I need a Saddam Hussein costume for an event upcoming in the next
three weeks. So the question is where can a find a seller of a costume
who can deliver to the United States within the next three weeks? The
costume cannot simply be a mask; it must include some form of Saddam's
military jacket/uniform and some facial dressing (mask or
mustache/make-up kit). Ordering different pieces of the overall
costume from different sellers is acceptable, so long as the complete
costume can be obtained within three weeks of the posting of this
question (5/4/03).

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Request for Question Clarification by techtor-ga on 05 May 2003 01:28 PDT

Would you a more serious, non-whimsical Saddam mask, or would a
cartoonic one be all right for you? By the way, you mention that the
date of the event when you need the costume is May 25, is that
correct?

Greeting x15,
I had searched on the Internet and found no seller of a ready-made
Saddam Hussein costume, or any tips for making such a costume. That
means you may have to make do with pieced-together articles. One way I
thought of is that you can get a mask of Saddam, which is available on
the Internet, then put it together with a military uniform like what
he wears(likely to be khaki or tan in color).

Mask:
Saddam mask at Halloween Costumes 4u site
$11.00. Ships from NJ.
Orderable online. Can ship within a week.
http://www.halloweencostumes4u.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?store_code=hal&screen=PROD&product_code=rub3301

Saddam mask at Silly Jokes Shop UK – 16.95 pounds
Promises to deliver outside Europe for 4 days
Pay actual cost of shipping outside UK
http://www.sillyjokes.co.uk/dress-up/masks/char/saddam-hussein.html

If the costume wearer does not want to wear plastic masks, he may wear
a fake thick mustache and black beret, and thickened eyebrows, to
simulate the features of Saddam.

Uniform:
I was unable to find an online source of Iraqi uniforms. Such uniforms
might even be banned at this time with the war having just ended,
though uniforms of a similar but not exact make may not be banned.

One suggestion is for you to find a khaki or similar dress uniform
from a surplus military store or costume supplier, and try to fix it
up to look like the uniform that Saddam was shown wearing. He doesn't
carry much insignia, just the shoulder insignia and web belt might do.
You could have one such uniform made by a dressmaker. Fatigue boots
with the pants’ hems tucked in will be accurate.

For ideas, here are pictures of Saddam from the Google Image search,
which show him in various military uniforms. Just click on the page
buttons at the bottom to see more pictures:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=saddam+hussein

Information on Iraqi uniforms at 1uptravel.com
http://www.1uptravel.com/country-guide-study/iraq/iraq90.html

Library of Congress Country Studies - information on Iraqi uniforms
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+iq0094)

Fuzzy picture of Saddam in uniform - CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/04/04/iraq_saddam030404

You may also take ideas from the action figure uniforms from
Herobuilders.
Herobuilders – Iraqi action figures
http://herobuilders.com/vilacfig1.html

Googe Search terms:
saddam mask
iraqi military uniform sales
foreign military uniforms
middle east military uniforms
modern iraqi uniforms

Google Image search:
Saddam hussein

I hope this has helped you find the costume you need. If you have any
problem with this answer, feel free to post a request for
clarification, and I will respond. Thank you.

The Fun Shop has a mask as well.
http://www.funshop.com/sadhusmas.html

"This adult Saddam Hussein mask is constructed of soft vinyl
and makes a great Halloween costume accessory!"

"Availability: Usually ships the next business day."

"C1024 Regular: $39.99 Our Price: $34.99"


Search Strategy:

Searched Google with the keywords: "Saddam Hussein" mask
://www.google.com/search?q=%22Saddam+Hussein%22+mask

Looking Forward, denco-ga