Willravel

So yeah, I need a realistic gorilla costume for general prankery and such. So far all I can find online are cheap costumes that look more like Robin Williams than a gorilla. I want to be mistaken in daylingt for a real gorilla. I figured I could plug "gorilla costume" into google and gert a whole bunch, but they all look so fake!

Most that I've found look like this:

I'd like one that looks more like this:


If anyone can help, I'd appreciate it. I will post pics of the prank if I can find one. Mods, if this doesn't belong here, feel free to move it.

Val_1

General prankery? Ok.

Here's a link to a better one.



My guess is that this will be about as good as you will find. Most movies that need realistic costumes don't buy them off the shelf, they make them. Which could be fun, but would probably take awhile. But, with the right quadripedal posture, it might work. You would want extend the arms a bit to make it more realistic. Perhaps with some modified arm braces.

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Willravel

That could work. I wonder if there was a prop sale for 'Gorillas in the Mist'. It's better if I don't have to do it at night or in a dark place.

Martian

These days, even Hollywood doesn't use costumes. If a trained gorilla can't do it, a computer generated one can.

You're going to have a tough time pulling this off. Your bone structure, posture and musculature are all very different from that of a gorilla; you're a different size and shape and all the proportions are different. Most people may not understand the technicalities of it, but most people can also tell a gorilla from a man in a gorilla suit, no matter how well made. They may not know why, but they do know the costume looks wrong somehow.

Val_1's link is probably as good as you'll get, but note that it still doesn't quite look quite right; the legs are too long and the arms are too short. Still, you might be able to pull it off if you keep a good distance from your victims.

If you really want to invest some time into getting this right, you'd do well to watch some videos of gorillas in action; the idea would be to get a good handle on how a gorilla moves and then try to mimic it. Remember that gorillas rarely walk on two legs; their posture and body shape don't lend themselves to it very well. A running gorilla moves more like a galloping horse than a running man.

Good luck.

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Willravel

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...orilla&pl=true

I *think* I could mimic a gorilla's actions well enough to at least fool people for a few minutes. So long as I can get a really realistic costume, I stand a chance.

The biggest problems are my legs are too long and I can't afford to get a gorilla mask that has moving parts.

JStrider

depending on how much mobility you need in your hands for this prank you should extend the arms using some kind or arm bracket or something...


and whatever you do... Dont get shot with a tranq dart :-p... would make quite the funny news story..

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Pacifier

Yeah, but somehow I can't wait to see the newsstory posted here

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Cynthetiq

$3,985 OUCH!!!!!

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barenakedladies

i find it strange that no one asks why he "absolutely" needs to be mistaken for a gorilla in broad daylight.

i cant think of s situation other than possibly breaking other gorillas out of the zoo.

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Willravel

I have a lot of experience in pratical jokes (only some of which have been successful). Every gorilla costume out there looks so fake. I doubt that I could fool anyone for more than a few seconds in the typical suit. It'd be nice to get a few minutes out of it. It could also prove to be quite entertaining come Halloween.

biznatch

Ah, well, there was an episode of Punk'd (the Ashton Kutcher show on MTV) where a guy was wearing an extremly well made gorilla costume. Try and find the episode, it looked very realistic (the random celebrity whose name I can't remember almost shit his pants).
I'll see if I can find a video on the net of it, and post it here.

ratbastid

The "broad daylight" makes it tough. In a dark space, suggestion is on your side, and you could get away with a much more anthropomorphic suit.

Cynthetiq

from ashleyweb.org
Punk'd Gorilla

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Glory's Sun

Didn't one of the kids from jackass do this already?

Martian

After having watched that Punk'd video...

First off, that guy has some serious balls. I know we all say we'd stand down a gorilla for our girls, but he actually did it.. something tells me he got laid that night.

More relevant, that video is very helpful because it shows you how a pro goes about imitating a gorilla. At about 2:30 into the video, there's a side shot of the guy in the suit that gives a clear view of how he moves. Note that he runs with his knees bent, back sloped forward and arms hanging loose; I reckon he's got some sort of brace or exension in the arms to allow him further reach than normal. It's probably hell on the lower back, but it works.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

Poppinjay

I saw that Punk'd episode. That was one of the better pranks. The old "getting involved unkowingly in a crime" bit is... well... old.

I would have loved to have seen that with TomKat. I bet he totally would have took off in the Escalade.

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james t kirk

For 4 grand, it had better be realistic!

biznatch

^it doesnt even look that realistic, IMO...
willravel, could you tell us a bit more about your plan? just out of curiosity.
Also, it appears you might need quitea budget...No problem with that?

Willravel

It's beginning to look like I'll have to either get it custom made, or go without.

I'm tempted to tell you my plan, but I'm worried that it'll spoil the pictures/video I'll post if I can pull this thing off. If you really, really want to know, I can PM you.

Val_1

You know, don't knock it. A naked Robin Williams is a pretty scarry sight!

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Willravel

Espically if you're Mindy, I know.

JumpinJesus

I hope you find a gorilla costume that works.

This reminds me of the time a couple years ago that the wife, child and I were all enjoying a nice warm latte on a chilly November morning at the Water Tower. A large collection of gorillas suddenly appeared running down Michigan Avenue causing general mischief and engaging in some shenanigans. They ran up through the Water Tower park area and started goofing on the tourists and locals there.

The wife, child and I were all sitting on one of the nicely painted wooden chairs when about 4 of them approached us and sat down around us making silly gorilla noises. Come to think of it, I think they were actually chimpanzee noises, but I digress.

Shesus commented that if any of the gorillas harrassed her, she was gonna give it a swift kick in the not-so-fake genitalia. I passed this pertinent information on to one of the silly gorillas who seemed to take an interest in the 3 of us at which point his eyes widened, he clutched his general pubic area, and loped off.

All in all, I think there were about 20 or so of these rapscallions in gorilla suits that morning. Needless to say, they didn't look like real gorillas or I'm sure it would have been utter mayhem.

Just take that as a warning about general prankstering. It could get you a kick in the nuts.

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cyrnel

Will, suits have never been cheap. I was into them to some extent back in the 70's. Baker's version in the Laurentis King Kong inspired a friend and I for that halloween, until we checked prices. Then we tried to make them. Hey, masks & prosthetics & such were easy. But so much latex, so much hair, and more hair, and more hair...and artifical hair looks like so many drowned rasta rats without a bunch of care. Even the expensive ones looked fairly horrible in daylight. Planet of the Apes made extra effort to clothe as much area as possible because anything exposed was such a PITA (of course they had armies of them). Is cover a possibility? Otherwise, as others have said, go for evening or shade. Something to take the stage lights off the suit. And as Martian said, half the illusion is in the movement. Baker's suit worked fairly well because he studied apes extensively for that role.

With all that, I do hope you come up with something effective. Looking forward to reading about it.

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Willravel

Note to self: get a cup.

cyrnel: well I do have some experience with the latex. Several years ago, my brother and I consructed a Predator costume. It turned out quite well (I'll see if I have any pics left). You're right; the hair is going to be a tough sell. I was hoping that someone made costumes not disimilar from the ones used in Gorillas in the Mist, or that Punked episode. Those were excelent costumes.

I'll keep everyone updated.