Maybe your kid changed their mind about their Halloween costume for the fifth time. Maybe you forgot about the school costume parade tomorrow. Or maybe you just can’t bring yourself to spend $40 on something they’re going to wear for approximately three hours.
Whatever the reason, you need a Halloween costume. Preferably one that doesn’t involve overnight shipping, a sewing machine or spending your entire evening covered in hot glue.
The good news is that you probably have most of what you need at home. And if not, a quick trip to Walmart or the thrift store should take care of it.
Here are 40 last-minute Halloween costumes made with regular clothes, simple accessories and things you might already have shoved in a closet somewhere.
Halloween Costumes Using Clothes You Already Own
1. Tourist
What you need: Hawaiian shirt, shorts, sandals, sunglasses.
Add a baseball cap, fanny pack, camera or tall socks with sandals. The more ridiculous, the better.
2. Farmer
What you need: Jeans or overalls, flannel shirt, boots.
Throw on a straw hat if you have one and grab a stuffed cow, pig or chicken. No overalls? Jeans work just fine.
3. Black Cat
What you need: Black clothes, headband, construction paper.
Cut out two ears and attach them to a headband. Draw on whiskers and a nose with face paint. You can make a tail from an old black sock, but the ears and whiskers are enough.
4. Ghost
What you need: White sheet or white clothing.
The classic sheet ghost is still an option, although I’d skip it for little kids running around in the dark. A white hoodie with black felt eyes attached is another easy option.
5. Cowboy or Cowgirl
What you need: Jeans, boots, button-down shirt, bandana.
If you have a cowboy hat, great. If not, the bandana and boots do most of the work.
6. Lumberjack
What you need: Flannel shirt, jeans, boots, beanie.
This is basically what half of us wear all winter anyway. Add a washable makeup beard if you want to make it more obvious.
7. ’80s Workout Instructor
What you need: Leggings, oversized T-shirt, sneakers.
Dig out the brightest clothes you can find. Add a scrunchie, sweatband or leg warmers. Mismatched colors are actually a bonus here.
8. Rock Star
What you need: Black jeans, graphic T-shirt, sunglasses.
Mess up their hair, add costume jewelry and hand them a toy microphone or guitar if you have one.
9. Ballerina
What you need: Leotard, tights, tutu or skirt, ballet flats.
If your child takes dance, you probably already have everything. If not, leotards and tights are easy to find at Walmart. Pull their hair into a bun and add a ribbon. No tutu? A regular skirt works, too.
10. Teacher
What you need: Cardigan, dress or nice pants, glasses, tote bag.
Add a lanyard, pencils and a notebook or clipboard. Bonus points if your child spends the evening reminding everyone to use their walking feet.
11. Old Man or Old Woman
What you need: Cardigan, oversized sweater, dress pants or floral dress, glasses.
For an old man, try high-waisted pants, suspenders and a tucked-in shirt. For an old woman, go with a floral dress, shawl, pearls and a purse. Add gray hair with temporary hair color if you want. Just be prepared for your toddler to look like they’re headed to bingo instead of trick-or-treating.
12. Scarecrow
What you need: Jeans or overalls, flannel shirt, boots.
Add a straw hat and draw little stitched patches on their cheeks with face paint.
13. Chef or Baker
What you need: Apron, plain shirt, mixing spoon.
Add a dish towel over the shoulder or a homemade paper chef’s hat. This would be especially cute on a toddler.
14. Artist
What you need: Oversized shirt, jeans, paintbrush.
Add a few washable paint marks to an old shirt and make a cardboard paint palette. A beret is a nice touch if you have one.
15. Construction Worker
What you need: Jeans, work boots, bright shirt or safety vest.
Add a toy hard hat and tool belt. Check the toy bin before buying anything.
16. Mad Scientist
What you need: Oversized white button-down shirt, glasses, messy hair.
Use the shirt as a lab coat and add plastic beakers or empty containers. A little temporary hair color makes this one even better.
17. Pirate
What you need: Striped shirt, black pants, bandana.
Add a cardboard eye patch and a belt over the shirt. No need to buy an actual pirate costume.
18. Hippie
What you need: Bell-bottom jeans, floral shirt, headband.
Add round sunglasses, a peace-sign necklace or a fringed vest if you have one.
Last-Minute Costumes Inspired by Favorite Characters
19. Wednesday Addams
What you need: Black dress, white collared shirt, black tights.
Part the hair down the middle, make two braids and tell them not to smile. A black skirt and sweater work if you don’t have a dress.
20. Where’s Waldo?
What you need: Red-and-white striped shirt, jeans, red hat, glasses.
If you can’t find the striped shirt, add strips of red tape to a white shirt. Round glasses are a nice touch, but not required.
21. Rosie the Riveter
What you need: Jeans, denim shirt, red bandana.
Roll up the sleeves, tie the bandana around their hair and you’re done. This is a good one for moms, too.
22. Minion
What you need: Yellow shirt, overalls or jeans, goggles.
If you have overalls, you’re halfway there. Make goggles from cardboard if you have time, or skip them.
23. Pokémon Trainer
What you need: Jeans, sneakers, baseball cap, backpack.
Add a stuffed Pikachu or whatever Pokémon your kid happens to have. If you have a Pokémon-obsessed child, there’s a good chance you can put this together in about five minutes.
24. Barbie or Ken
What you need: Something pink, bright, sporty or beachy.
The nice thing about Barbie is that there are about a million versions. Pink dress? Barbie. Pink tracksuit? Barbie. Cowboy hat and boots? Also Barbie.
Halloween Costumes Only the Parents Will Appreciate
25. The Little Leaguer from Hocus Pocus
What you need: Baseball uniform, cap, glove.
If your kid already plays baseball, this is practically a free costume. And if someone asks what they’re supposed to be, you get to say, “For your information, he’s a little leaguer!”
26. Squints from The Sandlot
What you need: Jeans, T-shirt, baseball cap, glasses.
If you have a pair of thick-framed glasses, even better. This would also make a pretty great sibling costume with someone dressed as Wendy Peffercorn.
27. Napoleon Dynamite
What you need: Jeans, glasses, curly hair, Vote for Pedro T-shirt.
If you don’t have the shirt, make one with a plain white tee and fabric markers. Add some awkward dance moves and you’re all set.
28. The Peanuts Gang
What you need: Depends on the character!
Charlie Brown needs a yellow shirt with a black zigzag across the middle. Lucy needs a blue dress, and Linus can wear a red striped shirt and carry a blanket. This one would be especially cute for siblings.
29. Darla from Finding Nemo
What you need: Purple sweatshirt, plaid skirt, pigtails.
Add pretend braces and a toy fish in a clear container (no real fish, please!). The messier the pigtails, the better.
30. Kevin McCallister from Home Alone
What you need: Red sweater, jeans, sneakers.
That’s pretty much it. Add the classic hands-on-cheeks scream for pictures.
31. The Karate Kid
What you need: Karate uniform or white T-shirt, jeans, bandana.
If your child already takes karate, you’re halfway there. Otherwise, a simple white shirt and headband can work for a casual Daniel LaRusso look.
32. Eleven from Stranger Things
What you need: Pink dress, blue jacket, sneakers, knee-high socks.
Carry a box of Eggo waffles and most people will get it. No need to shave anyone’s head!
33. Hogwarts Student
What you need: White collared shirt, dark pants or skirt, sweater, tie.
Add a homemade wand and you’re done. If you have a scarf in house colors, even better.
34. Bob Ross
What you need: Jeans, blue button-down shirt, curly hair or wig.
Add a paintbrush and a homemade cardboard paint palette. This is especially cute on toddlers.
Funny Costumes That Barely Require Any Effort
35. Cereal Killer
What you need: Plain shirt, empty cereal boxes, plastic spoons.
Attach miniature cereal boxes to a shirt and add a few red paper splatters. This is probably more fun for older kids who understand the joke.
36. Stick Figure
What you need: White shirt, black pants, black tape.
Use electrical tape to make a stick figure on the front of the shirt. Easy, cheap and surprisingly funny.
37. Rain Cloud
What you need: Gray clothes, cotton batting, blue paper.
Attach cotton batting to a hat and hang a few blue paper raindrops from it. Or decorate a small umbrella with raindrops.
38. Sleepyhead
What you need: Pajamas, robe, slippers, stuffed animal.
Possibly the easiest costume on this list. Your child gets to wear pajamas, and you don’t have to buy a single thing. Honestly, I’m not sure why we don’t all do this.
39. Mummy
What you need: White or beige clothes, strips of old fabric.
Attach strips of old fabric loosely to a shirt and pants. Much more comfortable than wrapping a child in toilet paper, and it won’t fall apart after the first five houses.
40. Butterfly
What you need: Black leggings and shirt, cardboard wings, headband.
Make wings from cardboard and attach them comfortably to the back of the shirt. Add antennae to a headband. This one takes a little more crafting, but it’s still pretty inexpensive.
Before You Buy Anything, Check What You Already Have
It’s tempting to head straight to the Halloween aisle, but I’d start with your closets.
Look for flannel shirts, plain T-shirts, leggings, overalls, button-down shirts, hats, bandanas and old sports uniforms. Then check the dress-up bin, toy box and wherever all those random school spirit-day accessories end up.
If you’re still missing something, Walmart or a thrift store is probably your best bet. And I’d shop the regular clothing sections first. A thrifted flannel or inexpensive plain shirt is a lot easier to justify when you know your child can wear it again.
You also don’t need every single accessory listed. Most of these costumes are recognizable with just two or three things.
A Few Things Worth Remembering
If your child is trick-or-treating, make sure they can walk comfortably, see where they’re going and stay warm enough for the weather. That cute costume becomes a lot less cute when you’re carrying the accessories, the candy bucket and a freezing child halfway through the neighborhood.
I’d also avoid spending an hour making a complicated prop. There’s a very good chance you’ll be the one carrying it after the first five houses.
And don’t worry if the costume isn’t perfect. Most people will figure it out, and the ones who don’t can always ask.
The Costume Doesn’t Have to Be a Big Production
Halloween is already a lot. Between the pumpkins, candy, classroom parties, trunk-or-treats and everything else, sometimes one more thing on the to-do list is just too much.
If you’ve got the time and enjoy making elaborate costumes, go for it! But if you’re pulling together a costume the night before with a flannel shirt, some construction paper and whatever you found in the junk drawer, that works, too.
The kids are probably going to remember the candy more than the costume anyway.
