Cat Out of the Bag Costume Guide
DIY Costume Items
How to Make a Cat Out of the Bag Costume
You are the cat in this Cat Out of the Bag costume. Black clothes, fuzzy ears, a tail and whisker makeup establish the animal, while a large paper shopping bag worn around your torso makes you look as though you are climbing out of it.
Cut away the bag’s bottom so your legs remain free, and support its open top with shoulder straps. Keep your face, ears and hands above the rim: the wearer and the bag together turn the expression about revealing a secret into a literal visual joke.
ProjectPun costume
TechniqueTurn a roomy paper shopping bag into an open-bottom tunic over a black cat outfit.
Gather the cat outfit and wearable bag
From the Kit
Use the Black Cat Ears and Tail Set, Black Face Paint Crayon and one Large Paper Shopping Bag. The linked PAPERIST bags measure 21.7 × 6.1 × 15.7 inches and come in a six-pack; only one bag is needed if it fits loosely around your torso and hips. The ears, tail and whisker makeup make you the cat.
From Home
Reuse a suitably roomy paper shopping bag from home instead of buying the linked pack if you already have one. Add a black long-sleeve top, black trousers or leggings, comfortable black shoes, scissors, strong tape and ribbon for shoulder straps. Measure and check the bag around your torso and hips before cutting; choose a larger bag or join two paper bags if needed.
Choose a bag that fits
Hold the opened bag around your torso before cutting. Its sides should have spare room rather than pulling tight. If a grocery bag is too small, use an oversized shopping bag or join two opened paper bags into a wider sleeve with taped seams.
Keep the cat above the opening
Plan for the top edge to sit below your chest so your arms and shoulders stay above it. Reinforce the handle attachments with tape inside the bag, and use ribbon extensions if the original handles cannot comfortably reach over your shoulders.
Make yourself the cat out of the bag
Prepare the paper tunic before dressing, add the cat features, then adjust the straps and test the finished silhouette.
Cut the bag into an open-bottom tunic
Hold the tail from the Black Cat Ears and Tail Set at your waistband while checking how the empty bag fits around your torso. Mark the side where the tail will emerge, then lay the bag on a table and cut away its entire bottom panel along the base folds. Leave the front, back, side walls and top handles intact.
Tape the cut bottom edge and any joined seams from the inside. Check the sleeve against your hips and torso before putting it on; use a larger bag or widen it with a second paper bag if the sides feel tight.
Check: The entire bottom is open, the side walls hold their shape, and the bag fits loosely around your hips and torso.
Dress as the cat and draw the whiskers
Put on your black clothes and comfortable black shoes, then place the fuzzy cat-ear headband on your head. Keep both pink-lined ears upright and easy to see.
Using the Black Face Paint Crayon as directed on its packaging, draw a small black nose and three whisker lines on each cheek. Attach the tail to your waistband using its attachment before adding the bag; keep the pink ribbon detail visible at one side.
Check: You already read as a cat before the bag goes on: ears, nose, whiskers, black clothes and tail are visible.
Fit the bag and adjust its shoulder straps
With a helper if useful, lower the open-bottom bag over your outfit and position its top edge below your chest. Rest or extend the handles over your shoulders with ribbon, tying the ends to the reinforced handles so the bag is supported without gripping your body.
Keep your arms outside and above the rim. Make a small side slit near the waistband to bring the tail outside, and reinforce the slit with tape. Shorten the shoulder straps if the bag hangs too low or hides your upper body.
Check: The bag wraps around your torso, both arms move freely above its rim, and the tail is outside at one hip.
Test your walk and the emerging-cat pose
Walk several steps and turn slowly to check that the open bottom leaves your knees and feet clear. Keep the tail away from your shoes and retape any seam that begins to separate. Lift off the paper tunic before sitting if it would crease or restrict movement.
Face a mirror or camera with your head, shoulders and hands above the bag opening. Curl your hands into playful paws near the rim and turn slightly so both the paper-bag depth and the tail can be seen.
Check: From the front, a person dressed as a cat is visibly emerging from a wearable bag, with free legs and no separate toy cat.
Quick Fixes
The bag looks like an ordinary carried tote
Wear the bag around your torso with its bottom removed, rather than dangling it from one hand. Raise the opening below your chest and keep your cat face and paws above it so the emerging-cat idea is immediate.
The paper tears or feels tight
Lift off the tunic, reinforce the tear from inside with tape, and loosen the shoulder straps. If the sides are stretched tight, replace the bag with a larger one or widen the sleeve with another bag before wearing it again.
Cat Out of the Bag Cosplay Costumes
Photograph the whole outfit from the ears to the shoes so viewers can see that the paper bag is being worn. A slight angle shows the bag’s open top and boxy sides; keep both hands above the rim and the tail visible to one side.
Use a plain background and a playful cat pose. The wearer supplies the cat, and the open-bottom shopping bag supplies the container, so the joke should work without a printed label. Take the paper tunic off for sitting and keep spare tape nearby for small repairs.
Cat Out of the Bag Costume FAQs
Fit the bag to the wearer and keep the cat features visible with these practical adjustments.
Yes. Wear black clothes, the cat ears and tail, and nose-and-whisker makeup. The person appears to emerge from the bag; this version does not use a plush cat.
Use a large paper shopping bag that fits loosely around your torso and hips. The linked PAPERIST option is 21.7 × 6.1 × 15.7 inches and sold as six bags; you only need one suitable bag. A roomy bag already at home works just as well. Check the fit before cutting, and use a larger bag or join two if necessary.
Remove the entire bottom panel instead. A fully open base lets both legs move freely and makes the bag easier to put on and lift off.
Reinforce its handle attachments and use the handles as shoulder loops if they fit comfortably. Otherwise tie ribbon extensions to the handles and adjust them until the rim sits below your chest.
A backpack can be an alternate bag prop, but keep the wearer dressed as the cat and make the open bag visible from the front. The paper-bag tunic shown here gives a clearer emerging-from-the-bag silhouette; do not try to squeeze your torso into an ordinary backpack.
About Cat Out of the Bag
“Let the cat out of the bag” means revealing a secret. This costume turns the saying into a literal picture: the person dressed as a black cat appears to emerge from a paper shopping bag.
The recognizable cat face and ears belong to the wearer. A roomy bag around the torso makes the relationship clear, while the open bottom lets the person walk normally.
