Gorilla Suits Gorilla Suits are full - bodied costumes loosely resembling gorillas or other large primates . Gorillas have long fascinated audiences , as a source of both awe and horror ( as illustrated by King Kong ) , but also humor . The traditional gorilla suit embodies both , and as such has become a popular Halloween or masquerade party costume . It has also seen extensive use in film , television , and comics , sometimes to symbolize a " real " gorilla . More often , it ' s used for a gag in which a character wears a gorilla suit , and at some point , becomes entangled with the real thing ( typically , played by another actor in a suit ) . The early history of the art of gorilla impersonation is foggy , but seems to date at least to the late 1920s , with the rise of Charles Gemora , an early practitioner of the art in such short films as " Circus Lady " and the Our Gang entry " Bear Shooters " . In later decades , in addition to abounding in B movies such as " Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla " , the gorilla suit came to prominence in television , in a wide range of series , from 1960s sitcoms like " The Addams Family " and " The Beverly Hillbillies " , which typically attempted to present their gorillas as " real , " to more recent series such as " L . A . Law " and " Scrubs " , which have contrived to have regular characters don the primate costume . In the arena of children ' s television , one of the most prominent uses of the gorilla suit was on " The Electric Company " , through the regular character of the grunting Paul the Gorilla ( played by Jim Boyd and named after first season writer Paul Dooley ) . In addition to the movies and Halloween , gorilla suits are recognized through National Gorilla Suit Day , which falls on January 31st every year . The holiday was concocted by " MAD " cartoonist Don Martin in a 1964 paperback " Don Martin Bounces Back ! " . The most notable story in the tome revolves around a hapless fellow named Fenster , who dares to mock the concept of National Gorilla Suit Day and is thus repeatedly pummeled by men in gorilla suits . Gorilla suit performance involves pantomime , wearing a heavy costume , broad physical comedy skills , and a partial suspension of disbelief , while still playing on the very artifice involved . In this respect , gorilla suits are not far removed from puppetry . Perhaps recognizing this fact , Jim Henson utilized typical gorilla suits , and never a full - bodied gorilla Muppet , in several productions as a comic throw - away gag . In all such cases , the person inside the gorilla suit is uncredited , and research has yet to identify the performers . In recent decades , the work of performers / designers such as Rick Baker have altered the mechanics and effect of gorilla suits , often utilizing animatronics , taxidermy eyes , realistic fur , and other aides to provide a more realistic mimicking of genuine apes . Jim Henson ' s Creature Shop has contributed to this development in its own way , through work on " Buddy " and " George of the Jungle " , and many suit performers of Henson have also portrayed gorillas in other productions . However , the Jim Henson Pictures feature film " MirrorMask " returned the gorilla suit to its roots , with circus performers donning the costume , and accessorizing it with a tutu . Connections . The following Muppet / Creature Shop performers have also portrayed gorillas or related primates in non - Henson productions . Sources . _ _ NOWYSIWYG _ _