Easy Giraffes Can’t Dance Costume for Book Week

Looking for an easy Giraffes Can’t Dance costume for Book Week? Gerald the giraffe is such a fun character to recreate, particularly for kids who love dancing. Our version combines a giraffe-inspired costume with a soft tulle tutu, brown layers, boots and a little face paint for an easy Book Week outfit that’s comfortable enough to wear all day.

Giraffes Can’t Dance is one of those children’s books that is instantly recognisable, and Gerald makes a brilliant Book Week character.

Better still, you don’t need to create a complicated giraffe costume from scratch.

For our version, we started with a giraffe-inspired costume, then added a brown cardigan, leggings, boots and face paint.

And because Gerald eventually discovers that he really can dance, a big dancing pose is the perfect finishing touch!

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What You Need for a Giraffes Can’t Dance Costume

To recreate our Gerald the giraffe Book Week costume, you’ll need:

Giraffe costume or giraffe-print tutu outfit
Brown cardigan or jumper
Black or brown leggings
Mustard, yellow or brown socks
Brown boots
Face paint
Optional giraffe ears or headband
Copy of Giraffes Can’t Dance

Start with the Giraffe Costume

The easiest way to build this costume is to start with one strong giraffe-print piece.

We used a giraffe costume with a tutu-style skirt, which gave us the pattern and colours we needed without having to make the whole outfit from scratch.

The giraffe-print section across the top immediately connects the costume to Gerald, while the tulle skirt adds a fun dancing element that works perfectly with the story.

You could use a ready-made outfit like this as your base or recreate the same idea yourself using:

Yellow or tan T-shirt
Brown felt or HTV giraffe spots
Brown or beige tutu
Black or brown leggings

You don’t need an exact copy of Gerald. The combination of giraffe spots and a dance-inspired outfit is enough to make the idea work.

Add a Brown Cardigan

Because Book Week falls during winter in Australia, costumes also need to be practical.

We layered a simple brown cardigan over the giraffe outfit, which worked perfectly with the costume colours while keeping things a little warmer.

You could use:

Brown cardigan
Tan cardigan
Mustard jumper
Brown zip-up hoodie
Neutral jacket

This is a good opportunity to look through the wardrobe before buying anything new.

Even if the shade isn’t an exact match, brown, tan, mustard and cream all work well with a giraffe costume.

Add the Tutu for Gerald’s Dancing Moment

The tutu is what makes this costume particularly fun for Giraffes Can’t Dance.

At the beginning of the story, Gerald believes he can’t dance like the other animals. By the end, he discovers that he simply needs to find the right music.

A floaty tutu gives the costume a playful dancing feel and makes it easy for kids to recreate Gerald’s moves during the Book Week parade.

If your giraffe costume doesn’t already include one, you could add a tutu in:

Brown
Tan
Gold
Cream
Yellow

You could even make one yourself using strips of tulle tied around an elastic waistband.

Finish the Outfit with Brown Boots

We finished the costume with simple brown boots.

These brown boots are a similar option, but there’s no need to buy a special pair if you already have something suitable at home.

Other options include:

Tan ankle boots
Brown school shoes
Black boots
Brown sneakers
Neutral-coloured shoes

Comfort is more important than getting this part perfectly matched, especially if your child will be wearing the costume for the entire school day.

Create an Easy Giraffe Face with Face Paint

A little face paint can take the costume from “giraffe print outfit” to Gerald the giraffe very quickly.

You don’t need to paint the entire face.

Using a simple face paint set, try adding:

Small brown giraffe spots around the forehead
A slightly darker nose
A few spots along one cheek
Optional black detail around the nose

Keep it simple enough that it can be applied quickly on a busy Book Week morning.

If your child doesn’t like face paint, skip it completely. The costume will still work without it.

Add Giraffe Ears and Ossicones

If you want to make the costume even more recognisable, add a simple giraffe headband.

You can create one using:

Plain headband
Brown and yellow felt
Cardboard
Pipe cleaners
Pom poms

Cut out two giraffe ears and attach them to the headband.

Then create the two little giraffe horns, which are actually called ossicones, using pipe cleaners or short pieces of cardboard topped with small brown pom poms.

This step is completely optional if you’re looking for a truly last-minute costume.

Carry the Giraffes Can’t Dance Book

One of the easiest ways to make any Book Week costume instantly recognisable is to carry the book.

We paired the costume with a copy of Giraffes Can’t Dance.

This is particularly useful if you’ve created a simplified version of the costume using clothes from home.

Plus, carrying the book is a great reminder that Book Week is meant to be about celebrating the stories kids love, not just the costumes.

DIY Giraffe Costume with a Cricut

If you already have a Cricut, you can also make your own giraffe-print top rather than buying a complete costume.

Start with a plain:

Yellow T-shirt
Mustard T-shirt
Tan singlet
Yellow hoodie

Then find or create an irregular giraffe-spot pattern in Cricut Design Space.

Cut the spots from brown heat-transfer vinyl and apply them across the front of the shirt.

You don’t need to cover the entire top. A panel of giraffe print across the chest can be enough to establish the theme.

Pair it with a brown or cream tutu and you’ve created your own Gerald-inspired outfit.

No Cricut? Make Giraffe Spots Another Way

No Cricut is needed if you’re happy to do things the old-fashioned way.

You could make giraffe spots using:

Brown felt
Brown fabric paint
Brown paper
Fabric marker
Adhesive felt

Cut irregular shapes rather than perfect circles. Giraffe markings are uneven, so there’s no need to be precise.

Attach them to a yellow or tan top and the transformation is surprisingly quick.

Why Giraffes Can’t Dance Is a Great Book Week Costume

This is one of my favourite Book Week ideas because it doesn’t just look fun – the costume also connects beautifully with the story.

It’s:

Colourful and easy to recognise
Comfortable enough for school
Perfect for children who love dancing
Easy to adapt using clothes you already own
Suitable for younger primary-school children
Easy to make more or less elaborate depending on how much time you have

And there’s really only one way to finish the costume properly.

When it’s time for the Book Week parade, strike your best Gerald pose and dance!

More Easy DIY Book Week Costumes

Looking for more Book Week inspiration? Take a look at our other DIY costumes:

A giraffe-print top, a floaty tutu and a little face paint are all you really need to bring Gerald to life – and don’t forget his most important accessory of all: his dancing moves!