Before cosplay was cosplay, there were only two ways to wear a costume of your favorite sci-fi hero. Either you bought a cheap plastic mask and a flimsy costume, or you made your own. In 1982 or maybe 1983, my father and I made my own R2-D2 costume.
It wasn't as shiny, realistic, or digital as today's models. But to paraphrase Han Solo, it had it where it counts.
See the switch on the side of torso? That was a sound device. It made beep-boop sounds like the real R2. The body is made of cardboard and I think that is a salad bowl on my head with colored paper either glued or taped. For an '80s costume, this was the best thing ever.
To be honest, I don't remember how long it took my father to make it, but I think it turned out fantastic.
A few years ago, there was a popular twitter account called "@WeRateDroids". Like the more popular WeRateDogs, WeRateDroids would rate every droid from the Star Wars universe and beyond. Curious what they thought of my droid costume, I submitted my favorite Halloween picture for rating.
MK-77 is a 13 of 10. Suck it, BB-8.
