Chris Farley's Lunch Lady is one of the funniest costumes from Saturday Night Live, and one of the cheapest to put together. It's a uniform, a hairnet and a pair of rubber gloves. All the comedy comes from dancing in it. Bring a ladle and someone to sing Lunchlady Land.
How to Make Lunch Lady Costume
| # | Item | Description | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Light Blue Work Dress | A short-sleeved, collared, button-front uniform dress in light blue. It should fit loosely. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 2 | White Bib Apron | A plain white bib apron over the dress, tied at the back. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 3 | Short Curly Copper-Red Wig | The Lunch Lady's hair is a short, tight, copper-red curl. This is the piece that makes it Farley's. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 4 | Hair Net | "A net on my head," as the song puts it. Pull a hairnet over the wig. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 5 | Dark Rectangular Glasses | Thin, dark-framed rectangular glasses with clear lenses. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 6 | Yellow Rubber Gloves | The "plastic gloves" from the song: bright yellow dishwashing gloves. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 7 | Brown Orthopedic Shoes | Comfortable, sensible, brown lace-ups or loafers, like the ones in the lyrics. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 8 | Stainless Steel Ladle | A big soup ladle is the natural prop to wave around. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 9 | Lunch Lady Accessory Set | A seven-piece kit with an orange-red curly wig, apron, gloves and glasses. The glasses are cat-eye, so swap in item 5 for a closer match. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
In the sketch, the Lunch Lady wears a light-blue uniform, a white apron, glasses and a short reddish curly wig, with a yellow rubber glove on her hand. Wear the dress a little too big, and keep the gloves on all night.
How to Make Sloppy Joe Costume
| # | Item | Description | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adult Hamburger Costume | A hamburger suit is the bun. Sloppy Joe is a sandwich, so start with something that looks like one. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 2 | Brown Felt Sheets | Cut and glue brown felt onto the suit to make it look like the sloppy meat. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 3 | Sloppy Joe T-Shirt | A shortcut: a black Sloppy Joe sandwich T-shirt, if you don't want to wear a suit. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
Sloppy Joe is the friend in the song who comes to the Lunch Lady's rescue when the angry cafeteria food revolts. There isn't a standard Sloppy Joe outfit, so this is a fun take on the sandwich rather than a copy of a specific costume.
Lunch Lady and Sloppy Joe as a duo
The song ends with the two of them getting married, so this is a good couples costume. Put one of you in the Lunch Lady's uniform and the other in the sandwich, and hold hands. If you want to keep going with Chris Farley, our Matt Foley costume is his other famous SNL character.
About Lunch Lady & Sloppy Joe
"Lunchlady Land" is a song by Adam Sandler, written with Bob Odenkirk, Allen Covert and Tim Herlihy. It first appeared on his 1993 comedy album They're All Gonna Laugh at You!. The version people remember is from Saturday Night Live on January 15, 1994, in season 19 with Sara Gilbert hosting. Sandler sang, and Chris Farley danced as the Lunch Lady.
The song is a musical rescue story. Angry cafeteria foods like meatloaf and navy beans turn on the Lunch Lady until Sloppy Joe steps in to help her, and the song ends with the two of them married with six kids. It's one of Sandler's best-known songs, and one of Farley's most famous performances. He also played Matt Foley and appeared in Tommy Boy and Black Sheep.
For more from the era, watch the original sketch, or see our Happy Gilmore guide, another Sandler classic.
