Don’t you just love Circus Animal Cookies? They’re so bright and happy and nostalgic. They remind me of hanging out with my cousins at my Great Grandmother’s house after school. She had this cupboard under the stairs that was chock full of unhealthy treats, including Little Debbie snack cakes, Handi Snacks ‘cheese’ and ‘breadstick’ dippers, Gushers, and, most importantly, Circus Animal Cookies.
Remember a few years ago when they were going to stop making them? Thank the sugar-coated, sprinkle-covered gods Mother’s pulled through. Without these adorable little cookies one of my favorite things would not exist. Not the cookies, themselves, no, but a delicious semi-frozen treat made with their pulverized little bodies (now you’re like, “Whoa, that took a sharp left.” One minute I’m lamenting their near extinction and praising their return only to proclaim that they’re better after being smashed into bits and mixed into something else. I’ll get there, just wait.)
There’s a froyo chain in Southern California called 21 Choices. It’s sort of like the indie version of Coldstone. There are chilled marble slabs and a bunch of different toppings that you can mix in to your yogurt. And every Wednesday and Saturday the Pasadena location offers up pre-made (i.e. not the mixed-in version, which is the poor man’s Circus Animal, with chunks of smashed up cookie and cookie dough balls mixed in. Gross.) Circus Animal Cookie froyo. Behold, Sara S.’s Yelp photo (thanks Sara S!):
It’s pale pink from the mixing of the fuchsia and white cookies and studded with sprinkles AND jimmies and will totally change your life.
Now, what better way to celebrate the endurance of those indiscernibly shaped frosted critters and their magical froyo counterpart than by representing them in a super easy DIY Halloween costume? With only twenty bucks and about an hour of your time you too can have a costume that is guaranteed to please at your next Halloween party.
What you’ll need:
A friend! To be the other cookie.
Solid pink and white outfits (one for you and one for aforementioned friend)
Multicolored Pom Poms
Headbands
Pink/White Felt (for ears)
Hot glue gun
My bff and I bought these dresses at Amazon for about $13 each. She was pink (as a ginger I cannot wear pink. Don’t believe me? See Ariel in the dinglehopper dinner scene vs literally any other outfit in that movie. Why Disney put her in a mauve pink dress I will never understand) and I was white. We used these headbands from Target in the reddish and black shades, and bought pom poms and felt at Michael’s (WITH a coupon, don’t even go there without one).
Here’s bff making her dress:
Just glue…
And place!
Cut out felt into pointy or round ear shapes and hot glue to headband. Add a couple pom poms to your ears for added cute.
See? Super cute and easy peasy. The only downside is everyone you see will go “Heyyy animal crackers!” and you’ll have to gently correct them all night, because it’s important for obvious reasons.
Here’s my accompanying Circus Animal Mani (the second take, wherein I used proper tools because the first time I freehanded it and they came out looking like Easter eggs):
Happy Halloweening!
curious as a cat 