The Other Father Costume
Bring Coraline's charmingly creepy piano-playing faux dad to life.
The Other Father from Laika's Coraline is a popular costume choice for fans of dark fantasy and stop-motion animation. His look blends cozy loungewear with unsettling, supernatural details like giant black button eyes. To pull off this costume, you will need his signature orange robe, a blue ascot, and his whimsical piano-key slippers.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Time
- ~45 min
- Budget
- $30–80
Try it on
See yourself as The Other Father
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 The Other Father costume
Short on time? Buy it ready-made
Spirit Halloween sells the complete The Other Father costume — one box instead of 5 pieces.
Orange lounge robe
A plush, bright orange or coral-colored bathrobe with a matching waist tie.
DIY: Use a plain orange bathrobe or dye a white fleece robe orange.
Blue ascot tie
A light blue satin or silk ascot tie worn around the neck under the robe.
DIY: Tie a strip of light blue satin fabric or a blue scarf around your neck.
Black button glasses
Novelty glasses featuring large black buttons instead of lenses, with small pinholes to see through.
DIY: Glue large black plastic buttons onto the frames of cheap clear glasses, leaving small gaps to look through.
Piano key slippers
Plush novelty slippers designed to look like black and white piano keys.
DIY: Take plain white slippers and use a black fabric marker to draw piano keys on the top.
Red undershirt
A simple red crewneck t-shirt or turtleneck to wear underneath the robe.
DIY: Use any solid red shirt from your closet.
Rather not assemble it? See ready-made The Other Father costumes at Spirit Halloween ↗
How to put it together
- 1
Put on the red undershirt as your base layer.
- 2
Tie the light blue ascot securely around your neck, tucking the ends flat against your chest.
- 3
Put on the bright orange plush bathrobe and tie the matching belt snugly around your waist.
- 4
Slip on the piano-key slippers.
- 5
Put on the black button glasses, ensuring you have adequate visibility before walking around.
- 6
Style your hair in a slightly messy, swept-back look to match his disheveled appearance.
Makeup & hair
Style your hair in a slightly messy, side-parted look with a bit of pomade for texture. If not using button glasses, use black face paint to draw large circles around your eyes to mimic the button-eye sockets.
The Other Father for couples, groups, kids & more
- couples
- Pair up with the Other Mother in her polka-dot dress and matching button eyes.
- group
- Form a Coraline group with Coraline in her yellow raincoat, Wybie, and the Other Mother.
- kids
- A cozy version for kids using an orange fleece robe and felt button eyes attached to soft glasses frames.
- Plus size
- The loose-fitting plush bathrobe offers an adjustable, comfortable fit for all body types.
Tips
- Make sure your button glasses have enough spacing or pinholes so you can safely navigate dark Halloween parties.
- Wear comfortable black trousers or lounge pants under the robe for warmth and mobility.
- Carry a toy piano or a music sheet roll as a fun prop to reference his piano-playing scenes.
The Other Father costume FAQ
- How do you see out of the button eyes?
- Most costume button glasses use mesh or small drilled pinholes in the plastic buttons so you can see your surroundings while keeping the black button illusion.
- What kind of robe does the Other Father wear?
- He wears a bright orange, plush, long-sleeved bathrobe tied at the waist with a matching orange belt.
- Is this costume comfortable for cold weather?
- Yes, the plush fleece robe and slippers make this an incredibly warm and comfortable choice for chilly October nights.
Did you know? In the film, the Other Father is actually a creation of the Beldam, made of pumpkin-like dough, which explains his soft, doughy features and why he begins to wilt and sag as the Beldam's power weakens.