How to Make Shrek Ears

Learn how to cut, fold, and glue some DIY Shrek ears for a costume

Co-authored by Alina Bokovikova

Last Updated: April 30, 2024 References

Dressing up as Shrek, everyone’s favorite animated ogre, can be a fun costume idea. While you might be able to find Shrek-style clothes and paint your face green, you’d be missing one of the most important pieces of the costume—Shrek’s ears! Luckily, you can put together a pair of homemade ogre ears with only some green felt, a marker, scissors, glue, and a headband. In no time at all, you’ll have your very own custom pair of Shrek ears to complete your look.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Cutting out the Pieces

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1
Buy a light green piece of felt. Purchase a light green, Shrek-colored, piece of felt at a fabric shop, craft store, or online. Felt usually comes in squares or rectangles that are at least 8 in (20 cm) by 8 in (20 cm) big, which is enough to make your Shrek ears.^{[1]
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- If you buy your felt in person, you can just have a store employee cut some off of a large roll for you. That way, you don’t end up with more than you will use for this project.
- If you order your felt online, it often comes in packs of multiple squares or in a large roll. Opt for a pack that contains felt squares in assorted colors, so you have a variety on hand for other future DIY projects.
2
Use a marker to draw a fan-shaped piece for 1 of the ears on the felt. Start by drawing a straight horizontal line that is about 2–2.5 in (5.1–6.4 cm) long. Draw a slightly longer curved horizontal line, with the ends facing down, about 1–1.5 in (2.5–3.8 cm) above the first straight line. Connect the ends of the 2 horizontal lines with 2 angled vertical lines.^{[2]
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- Don’t worry too much about the angles of the side line, just make sure that the bottom is narrower than the top of this shape. You will be able to shape the ears when you roll these pieces up and glue them together.
Tip: Work starting at an edge of your piece of felt to conserve as much of the felt as possible and not waste any space.

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3
Draw a circle that is about 1 in (2.5 cm) in diameter. Draw the circle just above or next to the first shape you drew. Trace around something like a quarter if you find it difficult to draw circles. This circle will form the base of the ears.^{[3]
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- The circle doesn’t have to be perfectly round. It’s just for making the bottom of the ears and attaching them to the headband. You can trim off any excess felt from the circle pieces when you glue the ears together to tidy everything up.
4
Use scissors to cut out the first 2 pieces you drew. Use a sharp pair of all-purpose scissors or fabric scissors. Cut out the fan shape and the circle as neatly as possible.^{[4]
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- Be careful whenever you’re using sharp scissors. Keep your fingers out of the way of the blades.
5
Trace 1 more fan shape for the other ear and 3 more circles for the ear bottoms. Place the fan-shaped ear piece on the felt near where you cut the first piece out. Hold it in place and trace around it. Trace around the circle piece 3 times on the felt nearby.^{[5]
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- You will use 2 circles per ear to attach the ears to the headband, which is why there are 4 instead of 2.
6
Cut out the rest of the pieces using your scissors. Cut carefully around your second bread loaf shape. Finish by cutting out the remaining 3 circle pieces.^{[6]
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- You can set the felt aside now, but keep it handy to finish up the ears. You’ll use it to wrap the headband in green.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Gluing the Ears Together

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1
Roll each ear piece up and glue them where they overlap. Take 1 of the fan-shaped pieces and roll it up, so that the flat bottom becomes a cylinder that is about 1 in (2.5 cm) in diameter. Place a bead of super glue or hot glue from a glue gun along the edge of 1 of the sides where they overlap, then press the sides together along the seam to glue the ear together in a sort of funnel shape. Repeat this for the other ear piece.^{[7]
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- Because of the tapered shape of the ear pieces, the top will naturally taper up from the narrower bottom, just like Shrek’s ears!
2
Glue the round pieces to the narrow bottom end of each ear piece. Put a bead of super glue or hot glue from a glue gun around the rim of the bottom of an ear piece. Stick 1 of the circle pieces to the bottom of the ear to glue it in place. Do this again for the other ear.^{[8]
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- Don’t worry if the circles aren’t a perfect fit—you can tidy them up in a second.
Use your scissors to carefully cut off the excess felt around the base of 1 of Shrek’s ears. Repeat this for the other ear, if necessary.^{[9]
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Place the ears gently on a flat surface. Leave them alone for at least 10 minutes to let the super glue or hot glue set, so the pieces stay together securely.^{[10]
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5
Attach the ears symmetrically to the top of a plastic headband. Put a dab of super glue or hot glue on 1 side of the headband just above where your actual ears would be, so the Shrek ear will stick up from your head at about a 45-degree angle. Stick the circular bottom of the felt ear to it, then glue 1 of the remaining felt circle pieces to the underside of the headband and the ear. Repeat this for the remaining ear on the other side of the headband.^{[11]
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- Make sure you glue the remaining circle pieces firmly to the undersides of the ears to sandwich the headband between the felt pieces and hold the ears securely in place.
6
Wrap the exposed plastic headband in green felt, gluing it in place as you go. Cut at least 3 long strips out of your remaining felt. Put a bead of glue along the top and bottom of about 1/3 of the exposed plastic headband, starting at 1 end. Wrap the strip of felt tightly in a spiral around the headband. Repeat the process for the other exposed sections of the headband until the whole thing is green.^{[12]
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- This is the final touch to make the headband look like Shrek’s green, bald head. However, you can skip this step if all you care about are the ears themselves.
Tip: Alternatively, you could use a green headband to save yourself some time.

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How would you do this with paper?

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Just follow the same instructions, but use heavy paper instead of fabric, and you will get the same results!

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Why won't you show the Shrek ears on yourself?

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These instructions just show HOW to make them! Make them yourself to see how they look on you.

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Can't you just use a green headband?

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Yes! Great idea!

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Tips

If you don’t foresee yourself needing felt for any other projects, buy your felt at a fabric shop where you can just have them cut a small piece for you, rather than ordering a bunch of felt in bulk online.

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You can gently pull up on the tips of your Shrek ears to stretch out the felt a bit and make them look more flared.

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Warnings

If you use a hot glue gun, be careful not to touch the tip of the gun.

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Exercise caution when you’re cutting your felt with sharp scissors. Keep your fingers and other body parts out of the way.

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If you choose to use super glue, be careful not to get it on your skin.

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