You’ve devoured the books, and you’re salivating like a garret at the thought of the upcoming show. This time next year, every poser out there will be wearing a gauntlet and yelling, “Goddamn it, Donut!” But this year is your year to show your legit fan cred.
Don’t waste your time worrying about how exactly Peacock is going to pull off a non-cringe-worthy talking royal cat—spend that energy crafting your very own Dungeon Crawler Carl costume this Halloween!
The Easy Dungeon Crawler Carl Costume
The good news is that Carl is surprisingly easy to pull off without spending weeks building armor in your garage.
You don’t need to recreate every piece of dungeon gear he’s ever acquired. Get the handful of details people immediately associate with Carl right—the heart boxers, knee pads, black vest, gauntlet, and bandana—and you’re most of the way there.
And, obviously, no pants.
If you really want to commit, add Princess Donut. Because a man wandering around in heart boxers is a costume—or maybe a call to police for a welfare check. A man wandering around in heart boxers carrying a crowned Persian cat is Carl.
Your Carl Costume Checklist
- Heart boxers
- Black knee pads
- Black sleeveless vest
- Black gauntlet
- Black bandana
- Bare feet—or the closest socially acceptable alternative
- Optional but highly encouraged: Princess Donut, complete with crown and sunglasses
Now let’s build the thing.
1. The Heart Boxers
Let’s start with the part of this costume you absolutely cannot fake.
Carl may accumulate increasingly impressive gear as he makes his way through the dungeon levels, but somehow those ridiculous heart-covered boxers remain the foundation of the whole look.
Fortunately, this is also one of the easiest pieces to find.
Our pick: Heart-print athletic shorts
(paid link)
The pair we found gives you the recognizable red-heart-on-white look without requiring you to spend Halloween night wondering whether your actual underwear provides sufficient coverage for answering the door.
If you already own something similar, use it. The important visual cue is white + red hearts + unmistakably underwear-ish. Nobody is checking the label.
Storyworld Supply tip: If you’re wearing this costume somewhere other than your own house, err on the side of shorts masquerading as boxers rather than boxers masquerading as shorts. Carl has enough problems. You don’t need additional ones.
2. The Knee Pads
Next up: black knee pads.
They’re one of those details that takes the outfit from guy who has made several questionable decisions tonight to Dungeon Crawler Carl.
Our pick: Black knee pads
(paid link)
You don’t need anything particularly exotic here. Black volleyball, skating, tactical, or work knee pads can all get the job done as long as they’re reasonably streamlined and don’t look like you’ve borrowed them from a Stormtrooper.
Already have black knee pads in the garage? Congratulations. The dungeon has provided.
3. The Black Vest
Carl’s black sleeveless vest adds enough dungeon-ready gear to balance out the fact that the lower half of his wardrobe remains…less tactical.
Our pick: Black sleeveless vest
(paid link)
For a Halloween costume, the silhouette matters more than exact construction. Look for something black, sleeveless, fitted enough that it doesn’t swallow you, and rugged enough to look like it belongs in a dungeon rather than at a neighborhood barbecue.
If you already have a black utility or tactical-style vest, start there.
This is also a good place to add a little DIY weathering if you want your Carl to look like he’s actually survived a few floors. A bit of removable grime or distressing can make brand-new gear look considerably less like it arrived from Amazon twelve minutes ago.
4. The Gauntlet
This is where the costume starts getting unmistakably DCC.
Carl’s gauntlet is a much more distinctive piece than a generic black glove, but for an easy Halloween version, you don’t need to fabricate an exact replica from scratch.
Our pick: Black gauntlet
(paid link)
What you’re looking for is something black that extends noticeably beyond the wrist and has enough structure to read as a gauntlet, not just a winter glove.
If you’re feeling crafty, this is also one of the best pieces to customize. Start with a black glove or costume gauntlet and add details with foam, faux leather, or other lightweight materials.
You can go as elaborate as you want here. Just remember that at some point you’re going to need that hand to hold a drink.
5. The Black Bandana
Compared with everything else Carl has going on, the bandana is blissfully uncomplicated.
Our pick: Black bandana
(paid link)
It’s black. It’s a bandana.
This concludes the technical portion of our bandana analysis.
If you already have one, you’ve just saved yourself several dollars. Put it on the appropriate way for the version of Carl you’re going for and move along. We have a royal cat to deal with.
The Princess Donut Problem
Technically, Princess Donut is optional.
Spiritually, she is not.
If you’re doing this costume alone, carrying a plush Donut is probably the easiest way to make the costume instantly recognizable—and gives you an excellent excuse to spend the evening speaking on behalf of an imaginary cat.
The basic formula is simple:
fluffy cat + crown + sunglasses + completely unjustified sense of superiority = Princess Donut.
Choosing Your Donut
We found a couple of plush cats that can work depending on how much Donut you want to haul around all evening.
Option 1: VIAHART Ricky Maine Coon plush
(paid link)
Option 2: Cuddle Barn kitten plush
(paid link)
For pure costume impact, we’d lean toward the larger, fluffier option. Donut is not known for fading quietly into the background.
You don’t need a perfect replica. You’re looking for a plush with enough fluff and presence that the crown and glasses immediately sell the idea.
And if you happen to own a real cat who looks the part?
We strongly recommend negotiating with Her Royal Highness before attempting wardrobe.
Give Donut Her Crown
A Princess without a crown is just an unusually judgmental cat.
Our pick: Princess crown
(paid link)
For a plush Donut, lightweight is your friend. You can secure the crown with a little removable elastic, ribbon, or another temporary attachment rather than permanently altering the plush. The crown doesn’t need to be enormous. In fact, slightly absurd and slightly too fancy is probably the sweet spot.
And, Obviously, the Sunglasses
The finishing touch:
Our pick: Cat-size sunglasses
(paid link)
Crown on. Sunglasses on.
Congratulations. Your stuffed cat now has more authority than you do.
If the glasses don’t stay put on your particular plush, a tiny bit of removable mounting putty, elastic, or clear thread can help. If you’ve chosen to use your real cat, well, good luck here.
Barefoot Carl: How Committed Are You?
Yes, Carl is barefoot.
No, Storyworld Supply is not going to recommend wandering barefoot through a Halloween party, convention floor, parking lot, downtown bar district, or wherever else humanity has recently spilled something sticky.
If you’re taking photos at home, bare feet complete the look.
For actually going somewhere, consider minimalist flesh-toned footwear, sandals you can remove for photos, or simply accept the historical inaccuracy and wear shoes.
Your tetanus booster should not be part of the costume budget.
Want to Take the Costume Further?
The basic costume above is enough to make Carl recognizable, especially if Donut is along for the ride. But if you’re the sort of person who hears “easy Halloween costume” and immediately starts researching EVA foam at 2 a.m., there are plenty of ways to level it up.
You could add weathering to the vest and knee pads, add patches to the vest, improve the gauntlet, add scars and grime with makeup, or build props inspired by later stages of Carl’s increasingly ridiculous adventure.
If you really want to level up your costume, find a friend/spouse/neighbor/willing stranger and convince them to *dress* as Donut to your Carl. Just make sure your Princess can look suitably haughty and justified when you win Best Couple Costume at your party.
Just be mindful of spoilers if you’re wearing the costume around newer readers. One of the nice things about the classic heart-boxers-and-Donut look is that it’s recognizable without announcing everything Carl acquires six books later.
You can spend another three weeks obsessing over the details if that’s your idea of fun—and around here, it often is—but you don’t have to.
The point is to be recognizable, have fun, and enjoy being one of the people who dressed as Carl before everyone else started doing it.
Because next year?
Posers. Posers everywhere.
