A Cindy Lou Who from Southern California

I was contacted about adding this adorable little Who to grinchlover.com a few months ago. I finally got a chance to get it up. Here is the info from the mother of this wonderful Cindy look-a-like which explains how they made the costume and wig. I was glad that my little Cindy Lou was so inspirational! They did a fantastic job of duplicating the wig style and the costume is very well done. I appreciate them sending this detailed description of how the costume was done.

Keep in mind that synthetic hair on wigs and dolls should not be ironed or crimped nor should a standard curling iron be used as all these will melt the hair. I have had success with wigs and dolls using a steamy bathroom, non-heated hair curlers, (straws make good Barbie curlers by the way) and a wide tooth comb. Some synthetic hair reacts badly to hairspray and styling gels, so try to test with a few fibers before using such products. The way this wig was approached was excellent in my opinion and probably the best way for anyone reading this to duplicate the movie style.

I also want to stress what she said here about wanting to get the feel of the character moreso than trying to get the exact movie costume copied to perfection. I said this about doing my Grinch costume. I wanted to look like "The Grinch" more than "Jim Carrey as the Grinch" . Same with my lovely Martha May, who's wig and dress were modified to work with her specific body type and face. Anyway, I am glad to have this page up on grinchlover.com and I hope many more Whos out there are equally inspired to make their own costumes. Good job!

"Hello again..

I wrote to you, not long ago, about the Cindy Lou Who wig for my daughter.... Thank you so much for responding. Well, we really did not have the time or resources to go all the way to New York... So, I thought I'd share with you how we made the wig and costume. We wanted her to be as recognizable as possible. And as such, we were really going for the "essence" of the character, and not the exact detail of the movie role.

I found a blond, 36" (Lady Gadiva) wig for only $12.00. Other items on my shopping list were 22 gauge wire for the braids, very thick Tacky Glue, and a small, six inch Styrofoam cone from a floral supply store. Truthfully, I ended up shortening the cone a bit, but that is anyone's call.. I put the wig on my 8-year-olds head, and braided the hair. After determining how long the braids should be once looped up, I placed a small rubber band where the cut point should be. Then I cut off the excess (about 10 inches) slightly above the rubber band for use on the cone. The excess was now secured with a rubber band on the top for use later. The 22 gauge wire as woven into the braids for support. It worked well in the braids to make them stiff and loopy. I fastened the braids to the sides of the wig with blond-colored bobby pins. I did my best to curl the braid's edges over with a hot curling iron, but artificial hair is tricky at best to bend. It looked pretty good so far.

Next was to make the cone for the top. I smeared the Styrofoam cone with the extremely thick tacky glue and placed the two remnants of hair around, and slightly under the base. I overlapped the top of the cone with extra hair for the "water fountain" effect. This was fastened with a rubber band at the tip and over laid with at pre-purchased blond braid for added effect. The whole cone was attached to the wig with bobby pins. But, hot glue might work just a well.

As for the costume. She wore an "over the top" Christmas dress that my mother made last year. We made a luxurious cape from a Red Ridding Hood pattern. It was fashioned from sparkly evening gown fabric and marabou feather trim. For my daughter, this was the most important part. I splurged a bit on the fabric ( 3 yards at $15/yard), but I figured she could wear the cape at Christmas time for the next millennium or two.

We coupled the dress, cape and wig with white gloves, white tights and black dress shoes. Voila! A Cindy Lou Who was born in sunny southern California! All in all, we probably spent about $100. But, I am sure you know how these things go!

If I could have added anything, it would have been a bit of bangs, big fake eyelashes, the buck teeth, some big, bubbas shoes and a bit of blush. But, heck, it's only Halloween and I'm only human!

Thanks for your inspiration!"