With Thanksgiving fast approaching, now is the perfect time to gather some turkey in disguise ideas. We are sharing many free turkey in disguise printable templates with you and there are even more (a whole lot more) beyond them to explore.
Our fun templates allow for a whole lot of creativity as you can have the kids disguise their turkey from scratch with our blank template, mix and match the disguise with the selection of different hats, outfits, and accessories, or make some of the most popular characters by using the football player, astronaut, witch, pirate and many, many more.
What makes our printable disguise a turkey template really stand out is the “on and off” costume. Kids will be really excited about this, as they can quickly swap between a regular-looking turkey and a disguised one.
One moment a regular-looking turkey, and with a simple fold of a paper, a disguised turkey appears! How fun.,
One of the most important parts of the disguise a turkey project is the writing assignments that go along with it. Designing the costumes is pure fun, but an extra learning element makes all the difference. This is why we also added simple writing papers that can be added to this disguise a turkey craft. Perfect for making a wall or bulletin board display.
If you will be making this in the classroom, we also recommend you grab some of our turkey coloring pages or check out how to draw a turkey to have something at hand for students who complete their tasks early.
The holidays are a time for fun, food, and creativity. If you’re looking to add some excitement to your Thanksgiving table this year, why not disguise your turkey as Spiderman? This playful take on the traditional centerpiece will delight guests of all ages With some simple craft supplies and imagination, you can easily turn your ordinary roasted bird into a web-slinging superhero!
In this step-by-step guide, we’ll provide everything you need to know to create a turkey fit for a Marvel movie Let’s get started on making a Spidey bird that will be the talk of dinner!
Why Disguise Your Turkey as Spiderman?
Turning your turkey into Spiderman is a great way to add a festive, lighthearted element to your Thanksgiving feast. Here are some of the benefits of creating this unique holiday decoration:
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Provides a fun, memorable focal point for your table that makes your meal more lively and entertaining.
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Kids and comic book fans will get a kick out of seeing their favorite superhero character at dinner.
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Encourages creativity, crafting, and collaboration in the kitchen.
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Allows you to personalize your holiday in a way guests will love.
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Makes for great photos and social media content to share.
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Uses basic craft supplies you likely already have at home.
How to Plan Your Spiderman Turkey Project
To ensure your Spidey turkey turns out right, do some planning and preparation ahead of time:
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Pick the Right Turkey Size – Choose a small to medium turkey in the 12-15 lb range. Larger birds can be hard to costume.
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Get Craft Materials Ready – You’ll need red and blue fabric or felt, black marker, googley eyes, glue gun, scissors, aluminum foil, etc.
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Recruit Helper Elves – Get the kids involved in creating the costume pieces and decorating.
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Stage a Photo Shoot – Capture the process and finished product for memories and social media sharing.
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Watch Inspiration Online – Check out how-to videos on TikTok or YouTube for tips.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Disguising Your Bird
Follow these simple steps to transform your plain poultry into the legendary Spiderman:
Prep the Turkey
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Remove giblets, neck, and any clips or ties. Rinse cavity thoroughly.
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Pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels. Trim any excess fat or skin.
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Place turkey breast-side up on a work surface. Insert balls of aluminum foil in cavity to help it hold shape.
Make the Spiderman Costume
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Cut out large red felt circles for chest and back, plus blue felt boot covers for legs.
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Use black marker to draw on spider emblem, lines, expressive eyes, and web pattern accents.
Attach the Costume
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Place and glue red circles onto turkey’s front and back with hot glue gun.
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Wrap blue leg boots around the ankle joints and glue securely.
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Glue on googley eyes onto head and add any other hand-drawn details.
Create Finishing Touches
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Tie a red ribbon or bandana around neck to complete the superhero look.
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Adhere spider web designs on wings or legs using white puff paint or pom poms.
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Prop turkey up on serving platter and surround with fall leaves, pumpkins, etc.
Turkey Decorating Tips and Tricks
Follow these tips for making an eye-catching, Insta-worthy Spidey turkey:
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Use strong fabrics like felt that hold their shape and glue well. Softer fabrics can sag.
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Apply corn syrup or cooking spray to help fabrics adhere to turkey skin.
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Insert toothpicks through feet to help hold boot covers in place.
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Use wiggly eyes near ankles to look like Spiderman’s expressive mask eyes.
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Stuff body cavities with tissue to create a fuller silhouette.
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Spray paint the drumsticks silver to emulate Spidey’s metal legs.
Get Creative with Fun Add-Ons
Take your turkey design up a notch by getting creative with these additions:
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Add bendable pipe cleaner spider legs sprouting from the sides.
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Craft spider webs on wings with cotton balls or puff paints.
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Make mini paper buildings and a city skyline background.
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Attach a red fabric mask around the eyes.
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Use black pom poms or felt to create Spidey’s signature chest logo.
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Insert a Spiderman figurine, action figure, or doll inside the cavity.
Let the Kids Join the Turkey Decorating Fun
Disguising the turkey is a perfect project for keeping kids engaged. Here are some ways they can help:
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Cutting out simple shapes like circles or boots from felt with kid scissors
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Gluing on googly eyes, pom poms, fabrics pieces – under supervision.
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Getting creative with crayons, puff paints, or markers for details.
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Thinking up fun costume ideas like a mask, spider legs, or web shooters.
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Coming up with names like “Spider-Turkey, Turkey-Spidey, or Web-Gobbler.”
Giving them jobs makes them feel included in the holiday preparation. Just provide close oversight for key steps like hot gluing.
Display Your Masterpiece Prominently
Once your turkey is ready, proudly display it in the center of your Thanksgiving table for all to admire.
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Place on a large decorative platter, cake stand, or carving board.
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Surround with autumn leaves, twigs, pinecones, gourds, candles, nuts, or other accents.
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Let kids make superhero or Thanksgiving themed name cards or other decorations.
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Take lots of pictures of the process and finished turkey from all angles to share.
Your creative Spiderman turkey is sure to steal the show at your holiday feast! Watch smiles spread as you carve into this cleverly costumed bird.
Frequently Asked Questions About Disguising Your Turkey
What size turkey works best?
Aim for a 12-15 lb bird. Much bigger turkeys can be unwieldy to decorate.
How do I get the costume to stick to the turkey?
Use hot glue, fabric glue, or coat the skin with corn syrup or cooking spray first.
What food safe paints can I use?
Acrylic craft paint or puff paint from the art store are safe options. Avoid enamel/oil-based.
What can I use to fill out the body cavity?
Try stuffing tissue paper, crumpled foil, or plastic stuffing bags inside.
How do I keep the leg boots on?
Secure them well with hot glue and insert toothpicks through the feet into the legs.
With some creative thinking, craft supplies, and teamwork, you can make a sensational Spiderman turkey that will leave your guests amazed, amused, and ready for seconds!
Version 1 – Step by Step Tutorial for Premade Characters
The first version includes the pre-made characters. Make a pirate turkey, football player, farmer, witch, or even an astronaut turkey disguise.
We’ll quickly show you how to make a football player turkey disguise. Print the sheet with the football player parts and color them in.
Take the turkey template. You can have the kids color it whole (as a regular turkey) or have them place the parts on the template and see what needs coloring.
In the case of the football player, it’s enough to just color the tail.
Cut out the turkey and glue on the disguise. You can finish things here, or take them to the next level.
You will need the I am not a turkey “I am not a turkey, I am…” sheet.
Have the kids color it, this time we are aiming for a natural-looking turkey.
Fold along the dashed line.
Apply glue on the folded part, just around the area below the turkey’s belly.
Stick on the footballer (or any other turkey in disguise).
You can also glue a handy writing paper on the back of this craft like we did for our astronaut turkey in disguise.
I’m not a turkey, I’m an astronaut!
How to use the Turkey in Disguise Printable Templates
We are sharing a bunch with you as a free printable (you can grab them at the end of the tutorial). We also have many more designs available for our members as well as in our TpT store.
What you need:
- any of our templates (3 versions available; each can be done in different ways)
- paper – cardstock is great, regular print paper works as well
- coloring supplies
- scissors, glue