Store-bought Halloween costumes are fine but there's nothing like creating a homemade Halloween costume. Buy a few cheap additions to accompany items on hand and an inexpensive costume will appear. Best of all, they're simple and quick to put together. Just a few short hours (even less in some cases) and these costumes will be ready for a party or trick or treating.
How about creating a costume from favorite toys? Is there an aspiring carpenter or chef around the house? Is there a future doctor? The first two Halloween costume ideas are ideal as toddler costumes. The balance can be homemade costumes for children of many ages and are very simple to make.
Mr. Handyman Costume for Toddlers or Young Children
The plastic toys associated with handyman skills are a simple way to make a toddler's costume. Take the small tools from a child's tool box and sew them at random on the front of a pair of overalls or coveralls. Take care the items aren't affixed to a spot interfering with simple acts like bending or sitting.
Add a name tag to the baseball cap that says "Mr. Fix-it", a plaid shirt and done! The threads will be easy to remove the next day and the clothing can go back in the drawer without the cost of a costume that may never be worn again.
The Master Chef Costume for Toddlers, Young or Older Children
For the chef, use the same technique as with the Handyman costume but with small kitchen utensils. Instead of coveralls, use a white/light-colored, long-sleeved shirt with pants in a similar color. Tie on a white apron, perhaps with a clever saying on it (i.e. Kiss the Cook; Instant is not a Word; Just like Mama used to make; Shhh - Not while I'm stirring, etc) or the names of different spices randomly distributed.
The spices can be written on taped pieces of white paper or small pieces of white fabric that have been sewn on. Add a moustache and a chef will suddenly appear! Make the moustache a huge handlebar for Tony, the Italian Chef or small, defined and curled on the ends for Antoine, the French Chef.
The Frumpy Housewife Costume for Young or Older Children
Girls will have fun with this exaggerated, inexpensive costume. This is the housewife as seen in cartoons or comic strips. Use over-sized hair rollers to get started. A pair of horn-rimmed glasses (perhaps on a chain), a flannel nightgown, housecoat and big, fuzzy slippers. Apply white Halloween make-up to look like cold cream and gaudy colorful earrings. A TV guide in one of the pockets, an unbreakable coffee cup and the look is complete.
The Slumber Party Costume for Young or Older Children
For a group of girls trick-or-treating, this is a fun way to do costumes together. Instead of rollers, add a few braids to each of the girls' hair and forget the cold cream. Apply lipstick and overdone eyeshadow, typical of girls experimenting with make-up. Break out the flannel nighties and slippers and include a stuffed toy. Pillow cases make great goodie bags and they fit right in.
The Good Doctor Costume for Toddlers, Young or Older Children
It really helps to know someone in the health industry to borrow a small pair of scrubs from (hospital employee attire) but inexpensive ones can be purchased. Like the handyman and chef ideas, use the doctor tools from a toy doctor's bag and attach to the front of the scrubs. Slick the hair back neatly and add serious, black rimmed glasses.
If a surgical mask is unavailable, home supply box stores will have dust masks that work very well. You can also buy disposable booties for over shoes and pairs of disposable gloves in the same store. Attaching a large, old clear plastic pill container partly filled with jelly beans will finish the affect.
The Evil Doctor Costume for Older Children
For an older child, use the same techniques for the Good Doctor costume, except:
- Use evil tools instead of good ones, such as a small toy hand saw spattered with fake blood
- Use gel or hair spray to make the hair stick out all over for a wild look
- Instead of jelly beans, fill the pill bottle with "creepy candy" like gumballs or jawbreakers made to look like eyeballs
- Use Halloween make-up to make the face look ghoulish
Safe Costumes that are Fun are the Best Costumes
The best part of these costumes is they can go over other clothing, should the weather be uncomfortable. In the interest of Halloween safety, no eye masks means nothing to hinder vision. Items used to create these costumes are mostly common and readily available. Simple animal costumes are easy to make as well. A pair of appropriately colored sweats to get you started and some simple props and makeup will finish the look.
Talk to friends and see if some of the items needed can be borrowed or perhaps traded for making other inexpensive costumes. Take photos and include a copy in the Halloween box so when digging out the decorations, there will be inspiration waiting for the next year's costume. Fun, safe costumes don't have to be expensive to be effective and the work required to put these together is minimal.
The history of Halloween is considerably different from how Halloween is celebrated today but the homemade costume idea is as old as the tradition. Happy Halloween!
Deborah Read - A writer on movies, music and their history for 35 years, Deborah IS trivia. Her 27+ years of decorating work has put her consulting ...
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