Wear your Footed Pajamas when you need a costume and THEN USE THEM AS PJS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR...
Here are over 100 great homemade Halloween costume ideas that should cost less than $10 dollars extra and take very little more than cardboard, magic markers, safety pins & a sense of humor.
CLICK ON ANY PHOTO BELOW TO SEE INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE THE DIY COSTUMES PICTURED
DIY COSTUME IDEAS:
Buy a pair of footies and make a low-budget costume out of it!
Many of these are perfect for couples or groups. |
RED
FOOTIES COSTUME
IDEAS |
SUPERHEROES
Superheroes with mostly red outfits:
Spiderman, The Flash, Mr. Incredible, Frylock, etc. |
CHILI PEPPER
Add a green "stem" hat. Look hot. |
VEGETABLES & FRUITS
Make a hat that looks like a stem or leaves from green felt - Chili pepper, Apple, Strawberry, etc.
Group costume idea:
The Fruit of the Loom Guys"
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WHOOPIE CUSHION
Cardboard hat shaped like the mouth of a whoopie cushion, "WHOOPIE" sign on chest. |
KETCHUP BOTTLE
White hat as the bottle top. Add a Heinz-shaped label. |
WORM ON A HOOK
Make a giant hook from cardboard covered in tin foil. Hang it around your neck - YOU are the worm. |
RED
FOOTIES COSTUME
IDEAS |
SUNBURNED CHICK
Affix "bikini" to the outside of your footies. Paint your face red. Add a blonde wig. Carry a tri-fold sun reflector made from cardboard covered in tin foil and a giant bottle with an "SPF ZERO" label. |
PETER GRIFFIN
Electric Man! CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS |
ELMO
Ping pong ball eyes and nose (on red half sphere hat). Red gloves. |
EARTHWORM
Rounded hat and carry a dirt sandwich. |
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PINK
FOOTIES COSTUME
IDEAS |
GUM UNDER A CHAIR (OR SHOE)
Fasten a tiny shoe or chair to your hair - YOU - in your pink footies - are the gum. |
PEPTO BISMOL BOTTLE
White "cap" and yellow label.
Couple costume: show up with "Milk of Magnesia" bottle - blue footies, white cap and label. |
CUPID
Cardboard bow & arrows, tiny wings on your back, curly wig. |
PINK ELEPHANT
Tiny pink wings, big pink ears hanging from your head, pink fabric nose & tail. Say "you're drunk!" if they guess what your costume is. |
PINK FLAMINGO
Big pink bustle-like tail, cover a baseball cap with pink felt, big black eyes & make the bill into a black beak. Pink wings hanging from arms. Stand on one leg all night. |
PINK PANTHER
Pink felt tail & ears. Lighter pink oval pinned to your chest, red nose, big black eyebrows. |
BLUE
FOOTIES COSTUME
IDEAS |
SUPERHEROES
Superheroes with mostly blue outfits:
Superman, Captain America, Ambiguously Gay Duo, The Tick. |
HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON
Blue footies - make a giant purple crayon from a piece of posterboard. |
BLUES CLUES
Dark blue nose, blue face & floppy ears, mittens with paw print, contrasting blue spots. |
ALADDIN GENIE
Paint your face blue, wear your hair straight up in a pigtail and sport a red sash. |
OCTOPUS
Add 6 more arms, blue headpiece*.
SQUID
Same thing, but with Pope-like hat. |
COOKIE MONSTER
Ping pong ball eyes on half-sphere hat. Blue mittens. |
BLUE
FOOTIES COSTUME
IDEAS |
SPACEMAN
Milk carton hat - lots of official looking squares and circles pinned to your outfit. Faux jet packs and coat hanger antenna optional. |
WHALE
Big white triangle on your chest, blue hat with tiny eyes on opposite sides, blue tail hanging from your butt.
DOLPHIN
Add a big fin. |
COOKIE MONSTER
Blue headpiece* with styrofoam eyes. Bring cookies to share. |
BLUEBERRY
Blue face, green leafy hat. |
X MEN - BEAST
Stuff your footies with newspaper. Add black speedos with yellow belt and Beast-style hair. Paint your face blue. |
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BLACK
FOOTIES COSTUME
IDEAS |
SEAL
Black headpiece*, paint whiskers on your face. Wear a sailor hat if you want to be a "Navy Seal". |
CAT IN HAT
Red & white posterboard hat, white oval on chest, red bowtie, triangle & whiskers painted on face, white gloves, black tail. Show up with Thing 1 & 2. |
KILLER WHALE
Big white triangle on your chest, black hat with tiny eyes on opposite sides, black tail hanging from your butt, black fin on your back. |
MONTY PYTHON & THE HOLY GRAIL
Add hat, crown or helmet - cover with tunic painted with appropriate embellishment. Add coconuts and a sword. (really works best with a grey pair of footies to mimic chain mail) |
IPHONE
CLICK HERE
also:
iPOD
CLICK HERE |
BRAK
Cardboard mask or face paint, shallow hat with yellow cloth hanging, blue fabric X & belt, blue boots, red gloves. Sing. |
BLACK
FOOTIES COSTUME
IDEAS |
BATMAN
Black scalloped cape. Add mask & gold belt. Stuff chest & arms for faux muscles. |
PENGUIN
White oval on chest & belly, red bow tie, black cap, yellow beak. Red cumberbund also works. |
BLACK BEAR
Black headpiece* with tiny ears, brown oval on chest, black mittens with claws stapled to the end. Tiny tail on your butt.
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PANDA BEAR
White high-waisted shorts, black & white face paint, black mittens, black ears. |
BUMBLE BEE
Yellow stripes around your thorax, wings, stinger on your butt, antennae. Couple costume: dress her as a flower. |
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BLACK
FOOTIES COSTUME
IDEAS |
INSECTS:
CATERPILLAR
Legs. Tons of cardboard legs.
FLY
White mesh wings, green mirrored sunglasses.
MOSQUITO
White mesh wings, straw hanging from your mouth. Maybe tuck a napkin in your collar. |
BLUE MAN GROUP
Blue face & hands. |
GORILLA
Store bought gorilla mask & hands... unless you're really artsy and want to paint your face. |
MONARCH HENCHMEN
Yellow-orange tunic. Black headpiece* and catseye glasses style yellow mask. Yellow boot toppers and yellow rubber gloves from the grocery store! |
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ORANGE
FOOTIES COSTUME
IDEAS |
THAI ICED TEA
Stick a straw down your footies. This is one of those "What are you supposed to be?" costumes. Also works for "Orangeade".
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KOI
Giant googly eyebals on either side of your tail, hang an orange tail from your dropseat. |
PRISONER OF LOVE
Write long number on posterboard or fabric, pin to your back. Accent with ball & chain or handcuffs. |
TIGGER
Pin long black triangles on arms & back, yellow oval on chest & belly, orange & black striped tail, comical ears, pink nose. |
CANDY CORN
Cone hat - white on top, yellow on bottom. |
BALTIMORE ORIOLE
Black wings & beak. |
ORANGE
FOOTIES COSTUME
IDEAS |
DREAMSICLE
Attach a rectangular cardboard "stick" to your baseball cap (maybe cut off the cap's bill). |
FOX
Orange ears with white inside, black nose tip, white oval on chest, orange tail with white tip. Show up with Grapes (see above). |
FLAME
Add triangles of red and yellow - show up with person dressed as a marshmallow. |
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| WORKS WITH SEVERAL COLORS |
POWER RANGERS
White boot toppers, white Power Ranger accents, hat made from felt (or an old bicycle helmet). |
CRAYONS
Matching posterboard with "CRAYOLA", matching cone hat.
also:
CANS OF PLAYDOH
Yellow posterboard label. |
CANDY BAR
Sandwich board* style label (works great with red & blue for Mounds & Almond Joy - sing "sometimes you feel like a nut" song all night. |
CAN OF FOOD
3 pieces of posterboard taped together as label around your waist - w/optional foil-covered circle on your head (Campbell's Soup, Can o'Beans, be Cat Food if your wife dresses as a cat, etc.) |
ANDY WARHOL CAMPBELL'S SOUP CANS
Group costume: Multi-colored labels over a variety of different colored footies. |
BOTTLED SAUCES
Posterboard or sheet safety-pinned to your chest - with bottle cap shaped hat (Ketchup, Tabasco Sauce, etc.) |
| WORKS WITH SEVERAL COLORS |
TELETUBBIES
Construct appropriate headgear with ears, add grey rectangle across your tummy. |
SANDWICH
Sandwich board* style bread made from cardboard. Use felt embellishments to mimic lettuce, etc. |
PLAYING CARDS
Sandwich board* style giant playing card on front & playing card back behind. |
ROBOT
Box on head, dials & gauges on chest, boxes on hands (cut hole for beer in hands). |
SNAIL, HERMIT CRAB
Cardboard "shell" on your back. |
FAT SUIT
Stuff your footies with newspaper. |
| WORKS WITH SEVERAL COLORS |
VANDERWAALS FORCES (group costume)
Big "V" on chests - capes, Lone Ranger-style masks over eyes. Keep bumping into each other.
Also:
ANY CHEMICAL
Two "O"s and an "H" = water, etc. |
ROAD SIGNS
Red stop sign can make a couple costume with an orange traffic cone. |
SODAS, RED BULL, SNAPPLE
3 pieces of posterboard taped together as label around your waist - w/optional foil-covered circle or bottle cap on your head. |
SPORTS TEAM FANATIC
Paint face & write name of team on your chest - undo your zipper and flash people when they ask "what are you supposed to be?". |
ROBOT
Box hat - covered with foil - with hole cut out for your face. Antennas, lots of official looking squares and circles on your chest. Tin foil gloves and foot toppers. |
JESTER
Add a jester hat and pointy foot toppers. Adding diamond accents and/or pointy wristlets should look good. Wear bells. |
STRIPED
FOOTIES COSTUME
IDEAS |
CANDY CANE
Striped curved hat that resembles a candy cane top. |
AMERICAN FLAG
blue square with white stars over your right breast. |
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*
DEFINITIONS & TIPS |
SANDWICH BOARD:
two pieces of cardboard, one in front, one in back, held together by straps across your shoulders |
THINGS ON YOUR HEAD:
Nobody will care if you pin things to a baseball cap, but if you must be fancier purchase a headband or barrettes or a cheap pair of shades to affix props to. |
HEADPIECE:
Put your head through a tshirt collar (like you're going to put it on) but just pull your face through. Tie the arms behind your head - either under or over the rest of the tshirt (depending on what look you want to achieve - Ninja or Seal). You're done.
See our Ninja Costume Page for 3 ways to do this. |
BEST FABRIC FOR LETTERS:
Buy felt (or adhesive-backed felt) at your local fabric or craft store.
Clip a few safety pins inside your costume for in-the-field repairs.
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SAFETY:
ALL costumes should always be easy to take off in case of problems (bee down your dropseat, caught in an elevator door, etc.).
Do not wear costumes that might make you trip or obscure your vision.
In case you overheat: always wear a tank top under your costume - you can always unzip your footies and tie the arms around your waist. |
