny'.
Tamatoa costume FAQ
- How do I make a DIY Tamatoa shell?
- You can use a round plastic sled, a cardboard cutout, or a dome-shaped backpack. Spray paint it metallic gold, then hot glue plastic gold coins, bead necklaces, and faux gems all over it.
- What color is Tamatoa?
- Tamatoa has a bright purple body with a massive, glittering golden shell covered in stolen treasures.
- How do you make the crab eyes?
- Attach purple pipe cleaners or thick wire to a purple headband, then glue white foam balls or painted ping pong balls with black pupils to the ends.
Did you know? Tamatoa's character design and his show-stopping song 'Shiny' were heavily inspired by David Bowie's glam rock persona.