Halloween Costume Guide
Cody Goodwin is a stay-at-home dad who gets turned into a clay doll when his daughter overhears him and his wife talking about divorce. The reddish-orange sweater is the item that makes this recognizably Cody rather than a generic craft project. It Takes Two was developed by Hazelight Studios, directed by Josef Fares, and released March 26, 2021, going on to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021 (Wikipedia). This costume works for gaming crowds specifically. At a general party, expect most people to see a man in a green wig rather than Cody.
Affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The sweater color is what carries recognition, and it is easy to get wrong. Reddish-orange is a specific shade that sits between clay and rust, and too far in either direction makes the character unrecognizable to people who know the game. The green patchwork pants need the patch visible at a conversation distance. If the patch reads as a texture rather than a distinct shape, the character disappears into “person in a green wig” rather than Cody specifically. The green button from the paper plate is the optional detail that confirms it to people who played the game and have been staring at you trying to figure it out.
Cody and May are instructed by Dr. Hakim, a sentient couples therapy book, to smash each other’s most cherished possessions. Cody has to destroy May’s snow globe collection. May has to destroy the shed where Cody keeps his plants. They do it. That is what the cooperative mechanic means in practice. Cody says “Collaborate! Our favorite word!” with the energy of someone who has just been told he is enjoying himself by someone who cannot see his face.
Check the Sweater Color Before You Buy
Online product photos are notoriously bad at showing orange accurately. A sweater that looks reddish-orange on a monitor can arrive as brown or deep rust under real lighting. If you are ordering online, read the reviews for color accuracy specifically. If a review says “came in darker than expected,” believe it. Buying from a physical store lets you hold it under fluorescent light, which is approximately what the party lighting will be.
Cut and Attach the Green Button Before You Leave
The paper plate button takes about two minutes to make and it is the detail most likely to get skipped. Cut a circle roughly the size of a silver dollar and pin it to the center of the sweater. At a gaming party, this is the item that makes people say “oh, you’re Cody.” Without it, the sweater and pants together are suggestive but not conclusive. Do it at home so the pin is secure before you get in the car.
Couples Idea
Excellent couple concept because the game is literally about their marriage and cannot be played without both of them. The visual contrast between Cody’s clay doll look and May’s mechanical toy engineer build gives the pair distinct reads. Anyone who has played the game will place it. The costume also answers the inevitable party question of “what are you two dressed as?” with a single sentence that doubles as a plot summary.
Duo Idea
Strong father-daughter pairing that drives the entire game’s emotional stakes. Rose’s tears bring the clay dolls to life in the opening minutes, so she is technically responsible for everything that happens afterward. Her costume is a child’s outfit, easy to build. The pairing reads clearly to people who know It Takes Two and has an obvious parent-child dynamic for everyone else.
Group Idea: It Takes Two Full Cast
Excellent group for a gaming crowd. Cody, May, and Rose are the family at the center of the game. Dr. Hakim is the sentient couples therapy book who serves as both guide and antagonist. His costume is a creative challenge since he is a floating book with a mustachioed face, but someone willing to commit to that build gives the group dynamic something it does not have without him. Three-person Cody-May-Rose works fine if Dr. Hakim is too ambitious.
Group Idea: Video Game Dads
Might work, but the visual range across these four is enormous and the concept only reads if people in the room know all four games. Kratos is in ancient Greek warrior armor. Joel is in post-apocalypse outdoor gear. Ethan Winters is in a winter coat. Cody is a clay doll in an orange sweater. The unifying concept is “video game fathers dealing with difficult family situations,” which is an interesting observation. It is not self-explanatory at a party without a sign.
This is one of the more budget-friendly builds on the site. The sweater and pants can be thrifted in most cases. The wig and headband should be bought new for color accuracy. Everything else is either optional or craft-store cheap.
Cody is reluctantly cooperative. He is not rude about it. He is doing the thing. He just wants you to know he noticed how many things he has been asked to do this evening.
Men’s cotton sweater in reddish-orange, green patchwork pants, green short straight wig, and green tentacle headband. Burlap shoes on. Cut a circle from a green paper plate and pin it to the front of the sweater as Cody’s clay button. Natural cotton rope works as a belt detail. The sweater and pants are what make this recognizably Cody.
Good choice for gaming crowds. It Takes Two won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021 and remains a widely played co-op game. At a gaming party or event, the costume will land. At a general Halloween party, most people will see a man in a green wig rather than Cody specifically.
“Collaborate! Our favorite word!” said sarcastically during one of the game’s forced cooperative sections. “I’m a delicate clay doll, May!” said when the gameplay puts him in danger. These two sum up the character: reluctantly cooperative and very aware of his structural limitations as a clay figure.
Joseph Balderrama provides Cody’s voice. The game was developed by Hazelight Studios and directed by Josef Fares, who also directed A Way Out (2018), and published by Electronic Arts.
Cody and May Goodwin are heading toward divorce when their daughter Rose’s tears bring her clay doll versions of her parents to life. The two are trapped as tiny clay dolls and must cooperate through a series of chapters to return to their human bodies. Each chapter’s cooperative mechanic is a metaphor for a different problem in their marriage.
Yes. They reconcile and end the story together. Some players find the ending too tidy given how hostile the first act is. The game’s argument is that the cooperation required to get through it is itself the evidence that the marriage can work.
The green paper plate gets cut into a circle and pinned to the sweater as Cody’s clay button. The cotton rope works as a belt or waist detail that suggests the handmade doll texture. Both are optional and inexpensive. The button is the more useful of the two since it is the detail that confirms the character to people who know the game.
Which award did It Takes Two win at The Game Awards 2021?
Which studio developed It Takes Two?
What does Cody’s clay doll form have on the front of his shirt as a recognizable design detail?