How to Make Operation Game Costumes

This DIY couples Operation game costume is perfect for the game board lover, doctor, nurse or anyone that loves comfy, easy Halloween costumes. Did you know that the game of Operation was invented in by John Spinello in 1964? He was a University of Illinois industrial design student at the time, and sold the rights to the game to Milton Bradley for $500 and the promise of a job upon graduation.

Here’s what you need to make an operation game costume

This Operation game costume is adorable, warm, and  cozy! I also love that since it is a DIY costume, you can make it as warm as needed for your climate. Here in Texas, I definitely don’t need a sweatshirt in October, so I opted to make mine out of a thin, long sleeve t-shirt. Oh and this post contains affiliate links.

• Grey long sleeved t-shirt (This likely depends on weather in your neck of the woods)
• Grey sweat pants
• Red flet
• White felt
• Fabric glue (I always use this stuff!)
• A few black permanent markers (Great deal on Sharpies!)
• Sewing machine (or safety pins)
• Pliers (This one matches perfect!)
• String
• Clown nose (I used this one!)
• Scissors

How to Make a Couples Operation Costume

This tutorial show you how to make an Operation game board costume. For the surgeon, buy light blue scrubs and a stethoscope– easy!

Step 1- Cut game pieces

There are 11 Operation game pieces to cut out of white felt. I used fabric scissors to cut all 11 shapes out of 1 peice of 12 x 18 sheet of felt. If you’re nervous about cutting the felt, cut the pieces out of scrap paper first and use them as a stencil for the felt. I didn’t use any kind of template to cut the 11 pieces. Here are the 11 Operation game shapes and where each is placed.

1. apple
2. broken heart
3. peice of bread
4. wish bone
5. pencil
6. bone
7. basket
8. wrench
9. horse
10. spare rib
11. rubber band

Step 2- Cut red shapes

Once all 11 shapes are cut out of white felt, cut the red background pieces. Use the white felt shapes as a stencil and cut the general shape out of red felt. This does not need to be precise.

Step- Glue red shapes

I used fabric glue to secure the red felt shapes to the grey shirt and pants. I used the Operation game board as a guide for placing the red shapes. For example, the bread box is the lowest peice on the stomach. Allow a few hours for the glue to dry completely. Safety pins would also work!

Step 4- Sew (or glue) on game pieces

If sewing is not your thing, feel free to use fabric glue for the white game pieces too. I used a sewing machine to secure the game pieces to the grey t-shirt and sweatpants. This was super easy on all of the pieces except for the 2 on the arms of the t-shirt. The arms of my grey t-shirt are tight and made it tricky to get the sewing machine positioned correctly without sewing the sleeve to itself. Remember, fabric glue or safety pins work great too!

Step 5- Write words with Sharpie

Use a permeant marker to write the name of the game pieces on the t-shirt and pants. I used all capitol letters to make it consistent. My goal was to space out the words so no group of words was too close together and all could be read easily.

Step 6- Accessorize

Once your Operation game board is made, it’s time for the fun part- accessories! A red clown nose is essential as well as a pair of pliers. For the pliers, I literally tied a string to one end of the pliers and then tied the other end to my bra strap.

How fun is this DIY Operation costume? Best part? It’s so simple to make and can even be a no sew costume! I love the idea of doing a family board game theme too!

If you’re on the hunt for more easy DIY adult Halloween costumes, don’t miss these posts:

• 27 DIY couple costume ideas
• 39 DIY adult Halloween costumes
• 37 homemade animal costumes for kids and adults
• 29 DIY kid costumes