When I was a little girl, my favorite movie was Cinderella. For three years, I chose to let it inspire my Halloween costume. I’m sure you are picturing an elementary school version of me in a blue dress and mock glass slippers. Maybe a tiara for good measure.

But you’d be wrong.

I didn’t want to do what everyone else was doing. So I grabbed my dad’s denim Wrangler farm shirt, a bandana, a ratty apron, and a bucket full of cleaning supplies and went as Cinderella before she went to the ball. I had to explain it to people, but I did not care. It was awesome and no one else had it.

Maybe that started my love of unique or fun costumes. Or maybe it was when I won a costume contest in fifth grade for my over-the-top clown with a blinking nose. Whatever sparked it, Halloween costumes are one of my favorite traditions.

Having kids added a whole new element to the fun. My husband has joked that I only had kids so that I could dress them up for Halloween. While not the only reason, it definitely is a perk! Whether I choose cute, clever, or easy, this time of year brings me a bunch of joy. And that’s before I go through the trick-or-treat candy loot!

However, I recognize that some of you are stressed out by the idea of finding a Halloween costume. While there is no shame in throwing on some cat ears and calling it a day, I hope to give you a few of my favorite ideas for making this Halloween the best one yet! And be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for exclusive coupon codes and deals.

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DIY Halloween Costumes

Piñata Costume

I think my favorite costume I’ve ever done was a piñata. To create this look, I duct taped crepe paper to a pair of pants and a shirt. I accessorized with crepe paper ears on a headband. For even more fun, I carried around a roll of wrapping paper to hit myself with and then threw candy at people. It was a hit! (I know, I know. I’m sooooo clever with the play on words!)

This was an awesome costume, but it also took some time to make. If you would rather buy one, they have options for adults and kids here and here that get the same effect with a lot less effort.

Items Needed:

Crepe paper streamer rolls (amount will depend on how much clothing you need to cover)
Matching color duct tape
Outfit to cover (Don’t use a stretchy fabric because it will not give to put on properly after it has the duct tape on it. I may have learned this the hard way…)
Scissors
Wrapping paper roll or something else to use as a stick so people don’t make their own
Candy for throwing
Headband or party hat to cover for head

I started by taping a ring around the arm of my shirt. This serves as a base since the crepe paper doesn’t stay well if taped directly to fabric. Then I alternated colors up the arms, around the midsection, and onto the pants. I recommend taking the article of clothing on and off as you go to make sure it will still fit. It’s much easier to redo a strip of tape before the crepe paper is added.

Next, I cut pieces of crepe paper about double the width of the duct tape and folded them in half. I got another piece of duct tape and put the crepe paper on it so that a flap hangs over the top front of the duct tape. Make sure not to cover up all the sticky side of the tape with crepe paper, then tape it over the original tape on the midsection of your shirt and pants. (See the photo for reference.)

You could continue this step for the rest of the costume, but in the interest of time I just wrapped strips of crepe paper around the duct tape on my arms and legs and taped them into place. If you used short sleeves, shorts, a skirt, or another small item of clothing instead of pants and long sleeves it would also save time.

Mr. Potato Head and Family Costumes

This DIY costume is great because you can do it solo, as a couple, or in a family or group. My husband and I dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head before we had kids, and even included our dog in on the fun.

I talked Nathan into wearing his to work for Halloween since they were told they could wear costumes. It was his first year in this particular office, and he wasn’t sure how much people participated. I assured him Mr. Potato Head was perfect because I had always been in workplaces that made a big deal out of dressing up.

So he showed up that day to a receptionist in cat ears and someone wearing a witch hat. Everyone else was in their normal clothes. He sent me some not-so-thrilled text messages after he got to deliver some bad news to customers in full spud costume. I thought it was hilarious! He didn’t find it as humorous, but at least he was in comfy attire!

Anyway, if you want to make a Mr. Potato Head, Mrs. Potato Head, or any member of the potato family on your own, here’s how to do it.

Items needed:

Tan felt (1-3 yards depending on how big you need your potato to be)
Felt in various colors for eyes, mouth, nose, shoe covers, etc. (you can also use fleece for the shoe covers)
Hat (we used something like this for Mr. and this for Mrs.)
White gloves (these cartoon gloves add even more fun)
Stick-on Velcro
Fabric glue

I basically wrapped the tan felt around me until I got it positioned to cover my front and back the way I wanted. (Mine was sort of like a sleeveless hospital gown where I put my arms in then closed on the side in the back.) Then my husband helped me mark armholes and such so I could cut it. It doesn’t have to be exact since you are literally trying to look like a potato. I put Velcro strips on it to hold it together.

Then I cut out ears, mouth, nose, eyes, etc. out of felt. For anything that used more than one color, I fabric glued them together. I made a few extra options and put them in a pouch of tan felt I glued to the back. To hold the face parts in place, I put Velcro strips on the designated place on the tan felt and each part.

To cover my shoes, I roughly cut enough felt/fleece to go over them without dragging and Velcroed them at my ankles. Add a hat and gloves and you are set!

For the dog costume, I cut tan felt to fit around him and added Velcro to close it. I fabric glued the face and a bow tie to it so that there weren’t any removable parts.

This costume was pretty easy on the DIY scale, but you can also purchase the costumes premade here, here or here.

Macaroni and Cheese with Fork and Spoon Costumes

My son, like virtually all kids his age, loves macaroni and cheese. So I “cooked” up this costume to celebrate his love for the cheesy goodness. I had found an ice cream costume for my daughter at a consignment store already because she wasn’t quite the age yet to cooperate with my DIY ideas. To make it a full family costume, I cut a giant fork and spoon out of foam board and hung them around the adults’ necks.

Here’s how to make a macaroni and cheese costume like mine.

Items needed:

Blue poster board
Yellow poster board
Small round laundry basket
Yellow shirt
Yellow hat
Printout of your favorite macaroni and cheese logo
Suspenders, belt, or ribbon
Hot glue gun
Stapler

Start by making sure the laundry basket will fit around the costume wearer. I used a one-bushel plastic basket for my five year old. Once you are sure, cut the bottom out of the basket. (I duct taped the rough edges to make sure they didn’t scratch him.) Then I attached thick grosgrain ribbon cut to hold the basket up and stapled it to the basket. (Suspenders would also work for this, or a belt run through the basket.)

Next, I cut and stapled blue poster board around the basket to cover it. I taped a printout of a macaroni and cheese logo to the front. For the macaroni, I cut, rolled, and stapled yellow poster board. Then I hot glued them to the shirt, hat, and rim of the basket. (Be sure to leave room on the shirt for the ribbon or suspenders or you’ll crush your macaroni putting the basket on!)

I couldn’t find a version of this costume to buy, but there are some cute macaroni shirts for all ages if you wanted to get those to support the theme!

Jack in the Box and Jesters Costumes

After I grew out of the rundown Cinderella phase, I loved the year I was a jack (well, Jessica) in the box as a child. It was one that I decided to recreate for my kiddo. My husband and I wore a few felt triangles (leftover from Mr. Potato Head) stitched to black shirts, a skirt for me, and jester hats (one borrowed and one made from foam to match our jack in the box) to complete the family look.

To make your own jack in the box, follow the instructions below.

Items Needed:

1 box (big enough to fit in, but not so large that it is cumbersome to walk)
Paint (or you could use wrapping paper)
Paint pens
Colored felt
Colored foam
Grosgrain ribbon (or stretchy belt)
Jumbo pipe cleaner
Styrofoam ball
Craft pompoms

Choose a box and cut off the bottom and all but one top flap. Then paint the outside of the box with the design of your choice. For the costume shown I used a box that had writing printed on it and it took several coats of craft paint to cover it. If I did it again, I might get higher quality interior wall paint samples from the hardware store for better coverage.

Alternately, you could wrap the box with colorful wrapping paper. My mom did this for my costume years ago. I choose not to because I’m terrible at wrapping oddly-shaped boxes and I wasn’t sure that my son could keep himself from unwrapping it as he walked. But it can save you some time.

If you go this route, I highly recommend getting a stretchy belt and cutting slits in the box to run it through before wrapping. Then you can cover up the belt with the paper and attach the belt around the waist to keep it on. This can be done in the paint method as well, but you’ll have to coordinate the belt because you will see part of it.

Whichever decoration method you use, add finishing details with the paint pens. For the handle, I painted a styrofoam ball and poked the wire of the pipe cleaner with a little glue into the ball. I cut a small hole in the side of the box and threaded the other end of the pipe cleaner through, duct taping it to the inside for stability.

I duct taped grosgrain ribbon to the inside edge of the box to go over his shoulders and hold up the box. Felt triangles were stitched to his shirt collar for the jester look. The hat was made by cutting a band from foam and attaching foam triangles with craft pompoms glued to the tops. Some coordinating face paint adds the finishing touch.

If you would rather purchase this costume, there is a version here. If you need a jester hat, there are several options on Amazon.

Family and Group Halloween Costumes

Lobster and Chefs Costumes

This is perfect for a young kiddo and parents, but it could be tweaked for any age. You can find lobster costumes at HalloweenCostumes.com , on Amazon, or at Find Costume. Then add aprons and chef hats for the cooks. We borrowed a giant pot for the party we attended, and then covered a wagon in foil for trick-or-treating.

Lumberjack and Trees Costumes

An easy, but fun costume for my son was a lumberjack. Nana had given him a toy chainsaw and he put it to good use “sawing” down his parents. (We dressed as trees to avoid a Texas Chainsaw Massacre comparison.)

For our son, we got a plaid shirt, jeans, boots, suspenders, and a hat. With the chainsaw and painted on facial hair, he looked ready to hit the forest. My husband and I safety pinned some fake greenery to green shirts and called ourselves trees. Some people may be able to do this costume with things in their own closet, making it expensive as well.

Jelly Belly Jelly Beans Group Costumes

For years, I led a small group of teen girls and we needed trunk-or-treat costumes each year. This meant we needed cheap, easy group costumes that high school girls would go for. One of the cutest ones we did was Jelly Belly jelly bean packets.

To create this group costume, we each chose a color balloon and blew up a bunch. We made leg and arm holes in a clear plastic trash bag and filled with the balloons. Jelly Belly logo printouts where taped to the front in case someone didn’t immediately know what we were.

Though I don’t have the best photo, we filled the trunk of a car with more balloons and a Jelly Belly sign. We handed out— what else? —jelly beans to the trunk-or-treaters.

Mechanics Group Costumes

This “Ms. Swellratchet” auto shop was a creative trunk-or-treat costume that was also pretty easy to put together. Our group borrowed or bought secondhand coveralls, overalls, jeans, hats or whatever greasy mechanic attire we could find. One of our girls had male nametags made for each of us (I was Leroy) and we used face paint to draw on beards and grease smears.

While any car with a popped hood could work for this trunk-or-treat idea, we had a connection with an old car that fit the part perfectly. We spread empty oil bottles and gas cans about, with a rolling cart for oil changing for good measure. For a play on Mr. Goodwrench, we named our “shop” Ms. Swellratchet and hung homemade letters from a string with clothespins.

If you don’t have access to old clothes for this costume, you can always buy some cheap coveralls to recreate the look.

Couple Halloween Costumes

Pilot and Flight Attendant Costumes

As a somewhat last-minute couples costume one year, we threw together a flight crew ensemble. Nathan wore a pilot shirt, hat, and accessories that we purchased as a kit. I used clothes I already had, borrowed a scarf, and bought a pin with flight wings.

Though super easy, we were so realistic looking that a grocery store cashier asked us where we had flown in from at a pit stop on our way to the Halloween party. I call that a success! I didn’t think of it at the time, but if I did this again, I would take a rolling carry-on luggage piece with me.

You can purchase varying degrees of this costume at Find Costume, here at HalloweenCostumes.com, or on Amazon.

Tooth Fairy and Kid with Missing Teeth Costumes

My husband loved this costume because he wore comfy pajamas all night! I liked it because it was easy and cute. You could do lots of variations for the clothing depending on what you have in your closet. For the tooth fairy, I had a pair of pink thermal underwear I had worn sledding and a white tutu that worked great as the base of the costume.

I used glitter adhesive foam paper to make a tooth, which I outlined in glitter glue before sticking to my shirt. The adhesive foam was also used to make a wand and tooth stickers for my shoes. Glittery wings made the tooth fairy complete.

Nathan picked out some cartoon pajama pants, pinned a dollar to a pillow, and blacked out his two front teeth. This is perfect if your partner isn’t the most excited about an elaborate costume.

You can buy this couple costume here. Or you could buy a men’s tooth fairy costume here or here and reverse the roles.

Comfy Kid Halloween Costumes

For young kids, I recommend going as comfortable as possible. Anything elaborate or with lots of pieces won’t make it long. Below are a few of the ones I’ve had success with.

Turtle Costume

I thought my three-month-old was the cutest in tummy time in a turtle costume! The one pictured was purchased at a consignment store, but you can find one similar for infants here or for kids here.

Cow Costume

My parents are farmers, so my son went through a phase where he was obsessed with “moo moos.” I think all kids may have an early affinity for cows, so this costume might be slightly interesting enough for toddlers that they keep it on for five minutes without complaining.

We used this cow costume. You can also find tons of options like these at HalloweenCostumes.com and Find Costume.

Zebra Costume

I got so excited to have a kid to dress up for Halloween, that I accidentally (on purpose) bought two costumes and let him wear them both. While it appears that I don’t have a super happy photo of him in this, it was really cute!

You can find zebra costume options here or here.

I would love to see pictures of your Halloween costumes, especially if you try any of these! Leave them in the comments below or email me at jessica@jessicagoodpaster.com.

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