The hit anime series Pokemon has paved the way for the creation of various products, toys, and other souvenir items that children including adults would certainly enjoy. The main characters of course are the very skillful Ash Ketchum and his cute Pokemon Pikachu. With said popularity for more than a decade, the Ash Ketchum look is commonly portrayed during parties, cosplay events, and other similar child and adult gatherings. Hence, many moms wanted to know how to make a Ash Ketchum costume which their kids will use during said events.
Although there are now several Ash Ketchum costumes made available for sale in the market including the internet, there are still those who prefer to create their costumes on their own to save on costs, or simply for the purpose of enjoying the craft or art involved in making. When creating the Ash Ketchum costume on your own, there are at least four major costume parts that makes Ash Ketchum unique; his polo or jacket, his pants, Ash's hat, and his gloves.
The Polo Shirt / Jacket
Ash's polo shirt or jacket is one of his trademarks; hence, it is important to create a similar costume to obtain the closest look or resemblance as much as possible. There are at least two versions of Ash's polo or jacket. The original and the most popular one is the blue-colored polo shirt having white short sleeves. The more recent one is the short-sleeved jacket featuring a hood. Making the shirt may seem complicated, but actually, it's rather simple.
All you need is a blue colored polo shirt either buttoned or zipped, an old white polo shirt with collar, and some yellow cloth strip or quilt binding. You just have to remove or cut the blue polo's sleeves and collar replacing them with the white ones. The yellow strips of cloth are sewed unto the lower front portion of the shirt (both left and right) to seemingly act as pockets, although actual pockets may be created. In the colder regions or places, the polo shirt may be replaced by vests or jackets.
The Hat
For the hat, you will have to search for a red and white tucker one. The logo will just have to be printed on the front or white portion using textile paint. Ash's hat logo can be downloaded from the internet and printed in a stencil or cardstock. This logo stencil will be used as the pattern when applying textile paint or any other type of coloring. Whenever you have a hard time trying to locate a red hat with a white front panel, you can alternately buy a full red-colored hat. You will just have to print the logo into a piece of white cloth and such cloth will be sewed as a cover to the front hat panel that is red.
The Pants
Ash's pants are not really that hard to mimic when you are trying to learn how to make an Ash Ketchum costume. Any other blue-colored pants made out of jeans, cotton, etc. will do.
The Gloves
The usual glove's that Ash wears is colored either green or black. Thus, you will have to shop for some black or green gloves. The gloves' finger tips should be cut accordingly to allow the fingers through when worn. An additional arm band (either colored green or white) is usually attached or sewn into the gloves.
Pokeball, Pikachu Stuff Toy, and Backpack
The Pokeball, the backpack, and a Pikachu stuff toy are optional items that are bought and carried to complete the perspective or look when portraying Ash Ketchum's character.
James L Spencer is a big fan of Pokemon and runs his own website at Ash Ketchum Hat which gives tips and advice for creating your own Ash Ketchum costume. For a the YouTube video guide and more please visit http://www.ashketchumhat.com/