For nearly 40 years, Maurice Sendak’s beloved book Where the Wild Things Are has enchanted children and adults of all ages. A boy named Max is sent to bed without supper, and during his isolation he takes a fantastic journey where he meets mythical creatures and is crowned “King of All Wild Things.”

In the space of 10 simple sentences and beautifully muted pen and ink illustrations, Sendak quietly and powerfully evoked a world in which one small boy fiercely confronts his fear and loneliness.

Let the Wild Rumpus Begin

With director Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are movie releasing in theaters everywhere this October, audiences will see Max come to life in a wholly unprecedented way. Early stills released from the film indicate that the production team has tried to capture the vivid imagery and latent emotion of Sendak’s book.

It remains to be seen whether the film will live up to the high expectations of the book’s legion of fans, but there is one very important person who has put his stamp of approval upon the project: Maurice Sendak himself.

Terrible Yellow Eyes: Art Inspired by Sendak

Where the Wild Things Are has been translated into many different languages, and has had a profound impact upon the imagination of countless children around the world, including many who grew up to create their own interpretations and loving homages to Sendak’s award-winning classic.

Many artisans have created clothing, accessories, jewelry, and many other works inspired by the book, which seems to strike a particularly joyous chord in many adults. Anna the Red cites it as “my most favorite American picture book. It’s so full of adventure, mischief and rumpus!” Anna created a bento box of favorite characters for her boyfriend using rice, seaweed, sesame, and other ingredients, and explains how to assemble the monsters on her blog.

Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, California has even opened a new tribute exhibition recently entitled "Terrible Yellow Eyes," which includes artwork by many artists of varying ages who remember the book with fondness and were inspired by the story.

Gallery curator Wade Buchanan remarks that, “Where the Wild Things Are has grown a large following of artists, connecting them visually through its memorable characters and illustrations.” The exhibit, which runs through October 6 of this year, features dozens of paintings, papercuts, pencil drawings, digital artwork, and much more.

Crafting a Max Costume

Kate of Shop Eyelet, a lawyer and crafter from New York, says that Where The Wild Things Are is her son’s favorite book. She was inspired to make a Max costume for her son when she wasn’t able to find a ready-made one, and worked with her costume designer mother to design and sew the piece. She began by working from an illustration from the book and dissecting its components.

Kate admits, “It was much more difficult to make the costume than I anticipated. I thought I’d be able to whip the pajamas together in an hour or two and slap a hood and crown on. Every step turned out to be very involved, and the aspect I probably underestimated the most was sewing the fur on. It’s really hard to hand sew through leather.”

To replicate Max’s wolf costume from the book, Kate used lightweight, fleecy footed pyjamas as the base and chose yellow felt and recycled fur from an old fur coat to repurpose for the crown trim and tail. She made matching fleece-covered buttons and attached white pipe cleaner whiskers. This creative but practical mom also used brown puffy paint to make paw prints on the bottom of the feet so her son wouldn’t slip.

She says, “My son was really excited when it was done. He was not so into the fitting process, but once he saw himself in the mirror he was pretty stoked. He wore it for Purim, and has since worn it around the apartment a couple of times.”

Kate also created a scepter built around a wooden dowel covered in aluminum foil and clear tape, using a painted Styrofoam ball for the top and surrounding it with foil-covered cardstock. Encouraged by her success, Kate has plans to possibly create Mickey from In the Night Kitchen and The Very Hungry Caterpillar for her children.

“The whole Max costume turned out exactly how I imagined it, which projects don’t always do. So I would say it was just what I had hoped for but overall it was even better than I realistically thought it would be!”

Make Your Own Max Costume!

If you'd like more information on how to make this charming Max costume, leave your name and email address in the comment box, along with your memories about what Where the Wild Things Are means to you. Kate has generously provided simple instructions on how she created the costume, which will be emailed as a PDF to selected recipients.

Resources:

Visit Kate online at www.shopeyelet.com and www.cafepress.com/kitjule. You may also find more photos of her ongoing craft projects on her Flickr page. 

Visit Gallery Nucleus to see more beautiful artwork in the exhibit Terrible Yellow Eyes inspired by Where the Wild Things Are. Artwork featured in this article are by Nicole Gustafsson and Sarah Caterisano.

Be sure and see the film, but don't forget to read the beautiful book as well!

Recommended Reading:

Test Your Knowledge of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!
Are You a Rebel Book Lover?
Immortalizing Insects: The Art of Silver Casting

Photos courtesy of Gallery Nucleus, Kate of Shop Eyelet, and Derek Lieu

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Mimi Guethe is a writer, crafter, and former film publicist who lives with her husband and three cats in Los Angeles, CA. Her work has appeared in numerous publications across the country, including The Washington Post and Publishers Weekly magazine. She spends her days dreaming of living by the sea.

Visit Mimi online at the happy honeybee to see her handmade plushies, embroidery, and more. For the most up to date information, feel free to visit her on Twitter at @JustForFunHMN or @mimiguethe.

You may also view this complete list of all Handmade News articles by Mimi Guethe.
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