runDisney Springtime Surprise 2023 10K Costume Inspirations: Sulley from Monsters, Inc!

Are you looking for costume ideas for the upcoming Springtime Surprise race weekend at Walt Disney World this April?

The race weekend takes place April 13-16, with a 5K on Friday, a 10K on Saturday, and a 10-Miler on Sunday. The theme for these races is as follows:

Cars for the 5K
Monsters for the 10K
Toy Story for the 10-Miler
Finding Nemo for the Challenge (of completing all three races)

Today I'll be highlighting one character idea for the 10K: James Patrick "Sulley" Sullivan. This character is a large horned monster with fluffy purple-spotted turquoise fur. 

I dressed up as Sulley for the 2017 Disneyland 10K. The theme for that race weekend was Pixar, and the10K was Monsters. There were a lot of Sulleys running the race!

Sulley is a fun and easy character to fashion a simple DIY a running costume.

For my outfit, I tacked (or basted, aka temporary stitching) pieces of purple felt onto a turquoise tech top and a turquoise Bolder Athletic (SparkleSkirt), both of which I already had in my closet. All I had to buy was a few sheets of purple felt for Sulley's spots, so this was a very affordable DIY job. 

For my Sulley costume hat, I cut the Monsters University logo out of craft foam and hot-glued it onto a cheap navy blue cap I got from Amazon. I cut and stitched together some grey felt to make a pair of horns, stuffed them with craft fill (like this), and stitched them to the sides of the cap to complete the look. 

Side note! I still have this cap and plan on re-using it for the 2023 Springtime Surprise 10K, though my costume will be a mashup of Sulley and someone else... stay tuned.

If you're not up to a DIY costume, Sulley running costumes are easily available from artists on Etsy. Below are the pieces I've got in my Etsy shop, WeRunForFun.

These are fun because they have a printed fur texture look just like the big guy himself. They're also more comfortable than running a 10K with poorly-sewn purple patches on your clothes (or maybe that's just me).

You can also easily purchase a Monsters University hat on Amazon (see below).