Forget the phone booth! To make this superhero transformation, just pay a visit to your local dollar store. TV crafter Jim "Figgy" Noonan created this getup as part of our Dollar-Store Costume Challenge.

Tools and Materials

• Tights or pantyhose
• Shirt or sweater
• Briefs or bathing suit bottom
• Shoes or sneakers
• Tube socks
• Electrical tape
• Plastic tablecloth
• Plastic garbage bag
• Nylon head cap
• Card stock
• Coffee filters
• Foam (or paper) plates
• Foam (or paper) bowls
• Black washcloth
• Scissors
• Craft knife
• Straight edge or ruler (optional)
• Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
• Stapler and staples
• Double-sided tape

Superhero Costume How-To

1. Create base of costume as desired with tights, briefs, sweater, or shirt, socks, and shoes.
2. Add horizontal stripes to socks by wrapping in electrical tape.
3. Cut desired size and shape of cape from tablecloth to act as top layer and from garbage bag to act as bottom layer/lining. Create pattern on top layer of cape with electrical tape as desired.
4. With scissors, cut ties off of head cap and use as fasteners for cape. To create a channel in cape for ties, fold top edges over about 2 inches and secure with double-sided tape. Thread ties through channel.
5. To make two superhero "shields," cut pieces of standard card stock into a diamond shape, line with electrical tape (leaving a 1/8-inch margin) and fill in with letter(s) cut from electrical tape. (Tip: To neaten edges or create curved lines of letters, use a craft knife and cut with light pressure (cutting through tape but not card stock base), then carefully peel away unwanted tape.)
6. Using double-sided tape, affix one shield to cape and one to chest.
7. To create ruffled cuffs, use scissors or craft knife to cut bottom and top edge off of foam or paper bowls. Cut a vertical slit in each cuff and size to wrist. Cut away excess.
8. Fold coffee filters in quarters and secure folds with staples. Attach coffee filters to bowl "cuff" as desired with hot glue and secure finished cuff around wrist using double-sided tape.
9. To create neck ruff, use the same process as for the cuffs, except use a foam or paper plate as the base.
10. Cut mask shape and two 1-inch-thick strips from washcloth. Using hot glue, attach strips to edges of mask and secure by tying around back of head.