Underswap flips the dynamic between the skeleton brothers, giving Papyrus Sans’s easygoing attitude while keeping his towering, lanky frame. His battle body is swapped out for relaxed streetwear: an oversized orange pullover, baggy cargo shorts, and scuffed red sneakers.
Because the outfit is built around everyday casual clothing, nailing the look comes down to silhouette and how you handle the underlying skeleton anatomy. An ill-fitting hoodie or plain running shorts can quickly make the outfit seem like random loungewear rather than an alternate-universe take on the character.
The Hoodie and Shorts
The centerpiece of the costume is the safety orange pullover hoodie. Underswap Papyrus is tall and perpetually slouching, so an oversized cut works much better than something tailored. Sizing up by one or two sizes drops the shoulder seams and leaves enough slack around the torso to keep your hands tucked inside the front kangaroo pocket without bunching the hem. A mid-to-heavyweight fleece holds its shape and allows the hood to rest naturally around your neck and shoulders when it stays down.
For the bottoms, olive vintage paratrooper shorts supply the utilitarian feel seen in most depictions. The deep cargo pockets add bulk around the legs, creating a balanced transition from the loose hoodie down to the thin bone legs beneath. The hem should sit right around the kneecap. Choosing a pair with an adjustable drawstring waist and side tabs makes adjusting the fit over a slippery base layer much simpler throughout the day.
The Skeleton Base and Mask
Recreating Papyrus’s boney neck, arms, and legs requires deciding how to handle the skeleton layer. A full-body skeleton spandex suit provides an all-in-one base, giving you printed white bones against a matte black background from neck to ankles. It saves hours of body paint application and eliminates smudging onto the orange fleece. Spandex can trap body heat quickly when layered beneath thick cotton, so wearing moisture-wicking athletic underwear beneath the suit helps regulate temperature during indoor events.
Gloves are built into most full-body suits, but solid fabric fingers make using a phone or holding small items tricky. Cutting a discreet horizontal slit along the inner seam of each wrist lets you slip your hands free whenever you need dexterity, without needing to peel off the entire upper half of the suit.
The skull gives the costume its immediate identity. A molded Papyrus skull mask captures his trademark wide grin, narrow jawline, and exaggerated eye sockets far better than a generic party skeleton face. Where the mask meets the neck, tucking the lower flange into the collar of the spandex suit prevents your own skin from showing through. If the mask lacks ample ventilation, trimming subtle breathing holes behind the teeth or widening the nostril openings keeps air moving and stops moisture from fogging up your line of sight.
Footwear and Prop Details
Footwear consists of red high-top canvas sneakers, which provide a sharp contrast against the green shorts and black-and-white leg bones. Red Converse high-tops match the fan-art standard closely. Leaving the top eyelets unlaced and loosening the collar lets the shoes maintain a relaxed, worn-in appearance. Pairing them with black crew socks under the suit smooths out the transition around the ankles so no seams show between the hem of the suit and the shoes.
A prop cigarette completes the casual demeanor. Underswap Papyrus is almost universally shown with a cigarette resting between his grinning teeth. Fake prop cigarettes with simulated burnt-ash tips provide the visual effect without running into venue smoke policies or health concerns. Because most hard masks do not allow you to grip anything with your mouth, securing the fake cigarette between the teeth with a small dab of clear museum wax or hot glue keeps it steady without damaging the mask surface.
