08/29/2026
Muppet Gala Gonzo
My favorite episode of the new Muppet Babies show is the Gonzorella. In the episode, Gonzo wants to wear a dress to the fancy ball party. The girls tell him that oly girls can wear dresses and he is disappointed. He wishes to go to the ball in a gown and to not be recognized by his friends. In comes a flying Rizzo the Fairy Rat Father who grants Gonzo’s wish by tranforming him into a masked “Gonzorella!”
I used the gown from the show, Disney’s 1955, and the 2015 Cinderella dresses as inspiration for this gown. I thought I had scored a win when I found an abandoned sample for the base skirt which I’d just have to redye, change the waistband and hem. But that’s where the shortcuts ended. The corset, sleeves, and overskirt were all made and detailed carefully.
I wanted Gonzo to have his long nose and since this gown was worn at a masquerade, I bought a Venetian mask from a designer and hand painted it to go with the gown. Two references nailed in one prop!
The wig is made by me with a 3d printed cage inside. I added wire so Rizzo could fly above his fairy godchild. (Also hello secret Ratatouie reference!)
Rizzo was a whole beast in himself, as one of the only Muppet replicas in the whole project, he took more time than some of the other full costumes. I’ll likely do a whole post on him later! Rizzo was crocheted, wiredm and then hand felted. I sculpted and painted the clay hands, nose, and eyes, crocheted the sweater and hand sewed the tiny clothes. I made the wings from cellophane, vinyl, and laminate. The wand star and crown are 3D printed.
Modeled by ⬛️▪️Thresher▪️⬛️
Photos by Jon York
Let me know if you wanna hear more about that