What You’ll Need
Number 8 Ball Gear Shift Knob
Maroon Fish Fez
Maroon Satin Ribbon
White Dress Shirt
Large Costume Ears
Joker’s Cane
Black Suit
Oversized Flat Top Square Eyeglasses in Black
Face Paint in Light Grey
Face Paint in Apricot
Gramps Grey Adhesive Eyebrows
Grunkle Stan’s museum-curator outfit is built around classic mid-century menswear pushed into cartoonish proportions. The silhouette relies on a boxy black suit, an oversized pair of square glasses, and his maroon fez. Because the individual clothing pieces are relatively standard formalwear, getting the character across comes down to the specific eccentric details—most notably the fez, the broad collar, and his signature eight-ball walking stick.
Putting this costume together is mostly an exercise in smart sourcing and minor prop modification. You don’t need tailor-grade alterations, but paying attention to how the accessories sit together—like how the glasses frame the face beneath the brim of the fez—makes the difference between looking like a generic magician and looking like the proprietor of the Mystery Shack.
The Fez and Eyewear
Stan wears a maroon fez with a gold tassel and an embroidered symbol across the front. A standard maroon felt fez provides the correct cylinder taper and stiffness to sit high on your head without collapsing. Position it slightly angled toward the back or side of the crown rather than pulled down flat over your brow.
His glasses define his face more than almost anything else. Stan wears thick, oversized square frames with a completely flat brow line. The lenses should sit broad across your cheeks, leaving just enough room above the bridge for prominent prosthetic or adhesive brows. Clear costume lenses work fine, but if you wear prescription glasses, pop the non-prescription lenses out of costume frames and wear contacts underneath so your natural eyes remain visible behind the rims.
Suit, Shirt, and Ribbon Tie
The base outfit is a straightforward two-piece black suit paired with a crisp white dress shirt. A slightly looser, relaxed fit reflects Stan’s unbothered, rumpled appearance far better than a modern slim-cut jacket. Stiff cotton collars work best because Stan frequently wears his shirt collar wide open at the neck when he isn’t in full tour-guide mode, but for the classic look, button it up to anchor his neckwear.
Instead of a standard pre-tied silk bow tie, Stan’s neckwear is a narrow maroon satin ribbon tied into a compact bow with short hanging tails. Using a length of maroon satin ribbon lets you control the proportions precisely. Cut a strip long enough to wrap beneath the shirt collar, tie a neat square bow, and trim the ends with angled cuts. Sealing the ribbon edges with a quick pass of a flame or a dab of clear fabric glue prevents fraying throughout a full day of wear.
Facial Details and Makeup
Stan’s face carries several distinct visual cues that set him apart from a typical man in a suit. His eyebrows are heavy, bushy, and light grey. Adhesive costume eyebrows can be trimmed slightly to match his thick, rectangular brow shape before applying them with skin-safe spirit gum or their factory adhesive strips.
His distinctive reddish nose and heavy five o’clock shadow bring the cartoon design into three dimensions. Use apricot face paint blended across the bridge and tip of the nose to mimic his permanent sunburned flush. Light grey face paint stippled lightly across the jawline, chin, and upper lip creates the rough stubble texture without looking like solid paint. A small stipple sponge gives you the speckled effect needed for coarse facial hair. If you want to exaggerate his features further, large costume slip-on ears slip comfortably over your real ears and balance out the wide frames of the glasses.
Assembling the 8-Ball Cane
The eight-ball walking stick is Stan’s primary handheld prop and an essential piece of his silhouette. While you can hunt for a specialty replica, building one from available components is fast and durable. Start with a plain black costume cane that features a removable or simple round handle top.
A threaded billiard-style number eight ball gear shift knob serves as the cane topper. Most costume canes have a hollow plastic or lightweight metal shaft. Remove the stock handle, insert a wooden dowel or threaded adapter sleeve into the top of the shaft to match the shift knob’s thread size, and secure the connection with high-strength epoxy or two-part adhesive. The added weight of an actual shift knob gives the cane a solid, realistic feel in hand while remaining completely safe and convention-compliant.
