How to Make a Joker Costume

Co-authored by Alina Bokovikova and Eric McClure

Last Updated: November 16, 2024 References

The Joker is one of the most iconic characters of all time. Dressing up as the Joker is a great choice if you’re going to a costume party, getting ready for Halloween, or cosplaying for a comic book convention. There have been dozens of different versions of the Joker throughout the past 50 years or so, and you have a ton of choices and options as a result. You can even mix and match elements from different depictions of the character to create something new and unique!

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Getting the Right Clothes

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1
Put on an orange or green long-sleeved shirt. If you’re going for the classic comic book-style Joker, get a bright orange shirt. If you don’t have a bright orange shirt, a dark green collared shirt will work well, especially if you’re going for the Arthur Fleck look. You can always use white if you want a more neutral color to start with.^{[1]
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- If you’re going for the authentic Dark Knight look, Heath Ledger actually wears a really unique hexagonal shirt that has a combination of different purple patterns. You’ll need to find this specific shirt online.^{[2]
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- If you’re going for the Jared Leto look where he’s only wearing the long leather jacket, stick with a white tank top or white T-shirt. He’s usually shirtless in the film, but that may not be the best choice if you’re heading out on the town.
- You can wear a black shirt if you want to go for a darker, more formal Joker look.
Tip: There is no single “standard” Joker outfit, but you can get a green shirt, yellow vest, purple jacket, and purple pants if you want to just keep things simple.
2
Find a dark green, orange, or turquoise vest to go on over the shirt. If your shirt is orange, purple or white, get a dark green vest, preferably one with lapels. If your shirt is green, get an orange vest. The Jack Nicholson Joker wore a turquoise vest, so get one of these instead if you’re going for the look in the original film.^{[3]
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- If you’re going for the Joaquin Phoenix look, you need a yellow vest.
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3
Throw on the iconic purple jacket to pull the outfit together. The jacket is arguably the most important part of the outfit. Get a standard suit jacket for a basic Joker vibe. For a more accurate look, get a slightly longer jacket with tails in the back. This goes on over the collared shirt and the vest.^{[4]
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- If you’re going for the Heath Ledger look, make sure the jacket has an orange lining. His suit jacket is closer to a trench coat than a regular suit jacket, so you may be able to get away with a purple trench coat if you prefer.^{[5]
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- Jared Leto’s jacket in Suicide Squad is leather and it’s really long. You may need to buy one from a costume store since it’s not a particularly common piece of clothing.
- For the Joaquin Phoenix outfit, get a red suit instead.
4
Choose some black, purple, or checkered dress pants. For the classic Joker look, throw on some purple dress pants that match the suit jacket. In a pinch, black dress pants will work just fine with basically any outfit. If you’re going for the Jack Nicholson look specifically, pick up some checkered pants that are a combination of turquoise and purple.^{[6]
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- If your shirt is white specifically, you may be able to pull off khaki dress pants.
- If you’re wearing purple pants, get your pants from the same company that made the jacket. This way the shades of purple will match.
- The pants must be dress pants—jeans and sweats won’t look quite right. The one exception is the Jared Leto Joker costume if you’re going with the long leather jacket look. You can wear purple or black sweatpants with that.
5
Wear some black or brown dress shoes to go with the suit. You have a bit of freedom when it comes to the shoes since they aren’t typically an important part of the costume. So long as they’re black or brown, it doesn’t necessarily matter. Oxfords, bluchers, monks, and loafers will all work. You can even wear dress boots if you’d like.^{[7]
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- Jack Nicholson’s Joker wore some fancy black and white shoes. You can go this route if you prefer.
- You may be able to pull off some leather boots or sneakers if you’re going for the Suicide Squad look.
6
Put on a yellow, brown, or green tie to go with the suit. Heath Ledger’s character wore a yellow and black tie with a geometric pattern on it. When in doubt, a simple brown or green tie will work with basically any version of the outfit. Choose a tie that goes well with the suit jacket to keep the outfit cohesive. You can tighten the tie all the way for a more formal look, or loosen it up a little to go for a more unstable vibe.^{[8]
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- Jack Nicholson’s Joker wore an odd turquoise bow. You can replicate this look with a turquoise twilly or a thin scarf. Don’t forget the purple fedora to go with it!

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Painting Your Face

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1
Cover your face in white to build the foundation for the look. Get some water-activated face paints. Open a container of white face paint and spritz the surface with a little water. Then, dip a cotton ball or cotton pad into the paint. Spread the white paint around your face and reload your cotton ball or pad as needed whenever it dries out. Cover everything under your hairline and above your jawline.^{[9]
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- Leave a little bit of space around your lips. You’re going to paint your lips red, so there’s no need to waste the paint.
- Paint around your eyes one at a time; close your eye and gently dab the paint around the eyelid. You don’t need to paint this area if you’re going for the Joaquin Phoenix or Heath Ledger look.
2
Add a bright red smile that’s a little bigger than your lips. Activate the red paint and grab a fresh cotton ball or cotton pad. Dip the ball or pad into the red paint and carefully add the iconic smile. Cover your lips and extend the smile 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) past the edges of your lips. Curve the line upwards on each cheek to give yourself the Joker’s famous smile.^{[10]
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- Don’t worry about doing this too perfectly. The Joker tends to have some pretty messy makeup.
- If you’re going for the classic comic book look or the Jack Nicholson costume, keep the smile on the thinner side.
- You can use red lipstick instead of face paint if you prefer. The texture may be a little different, but it should still work just fine.
3
Add black or blue around the eyes depending on the look you’re going for. If you’re going for the classic Joker look, you don’t need to do anything with your eyes. For the Heath Ledger look, apply some patchy black paint around your eyes. For the Joaquin Phoenix style, add some blue diamonds over each eye and put a red eyebrow above each diamond.^{[11]
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- Face paint dries pretty quickly. Just wait 30-45 seconds before touching your face after you apply the paint.
- If you are going with the Heath Ledger look, don’t give yourself raccoon eyes by adding a thick, even layer of black paint. It’s more of splotchy look with some skin showing through. Just wet a cotton swab and run around you eye a little to mess it up a bit.
Tip: Mess your makeup up a little with a cotton swab dipped in water if you’re going for the Heath Ledger look.^{[12]
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If you’re dressing like Joaquin Phoenix from Joker, paint a red circle on the tip of your nose to give yourself his red nose. If you’re dressing like Jared Leto from Suicide Squad, use black face paint to draw the “Damaged” tattoo in cursive letters on the forehead. Then add a capital letter “J” under your left eye, and a small star above your right eye.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Styling Your Hair

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1
Buy a green wig if your hair isn’t long enough to slick back. If you don’t have long hair, it’s pretty hard to the Joker’s hair right. Just buy a green Joker wig in a color and style that works with your costume. Put the wig on and use a grip band or wig clips to keep the wig in place.^{[13]
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- Your hair doesn’t need to be super long to make the outfit work. So long as you can slick it back, your hair is long enough for the costume.
- If you’re debating between a wig and slicking back some medium-length hair, skip the wig. Wigs generally won’t look as good as your natural hair.
Tip: You can call your local costume store to see if they carry Joker wigs. It’s a fairly common costume choice, and they may have a variety of wigs for you to try. It’s best to try a wig on first to make sure it’s comfortable, so buy it in a store if you can.
2
Dye your hair green to get that classic Joker look. Pick up some temporary hair dye to make your hair green. You can go for a flat green if you’re going for a comic book look, or a kind of dirty yellow-green for a more authentic, gritty style. To make the yellow green, mix a yellow and green together before applying it, or put some green in your hair before adding the yellow.
- Most temporary hair dyes are sprays. You apply these sprays by holding the nozzle 6–10 inches (15–25 cm) from your hair and spraying it. Just cover your face while spraying and close your eyes while applying it.
- Apply liquid dyes with a brush or put a nitrile glove on and apply it by hand.
- Temporary hair dye dries pretty quickly. Still, it’s better to wait 20-30 minutes before touching your hair.
3
Slick your hair back to match the Joker’s hairstyle. Once your hair is dry, spray a little holding spray in your hair. Grab a fine-tooth comb and slick your hair back. Tuck it behind your ears for a cleaner look, or let it hang loosely near the front for a more authentic look.
- Heath Ledger’s Joker had some pretty messy hair. You can do this by hand if you’re going for that type of look.
- Don’t use hair gel. The hair gel may change the texture and color of your dyed hair.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Adding the Final Touches

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1
Throw a flower in your jacket’s lapel for the comic book look. Unless you’re going for the Jared Leto or Heath Ledger look, the Joker has a small carnation on his lapel. You can pin a small flower to the lapel of your jacket, or slide a stem into the front pocket. Choose a yellow, purple, or green flower that will contrast nicely with the suit jacket.^{[14]
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- If you want a fun conversation piece, get one of those gag flowers that squirts water out when you squeeze it. This is a classic Joker bit from the old comics.
2
Put on some white gloves to bring a classic Joker costume together. The Joker from the comics wears white, fabric gloves. Pick up some gloves at your local costume or clothing store if you’re going for this look. They don’t need to be super fancy or unique. Basically any style of gloves will work so long as you aren’t using winter gloves.^{[15]
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- If you’re going all out with the comic book theme, get the fake gun with the “bang” flag that pops out..^{[16]
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- There are a few scenes in Suicide Squad where you see Jared Leto wearing fingerless gloves. You can throw these on to add another detail if you’d like. There are several scenes where he’s wearing a single, purple nitrile glove if you’d like to go that route.
3
Make your clothes a little dirty for a more authentic vibe. The Joker is a pretty deranged character, and his clothes were rarely spotless in the movies and comics. For a more realistic look, rub some coffee grounds into your shirt, mark the clothes up gently with temporary fabric dye, and wrinkle them up a little.^{[17]
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- You don’t have to do this, but your costume will look a little more intimidating and real if you do this.
The key elements of the Jared Leto look are the cane and the silver teeth. The cane will be easy enough to find at a costume store, but they may not have the grills. You can buy these online and boil them in hot water to mold them to fit your teeth if you want to take the outfit to the next level.^{[18]
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Tip: This style of Joker has a ton of tattoos as well. You can create these tattoos by drawing them on with face and body paint, or you can buy some temporary tattoos that match the ink from the movie and apply them to your skin.

Community Q&A

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Question

Since the Joker carries a gun, what can I use for that?

Community Answer

Toy guns can be purchased in toy stores or joke shops. But be careful when carrying it around as some people may mistake it for a real gun. Consider a water pistol or a joke gun that shoots out a flag saying "bang."

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How do I make a Jared Leto Joker costume?

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Cover your face and body in white paint, and make some temporary tattoos. Wear black slacks and dress shoes, put on some red lipstick, and spray your hair green. If you want, purchase a cheap fake cane or walking stick.

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What if I can't get a green, purple, or brown costume as shown? Would black and white be a good alternative?

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Green and purple are THE Joker colors, so you should really try to stick to those. You should be able to find something online, or you could dye some clothes.

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Tips

For a less traditional Joker outfit, consider picking up a nurse outfit and going for the Joker look from the scene where he blows up the hospital in The Dark Knight. This tends to be a fun conversation starter and it’s a popular choice among cosplayers.^{[19]
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