Bias on a Budget: DIY Zico Skull Costume Staff

This year, one of big trends in Halloween décor is the disco ball and bling covered Halloween décor. There are pumpkins, skeletons, ghosts and spiders covered with mirrored tiles and jewels to look give it a club or party feel.

“Disco ball” is kind of a misnomer when you think about it, as these glitter balls have been around since the 1920s club scenes. Yet, we tend to associate primarily with the 70s and 80s dance club scenes. That’s okay, they’re still just as sparkly, whether its mirror tiles or rhinestones.

Also this year, 2^nd, generation K-Pop group Block B performed together for the first time in at least two years on leader Zico’s television show The Seasons.

Block B’s sounds paved the way for several 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th generation groups, and is still influential today.

They have been giving skulls and similar items that “blinged” look long before it was the popular trend in Halloween décor. The group has always enjoyed an edgier side, from creepy carnivals to action movie bank heists. One notable example is their mega hit “Very Good”:

This video showcases their love of over-the-top looks, from masks to skulls…and the Joker. For this Bias on a Budget, we’re going to take some inspiration from both Block B and Halloween Bling by making an easy replica of Zico’s skull walking stick.

The spooky season is the best time to make this piece, as it is not only a cool costume or cosplay prop, but most of what we need for it is more readily available this time of year when Halloween items are on the shelves.

You will need:

• A cheap plastic skull
• Red paste on jewels (you can buy sheets of these at dollar stores),
• Plastic costume walking stick or wooden dowel of a similar size.
• Gold and red paint (spray paint or craft acrylic)

Let’s start with the stick. Paint it gold. Set it aside. That is all. Okay, you will want to do a couple of layers to make sure it covers well, and I sprayed a little glitter sealant on it after. Still, it is basically just a matter of painting a stick.

To make the skull, cut a cut a small slot in the bottom, where you are going to insert the stick when it is finished.

Paint the entire skull red before you begin covering it with the rhinestones. Anytime you cover something with cheap jewels, the color of the object will show through. If you don’t want to see white spaces, cover the entire skull first with the color of the jewels. Leave the teeth unpainted.

Now cover it with jewels. This is easy to explain, but it will take some time do it right. I would recommend using different size jewels, to make it easier. Use smaller ones around the facial features, and larger ones over bigger smoother surfaces. This is optional makes the process go faster, and you don’t need as many jewels. 

When finished, I went back over the teeth, and painted the entire mouth black (a paint pen or felt tip marker works fine), then went over the teeth with a silver felt tip.

Finally, insert the stick into the base of the skull, and secure around the base with a glue gun. You can add a few more jewels to cover up any unsightly glue texture, if you need. 

An easy version of this is to find a small size skull and big shake or boba tea straw for a mini replica.

Now you have a great cane for K-Pop cosplay or just for a cool club-worthy Halloween prop that’s, well, very very good.