How to DIY Halloween costumes for your next candy run

Anyone can appear in a store-bought costume on Halloween night, but nothing beats the uniqueness of clever DIY Halloween costumes. We have some simple outside-the-box ideas below to help you stand out from the crowd on your next candy run.

You don’t need to be a master crafter for these; you just need a little imagination. Read on for our DIY Halloween costumes and level up next time you hit the neighbourhood for a trick-or-treat.

Our favourite DIY Halloween costumes for kids (and how to make them)

We’ve put together a list of easy DIY Halloween costumes to suit those pressed for time and less handy with crafting duties. You don’t need to be Jim Henson for these creations; a totally unique outfit for your kid, or yourself, can be very straightforward.

Costume idea #1: The classic rag doll

Everyone can recognise the classic Raggedy Ann look, and there is nothing better than a combo costume for you and your child.

It’s super easy and only requires clothes from your own wardrobe and some yarn (red is the classic colour of Raggedy Ann’s hair, but feel free to change it up with something else).

You’ll also want some felt strips to match the colours of your yarn, scissors, thread and two simple hair combs.

Cut the yarn pieces to create any wild shape you like for the wig, tie it into pigtails with the felt strips, grab a dress and some fun mismatching accessories, and then finish with a little face paint to create a ragdoll look.

Costume idea #2: The mummy bump

This one is for pregnant women who may have difficulty finding an easy and comfortable selection of DIY Halloween costumes. All you need is a cosy white tee shirt, some toilet paper or gauze, and some drawn or printed spooky eyes. Place the eyes on your bump and wrap yourself up like a mummy, and it will look like you are hatching a hilarious baby mummy!

Costume idea #3: A cup of hot chocolate

This one is a little more involved but very unique! You’ll need the following supplies:

• 40×60” sheet of cardboard
• Wrapping paper (in a plain colour of your choice)
• Poster board (the same colour as the wrapping paper)
• Spray adhesive
• Hot glue gun
• Brown felt
• Three 4” x36” foam rollers
• A box cutter
• Brown elastic
• Brown Dress or shirt

Step-by-step directions

1. Cut the foam rollers into four-inch pieces with the box cutter
2. Cut the cardboard sheet to an appropriate size for the body of your mug (curve it around your body before cutting to ensure a comfortable fit)
3. Spray the outside of the cardboard piece with spray adhesive, then cover it with wrapping paper
4. Cut a handle shape out of the poster board and fold over one inch on each end to glue it to the body of the mug
5. Hot glue the felt around the top of the mug unevenly and haphazardly so it looks like hot chocolate is spilling over the top of the mug
6. Glue the foam as “marshmallows” on top of the felt
7. Glue the elastic to the front and back of the mug as straps

Costume idea #4: A Mario Kart family

Some easy and fun family costumes are Mario Kart cars! Pick your characters, then find some boxes, spray paint, vinyl, and ribbon. The cardboard boxes should be large enough to stand in, and you’ll also need:

• Cardboard scissors
• Spray paint (the colours will depend on what character you are recreating)
• Hot glue and hot glue gun
• Mario Kart car emblems (drawn or printed)
• Permanent adhesive vinyl in colours that match your character
• Ribbon
• Painter’s tape

Step-by-step directions

1. Measure how tall you want the base of the car to be and cut three of the four sides of your box off, leaving five inches of the base around the box and one full side of the box.
2. Cut off the bottom of the box for your legs, then fold the front of the box back at a 45-degree angle. You can use the cardboard that you cut off for the tires.
3. Paint your “car”, but tape off where you want the white stripes on the front to be; painting them white makes them your racing stripes!
4. Cut out the Mario Kart symbols for your character and use hot glue to put them on the bonnet and sides of your car.
5. Glue the tires to the side with the larger tires on the back and smaller tires on the front
6. Create some straps to hold the car onto the wearer like suspenders.

Costume idea #5: Crayon on strike

Simple and cute, this costume takes inspiration from the book The Day The Crayons Quit. Make some crayon tip hats out of cardstock with a matching outfit in the colour you want your crayon to be. 

Add little black cuffs around the ankles and small protest signs that say “we quit” and “on strike” to the story! Be sure to write your protest messages with a box of crayons.

Costume idea #6: Cardboard flower pot

We’ll end with a very easy DIY project for those who need a last-minute Halloween costume. You’ll only need a big piece of cardboard and an X-Acto knife or scissors that can make some small cuts. This can also be great for DIY baby Halloween costumes!

Simply cut the shape of a flowerpot and paint around the edges to create the pot look, then cut the individual flowers and glue them on to create your own look.

You can even leave a few non-glued flowers that can be stuck on with blu-tack or held to change the “flowerpot arrangement” throughout the night. Maybe even give some flowers to the houses that reward you with the best candy for your efforts!

Frequently asked questions

How can I dress up for Halloween without a costume?

For those who don’t have the time or energy to come up with a costume, you can still get into the Halloween spirit with these ideas:

1. Let a favourite character inspire your outfit
2. Wear a festive headband
3. Add a pop of orange to your outfit to pay homage to the pumpkin!
4. Wear a DIY Halloween statement
5. Rock a pumpkin t-shirt
6. Opt for Halloween-style nail art
7. Go for some bold lipstick or eyeliner

What are some classic Halloween costumes?

The classic Halloween costumes below may help you find the perfect traditional look for your next round of trick-or-treating:

• Witch costumes
• A vintage Pierrot Clown
• Funny DIY Halloween costumes like an adult Tamagotchi
• Pirate costumes (with a skeleton flag, of course)
• Vampires
• Animals
• Devil (complete with pitchforks)
• Zombie costumes

What is the most popular Halloween costume ever?

The most popular Halloween costume is often a witch that sees roughly 4.6 million people wearing the look each Halloween. Next on the list? Princess costumes and superheroes like Spiderman!

Look your best with these DIY Halloween costume ideas and have the spookiest night ever!

We’ve given you a bunch of fun options above to help you be creative and have fun next Halloween. Remember, you can tweak as necessary or take some of the core ideas to make new ones of your own!

If you really want to be flashy next Halloween (and possibly win some costume competition), search the very talented seamstress and costume maker Taskers we have available. They can help you go all out with a costume that will help your impress the neighbourhood and fill those bags with candy!

We know that people like to go all out with Halloween making it a contender for the best-looking event of the year. Hopefully, the ideas above help you truly get into the spirit!