Mr. Hat Puppet

Mr. Hat is a popular character on the television show South Park. He is a puppet and is usually found with Mr. Garrison, who wears him on his hand. It isn't always clear whether Mr. Hat is just a puppet or if he's capable of doing things on his own. This set of instructions will show you how to make a Mr. Hat puppet that looks like the character when worn. It is simple and easy to make and when finished it makes a great addition to a Mr. Garrison costume, what I used it for, or just a random prop if you enjoy South Park.

Step 1: Mr. Hat Creation Overview

Mr. Hat (steps)

• Hat
• Face
• Body

Mr. Hat (materials)

• Hat
  • White printer paper
  • Red & black construction paper
  • Small paper plate
  • Aluminum can
• Face
  • Skin colored fabric
  • Brown fabric
• Body
  • Purple fabric
  • Skin colored fabric
• Scissors
• Glue

Caution - when gluing anything for the Mr. Hat puppet make sure you handle it carefully if the glue for any of the specific parts hasn't completely dried.

• Thread & needle
• Pencil

Step 2: Hat Construction:

Mr. Hat's hat is his defining feature. The hat is composed of 3 main parts. The red and white striped portion, the brim, and the eyes.

Materials used for the hat:

• White, red, & black paper
• Small paper plate
• Scissors
• Glue
• Aluminum can
• Pencil

Constructing the red and white portion of the hat:

1. Cut a piece of paper so that it is the same height as an aluminum can

This is a good way of getting the proportions right for the hat and allows for your fingers to fit in the hat when finished

2. Cut out four red strips of paper that are about 1/8th the height of the white piece of paper

3. Glue the red strips of paper onto the white piece of paper.

They should be spaced out evenly with one being flush with the bottom and one being flush with the top of the white piece of paper

4.Wrap the paper with the glued red stripes around the can and cut it.

Make sure there is some excess paper so you can glue the paper into a cylinder shape

5. Glue the two ends of the striped paper together to make the shape of the hat

6. Use the can to trace circle on white paper

7. Draw two rectangular portions (tabs) on opposite sides of the traced circle and cut it out

This is to cover the top of the hat and the tabs will be used to glue it onto the hat

8. Bend the tabs in and glue them to the inside wall of the hat. Make sure the circle is flush with the top of the hat

Putting glue on the tabs before trying to fit them into the hat works well. This way you can just press the tabs to the inside without worrying about where to put the glue

Constructing the brim of the hat:

1. Place the aluminum can in the center of the paper plate and trace around it to mark a circle in the middle.

2. Cut out the portion of the plate inside the circle

The white and red striped portion of the hat will be able to fill in the circle when done. You can make the hole a little bit smaller than the circumference of the can so the top portion of the hat can be placed in the hole and be fastened without needing glue.

3. Cut around the portion of the plate just before the wavy pattern begins.

This is for the brim of the hat and it should be flat

4. Using the brim of the hat, made from the small paper plate, trace the outside edge and the inner circle onto a black piece of paper making a doughnut shape. (this step needs to be done twice)

5. Cut out the two doughnut shaped pieces of paper

6.Glue the doughnut shaped pieces of paper to the top and bottom of the cut out portion of the paper plate to make the brim of the hat

This is to make the brim black. Painting or coloring in the plate made it look weird so I chose to use paper instead. If you want to try other methods I'm sure there are some that may work even better

Constructing the eyes:

1. Cut out two circles of white paper about the size of a quarter and trim them to be oval shaped

2. Cut out two small black circles (pupils) and glue them in the center of the white ovals

Assembly:

1. The eyes should be glued onto the hat at an inward facing angle, such that the top of the eyes are leaning towards each other.

Also, make sure to leave a small amount of space between the bottom of
the hat and the bottom of the eyes. This will allow the striped portion of the hat to be placed in the center hole of the brim of the hat while still allowing the bottom of the eyes to be flush with the brim.

2. Insert the striped portion of the hat into the hole of the brim of the hat ensuring that the bottom of the eyes are flush with the brim of the hat.

Step 3: Face Construction:

Mr. Hat's face is comprised of 3 parts, his beard, mustache, and face will be fastened to the inside of the hat when finished.

Materials used for the face:

• Skin colored fabric
• Brown fabric
• Scissors
• Glue

Constructing the face:

1. Cut out a strip of skin colored fabric that is about 3 inches tall

2. Wrap the fabric around the can and glue it making a short cylinder

Constructing the beard:

1. The beard should be made after the face is glued in a cylinder using the can

this makes it easier for reference, allowing the proportions and shape to be adjusted more easily

2. The sides of the beard should be thin (like sideburns) and go up to the top of the face

3. The bottom of the beard is slightly pointed and goes just below the face

Be sure not to glue the bottom part of the beard to the face. The shirt will be glued to the face under the beard

See picture for reference

4. There is a portion of the beard that is pointed upwards in the middle.

Just like the bottom of the beard referencing the pictures here, and also images of Mr. Hat, will be helpful in constructing the shape of the beard

5. Glue the beard such that the sideburns are on opposite sides of each other

Constructing the mustache:

1. Cut out two small and thin rectangles of brown fabric

2. Glue the two pieces of brown fabric just above the beard and angled upwards (similar to the eyes)

The bottom of the mustache should be above the top of the beard and the top of the mustache should be just below the brim of the hat.

Assembly:

1. Glue the top of the face to the inside of the hat

Adding the glue on the face first, just like the tabs on the top of the hat, should make the assembly easier

Step 4: Body Construction:

Mr. Hat's body is essentially a small shirt with hands connected to the ends of the sleeves. The dimensions need to allow for it to fit comfortably over your hand and for the thumb and pinky to fit into the sleeves.

Materials used for the body:

• Purple fabric
• Skin colored fabric
• Needle & Thread
• Scissors

Construction of the shirt:

1. Cut out two identical shirt patterns from the purple fabric

Use the images to determine the shape of the shirt. Also, it needs to be able to fit your hand and the sleeves need to be positioned in such a way that your pinky and thumb can fit in them. A good way to tell if your hand will be able to fit inside of the finished shirt place your fist over one side of the shirt and place the other side over your fist trying to match their edges up. If you can make the edges of one side touch the edges of the other the shirt will fit over your hand.

2. Sew the two faces of the shirt together

Make sure to leave the top and bottom of the shirt open. It doesn't matter if you sew the ends of the sleeves shut now or when the hands are sewed in place. Just leave openings to fasten the head and hat to the top and at the bottom so you can put your hand in the puppet.

Construction of the hands:

1. Cut out two roughly shaped ovals out of the skin colored fabric

The size of the left hand is slightly smaller so double check, before you sew them in place, where you are putting each hand. Also, the shape isn't too important for the hands because they don't have any discernible features.

2. Sew the hands onto the ends of the sleeves

Assembly:

1. Glue the bottom of the face to the neck hole of the shirt.

Make sure the beard doesn't get glued to the shirt because it should hang below the face and partially over the neck of the shirt

Step 5: Completed Mr. Hat:

When everything is assembled you now have your own Mr. Hat puppet. Even though he is 2 dimensional in the show the 3 demensional puppet is an accurate replication of him from the show. The features are all simple and easily recognizable making your new puppet a great South Park accessory that can be used as a decoration, costume, or prop.