Costume and toy and associated methods

The costume is representative of a character having a head, a body section, and at least two legs. The body section and the legs have a common interior space that is adapted to admit a wearer's lower body section and legs. A pair of false limbs is affixed to a rear of the costume so that they depend downward and forward toward a front of the costume when in use to provide an illusion that when donned the wearer is being carried by the costume character. The character's head is supported in an upright orientation against the wearer's chest with straps. The costume is also interconvertable between the costume configuration and a toy configuration wherein the interior space houses the legs and straps, and only the character itself remains visible.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Field of the Invention
 The present invention relates to costumes and toys, and, more particularly,
 to costumes that create an illusion that the wearer is being carried by
 the costume character and to plush toys.
 2. Description of Related Art
 Costumes are known in the art that create illusions regarding the character
 that is the subject of the costume. For example, the costumes of Lundgren
 (U.S. Pat. No. 1,267,567) and of Stapleton (U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,098) make
 it appear as though the person wearing the costume is being carried by a
 character. However, it has been found that the heads and body parts of
 such costumes have a tendency to droop, rendering the costume less
 attractive and realistic.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved
 costume that creates the illusion that the wearer is being carried by the
 costume character.
 It is an additional object to provide a method of making such a costume.
 It is a further object to provide a method of donning such a costume.
 It is another object to provide a combined costume and plush toy.
 It is yet an additional object to provide a method of making such a
 combined costume and plush toy.
 It is yet a further object to provide a method of interconverting the
 figure between its costume and toy configurations.
 These objects and others are attained by the present invention, which in
 one embodiment comprises a costume representative of a character. The
 character has a head, a body section, and at least two legs. The body
 section and the legs have a common interior space that is adapted to admit
 the lower body section and the legs of a wearer thereinto.
 A pair of false limbs is affixed to a rear of the costume so that they
 depend downward and forward toward a front of the costume when in use. The
 limbs are preferably positioned to provide an illusion that when donned
 the wearer is being carried by the costume character.
 A particular improvement of the costume comprises means for supporting the
 character's head in an upright orientation against the wearer's chest.
 Previous costumes known in the art had a particular difficulty with this
 feature, as the heads tended to droop downward, which spoiled the
 costume's appearance.
 The costume further comprises means for being retained on the wearer. These
 retaining means are also adapted to improve the appearance of the costume
 in providing a realistic-looking illusion.
 In another embodiment of the invention, an object is provided that permits
 interconversion between a costume configuration and a toy configuration.
 In this embodiment, the object comprises the costume as described above,
 with an addition that the interior space is further dimensioned to house
 the legs and the means for being retained. Thus, to convert the object to
 the toy configuration, the limbs and means for being retained are inserted
 into the interior space via the opening, and only the character itself
 remains visible. The character can then be used as a toy, for example, as
 a stuffed animal if the character is of the plush variety.
 The features that characterize the invention, both as to organization and
 method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof,
 will be better understood from the following description used in
 conjunction with the accompanying drawing. It is to be expressly
 understood that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration and
 description and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the
 invention. These and other objects attained, and advantages offered, by
 the present invention will become more fully apparent as the description
 that now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
 A description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will
 now be presented with reference to FIGS. 1-3.
 The costume 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a character, here
 shown as a bear 11. This is not intended as a limitation, however, as any
 creature with at least two limbs or appendages and a head or upper portion
 could be represented. Also in this embodiment the costume 10 comprises a
 plush-type surface, although this is not intended as a limitation, and
 other fabrics can also be used.
 Here the bear 11 has a head 12, a body section 13, and at least two legs
 14. The body section 13 and the legs 14 have a common interior space 15.
 The body section 13 has an opening 130 thereinto from its back portion
 131. The interior space 15 and the opening 130 are adapted to admit a
 lower body section 91 and legs 92 of a wearer 90 thereinto. As shown in
 FIG. 1, the wearer's legs 92 are inserted into the costume's legs 14, with
 the wearer's feet 93 covered, at least partially, by the costume's feet
 16.
 It should be noted that the "head" 12, "body section" 13, and "legs" 14
 referred to herein are not to be taken as a limitation. Any costume
 character having limbs or appendages could be equally represented, whether
 it be an animal, an insect, bird, reptile, or any other character, real or
 fantastic.
 The body section 13 also comprises a lower portion 132 that has a bottom
 edge 133. The two legs 14 are affixed to the body section 13 above and in
 spaced relation from the bottom edge 133, so that the lower portion 132
 reaches beneath the wearer's torso 94. Preferably the bottom edge 133 is
 elasticized for being retained beneath the wearer's torso 94.
 A pair of false legs 17 are affixed to a rear of the body section 13 in
 such a way that they depend generally downward and forward toward the
 front of the costume 10. The legs 17 are positioned to provide an illusion
 that in use the wearer 90 is being carried by the bear 11.
 In a particular embodiment, the costume 10 further comprises means for
 retaining the false legs 17 in a midsection-encircling orientation
 relative to the body section 13. Such means may comprise, for example, a
 pair of elastic loops 18 affixed to the body section 13 along each side
 thereof. Each loop 18 is adapted to permit a leg end, here shown as a foot
 19, to be inserted thereinto and retained thereby. Also preferably the
 elastic loops 18 are removably affixed to the body section 13, such as
 with cooperating Velcro.RTM. (hook-and-loop-type) strips 20,21, although
 this is not intended as a limitation.
 In order to further the illusion of the wearer's 90 being carried by the
 bear 11, the false legs 17 comprise a garment, which may comprise, for
 example, a pair of trousers, here bib-type overalls 22, having false feet
 19. Alternatively, the false legs 17 could be at least partially covered
 with a skirt. Such a garment may take any form known in the art for
 covering and for providing the illusion of covering, at least the lower
 body portion of the wearer, and this embodiment is not intended as a
 limitation. The overalls 22 have a waist 220 opening in communication with
 the interior space 15 that is adapted to encircle a waist 95 of the wearer
 90.
 The garment 22, legs 14, feet 16, and interior space 15 preferably comprise
 a lining (not illustrated) having an upper edge at the waist 220 and
 adapted to provide a continuous portal through which the wearer 90 inserts
 his/her feet 93, legs 92, and lower torso 91.
 The costume 10 also comprises means for supporting the bear's head 12 in an
 upright orientation against the wearer's chest 96. The support means here
 comprises a pair of suspender straps 134. Each strap 134 is affixable
 along a front section 135 adjacent the waist opening 220 along a front
 portion 221 thereof. Each strap 134 is also affixable along a back section
 136 adjacent the waist opening 220 along a back portion 222 thereof.
 Further, each strap 134 is affixable along a central portion 137 to the
 bear's head 12. The suspender straps 134 are adapted to reach over the
 shoulders 97 of the wearer 90.
 Preferably the front section 135 of each strap 134 further extends
 generally downward from the waist opening 220 inside the trousers 22, and
 is affixed at a front end 138 along a front portion 139 of the body
 section opening 130, and wherein the back section 136 of each strap 134
 further extends generally downward from the waist opening 220 and is
 affixed at a back end 140 along a back portion 141 of the body section
 opening 130.
 As shown in FIG. 1, each strap 134 comprises a clip 23 affixed along the
 strap's central portion 137 and wherein the bear's head 12 comprises a
 pair of eyelets 120 adapted to removably engage one of the clips 23. The
 support means further comprises a pair of interior straps 121 (only one
 shown in FIG. 2), each of which is affixed at a top end 122 to a seam 129
 across the bear's head 12. In spaced relation from the top end 122, along
 a central portion, the strap 121 protrudes through the head material to be
 affixed to the eyelet 120 and extends inside the head 12 to a bottom end
 123. The interior straps 121 are affixed adjacent the body section opening
 130 along the front portion 139. These interior straps 121 serve to
 relieve stress on the character fabric.
 Another of the advantageous features of the present invention 10 is its
 interconvertability between the costume configuration and a toy
 configuration. As shown in FIG. 3, the interior space 15 and the opening
 130 are adapted to admit the false legs 17, trousers 22, and straps 134
 when disengaged from the head 12, shown in FIG. 3 as a mass 80 bundled
 into the space 15.
 Preferably the body section 13 also has means for reversibly closing the
 opening 130 following insertion of the false legs 17, trousers 22, and
 straps 134. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the body section 13
 comprises a flap 142 positioned above the opening 130 and dimensioned to
 cover the opening 130 in the toy configuration. Further, the flap 142 has
 an underside 143 to which are affixed a first patch 144 comprising a first
 side of a closure means such as a hook-and-loop-type fastener. A second
 patch 145 comprising a second side of a closure means such as a
 hook-and-loop-type fastener is affixed beneath the opening 130 on the
 exterior surface of the body section 13. The second patch 145 is
 positioned to engage the first patch 144 when in the toy configuration. In
 the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, two sets of patches 144,145 are
 shown.
 It may be appreciated by one skilled in the art that additional embodiments
 may be contemplated, including, as mentioned, different characters being
 represented.
 In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,
 clarity, and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be
 implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such
 words are used for description purposes herein and are intended to be
 broadly construed. Moreover, the embodiments of the apparatus illustrated
 and described herein are by way of example, and the scope of the invention
 is not limited to the exact details of construction.
 Having now described the invention, the construction, the operation and use
 of preferred embodiment thereof, and the advantageous new and useful
 results obtained thereby, the new and useful constructions, and reasonable
 mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are
 set forth in the appended claims.