Looking for an easy Miss Trunchbull costume for Book Week? This Matilda-inspired costume was surprisingly simple to pull together at home, using a grey hoodie, dark pants, a belt, a ball-and-chain prop and a Cricut machine to create the all-important 1972 Olympics design.
When it comes to Book Week costumes, there are some characters that everyone recognises instantly – and Miss Trunchbull from Matilda is definitely one of them.
Even better, her outfit doesn’t require complicated sewing, an expensive costume or hours of crafting.
The most important part is that famous grey 1972 Olympics jumper, and this is where the Cricut well and truly came to the rescue.
We started with a simple grey hoodie, added the lettering using black heat-transfer vinyl, then pulled the rest of the Miss Trunchbull costume together with a few easy accessories.
And, of course, the scowl was essential!
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What You Need for a Miss Trunchbull Costume
To recreate the look, you’ll need:
- Grey oversized hoodie or sweatshirt
- Black heat-transfer vinyl
- Cricut machine
- Cricut Design Space
- Heat press or iron
- Dark trackpants or loose black pants
- Brown or black belt
- Boots or sturdy shoes
- Ball and chain
- Extra chain for the ball-and-chain prop
- Hair ties or pins
Creating the Miss Trunchbull 1972 Olympics Hoodie
The hoodie is what really makes this costume.
We chose an oversized grey hoodie so it had that slightly baggy, old-school sportswear look.
Using the Cricut, we cut the words:
1972
OLYMPICS
from black heat-transfer vinyl.
A bold stencil-style font works particularly well for this design and gives the lettering that slightly vintage sporting look.
Once the design was ready in Cricut Design Space, we:
- Sized the lettering to fit across the front of the hoodie.
- Mirrored the design before cutting.
- Cut it from black heat-transfer vinyl.
- Weeded out the excess vinyl.
- Positioned the design on the front of the hoodie.
- Used a heat press to secure it in place.
And that was really the hardest part done!
TIP: Before pressing, have your child try the hoodie on so you can get a better idea of where the design will sit. Oversized jumpers can make positioning a little trickier than a standard T-shirt.
The Rest of the Miss Trunchbull Outfit
Once the hoodie was finished, the rest of the outfit came together really quickly.
We paired it with dark loose-fitting pants and boots.
A simple dark belt worn over the hoodie helped create that distinctive Miss Trunchbull silhouette and stopped the oversized jumper looking like an ordinary hoodie.
There’s no need to buy anything particularly special here.
Look through wardrobes first for:
- Black or navy trackpants
- Dark school pants
- An old brown or black belt
- Ankle boots
- Work-style boots
The slightly mismatched, practical look actually works perfectly for the character.
Add the Miss Trunchbull Ball and Chain
The ball-and-chain prop was the finishing touch and really helped make the costume instantly recognisable.
We used a lightweight costume chain attached to a lightweight black ball.
If you need more length, you can add some extra lightweight plastic chain.
We wore ours across the body with the ball hanging down to one side.
For a children’s Book Week costume, make sure the entire prop stays lightweight. A hollow plastic ball, foam ball or other soft costume prop is much more suitable than anything genuinely heavy.
You could easily DIY the ball by painting a lightweight foam or plastic ball black and attaching the costume chain.
Don’t Forget the Hair
One of the easiest ways to make the costume immediately more convincing is the hair.
Pull it back and keep the overall look deliberately severe rather than perfectly styled.
You can also add:
- Strong dark eyebrows
- Slightly flushed cheeks
- A very stern expression
- The biggest Miss Trunchbull scowl you can manage!
This was definitely one costume where being told to look grumpy for a photo was part of the fun.
Why Miss Trunchbull Is Such an Easy Book Week Costume
I love Book Week costumes that look impressive without requiring days of work.
Once the Cricut lettering was added to the hoodie, everything else was really just about putting the right pieces together.
It’s also a great option if you’re trying to create something that is:
- Recognisable
- Comfortable enough to wear all day
- Easy to move around in
- Suitable for cooler August weather
- A little different from the costumes everyone else is likely to be wearing
And unlike costumes made almost entirely from cardboard, masks or props, there’s very little for kids to carry around or worry about losing during the school day.
No Cricut? You Can Still Make It
You don’t necessarily need a Cricut to recreate the costume.
If you don’t have one, you could:
- Use iron-on letters
- Cut the lettering by hand from iron-on vinyl
- Use fabric paint and a stencil
- Print the design onto iron-on transfer paper
But if you already own a Cricut, this is exactly the kind of simple Book Week project it’s brilliant for.
The design only uses one colour, there aren’t lots of tiny pieces to layer, and the finished hoodie can easily be made in an afternoon.
More DIY Book Week Costume Ideas
Love creating Book Week costumes at home? Take a look at some of our other DIY ideas:
- Babysitters Club Outfit for Book Week
- 3D Unicorn Mask Cricut Book Week Costume
- Lion King Costume – DIY Lion Mask
If you have a Cricut sitting at home, Book Week is the perfect excuse to put it to work. Sometimes a plain jumper, a little HTV, a few simple accessories and one very grumpy expression are all you need to completely nail the character.
