One of the reasons Halloween is so loved is because it lets you be someone else for the night. And to be honest, the creative Halloween costumes people come up with is a skill in and of itself. If you've ever attended a Halloween costume contest, you know the coolest outfits are the DIY Halloween costumes that reference a joke or pop culture event in a really clever way.
But there are also store-bought costumes that do the work for you and still deserve to win the award for most creative Halloween costume at any party. If you're looking for an original Halloween costume, we have plenty of ideas to inspire you. These creative Halloween costumes run the gamut from pop culture references to always-funny puns, and they include cool Halloween costumes you can buy or DIY, as well as creative Halloween costume ideas for solo trick-or-treaters or people in need of group costumes .
Let the list spark your own creativity, or use it as inspiration for one or more of your own unique Halloween costumes (you can dress up all month long, right?). We're sure you'll find a scary-good and creative Halloween costume idea that'll have all your friends in awe or laughing out loud all night long. Why Is Everyone So Horny on Halloween? Creative Halloween Costumes: Cereal Killer Your creative Halloween costume this year: a cereal killer.
Not to be confused with an actual serial killer, simply glue some small cereal boxes on to a shirt, find some fake blood, and let all of your friends figure out the pun. Creative Halloween Costumes: Edna Mode Fashion designer Edna is the most underrated character in "The Incredibles," and dressing up in her trademark A-line black dress, giant specs, and severe bob cut will give you a costume that definitely won't be overlooked. Creative Halloween Costumes: Miss Universe Use anything from a little black dress to a trash bag for your universe, and decorate it with an array of colorful planets (with bonus points for scientific accuracy).
The final touch is a tiara and pageant sash. Creative Halloween Costumes: Violet Crawley Violet Crawley from "Downton Abbey" is the queen of sass. Take inspiration from her this Halloween and deck yourself out with one of the Dowager Countess's wild hats and signature ensembles.
Don't forget your cup of tea! Creative Halloween Costumes: Heather Chandler "Heathers" is an '80s cult classic, and you can channel the Heathers' leader with some argyle, plaid, and a croquet mallet. Creative Halloween Costumes: Morton Salt Girl If you're looking for a costume that's simple and sweet, grab a yellow dress and an umbrella to become Morton Salt's iconic label (but please don't blame us if you get bad luck for opening an umbrella indoors). Creative Halloween Costumes: Debbie Thornberry The petulant teenager of "The Wild Thornberrys" is easy to take on with ripped jeans, a cropped orange tank, and lots of snark.
11 Scary-Good Halloween Workouts to Get You Sweating All Spooky Season Long Creative Halloween Costumes: A Shrimp on the Barbie Cute, creative, and super appropriate for 2023, the year of "Barbie," dressing up as a shrimp on the "barbie" will win you applause for the rest of the year. Find a Barbie shirt or make your own, and keep your eyes peeled for a shrimp hat. Creative Halloween Costumes: Barbie and Ken Didn't get your chance to live out your Barbie dreams last year? Go classic by DIY-ing a Barbie box (and a Ken box, too, if you're doing a twofer costume), and dress in your Barbie best.
Creative Halloween Costumes: Bud Lightyear Go to infinity and beyond this Halloween when you dress up as Bud Lightyear. You'll need to wear a Bud Light shirt and tape Buzz's wings to your back. Cheers to a good "Toy Story" reference! Creative Halloween Costumes: Chip on Your Shoulder Grab a cute top, your favorite chips, and a little tape, and you're easily transformed into "Chip on Your Shoulder.
" Easy, funny, and creative, right? Creative Halloween Costumes: Smart Cookie You'll get an A+ for this creative costume idea! Just wear a cap and gown, and carry around a box of your favorite cookies. Done and done. Creative Halloween Costumes: Royal-Tee This costume is fit for a queen.
Simply write the word "royal" on a white T-shirt, and you're good to go. You can complete your look with a small tiara and jewels if you really want to make it come to life. Creative Halloween Costumes: Pumpkin Pi Feeling sweet this Halloween? Dress up as pumpkin pi.
(Not a typo.) Wear an orange shirt with a jack-o'-lantern face on it, and tape the pi logo onto your shirt. Math people will love it.
Bonus points if you carry around a pie all night, giving out free slices to everyone who laughs. These Realistic Pottery Barn Pumpkins Are My Favorite Fall-Decor Investment Creative Halloween Costumes: Party Animals We love this easy and comfy costume. Just wear a party hat with any kind of animal shirt or costume you have lying around the house, and you're done.
You can make it more complicated, but really — why bother? Creative Halloween Costumes: Old Fart You can definitely make this yourself if you're crafty, or you can snag a Whoopie Cushion Costume ($44). You could stop there, but the addition of some good makeup, a gray wig, and glasses take it to the next level. Creative Halloween Costumes: French Kiss A french kiss doesn't have to involve lots of PDA.
Style this costume with a black-and-white striped shirt, a beret, and bright red lipstick. Throw in a baguette for a tasty prop. Creative Halloween Costumes: Deviled Egg Everyone will get a laugh out of this creative costume.
Just draw a little yellow circle onto a white shirt and put on a pair of devil horns. Then, let this costume win Halloween! Creative Halloween Costumes: Bowl of Cereal This creative costume gives you the option of being any cereal you'd like. Cut open the bottom of a large bucket, attach straps, and adorn the front with the logo of your favorite cereal.
For this Froot Loops costume, slices of pool noodles were used to make the actual cereal bits — so clever. Creative Halloween Costumes: Cereal Killer Tape mini cereal boxes to a shirt or dress, and cover yourself in fake blood. Use a knife as a prop to really make this costume scary.
Creative Halloween Costumes: French Toast No foreign language or culinary skills are required for this sweet and simple costume. You can go for a huge cardboard "toast" or just carry around some toasted bread to accompany your beret and striped shirt. 13 Cat Makeup Tutorials to Spruce Up Your Halloween Costume Creative Halloween Costumes: Travel Bug Remember the summer, when it seemed like the entire world was going on a European vacation? Channel that energy and go as a travel bug.
All you need is a map skirt (DIY it by taping maps to any skirt) and butterfly wings (buy them, unless you're crafty). You can snag this pair of butterfly wings ($12) on Amazon. Creative Halloween Costumes: When Life Gives You Lemons .
. . You make lemonade! Be the bright spot this Halloween with a shirt that says "life" and a bag of lemons.
Creative Halloween Costumes: Vincent van Gogh This one works as a solo costume (just dress up as the artist, ear bandage mandatory). But it also works as a couple's costume, with the second person dressing up as one of van Gogh's iconic paintings — like "Sunflower" or "Starry Night." The paint-stroke shirts are the clever touch that really brings it all together.
Creative Halloween Costumes: "Ted Lasso" The "Ted Lasso" fandom is still going strong, and there are so many great characters to dress as, from Ted himself (mustache and "Believe" sign mandatory) to Coach Beard, Roy Kent, Keeley, Nathan, and more. Creative Halloween Costumes: Army Men Another DIY costume, all you need to nail this clever look are some green face paint and a green outfit — and maybe a helmet (though a green beanie will do in a pinch). It makes good use of the cargo-pant trend you may have bought into recently.
Creative Halloween Costumes: LED Figure This clever LED Stickman Halloween Costume ($110, originally $130) will make a big splash and is perfect if you plan to visit a haunted house or go trick-or-treating. We especially love the fact that it allows you to dress as warmly and comfortably as you like — no itchy fabrics or impractical shoes necessary. Creative Halloween Costumes: Octopus This Octopus Hoodie ($172 and up) is spendy and only comes in kid sizes, but we love that it marries comfort and creativity.
No one's going to accuse you of phoning it in on a costume this year, even though it's technically "just" a hoodie. 30 Halloween Nail Designs For Every Style Creative Halloween Costumes: Mona Lisa This Mona Lisa Costume Kit ($25) is another one that lets you wear comfy clothes and still be dressed up. Go for a black or neutral outfit so all the attention is on your beautiful face, and experiment with makeup to help you really blend in.
Then, just practice your smile. Creative Halloween Costumes: "Seinfeld" In case you can't tell, we love a costume that looks really dressed up but still lets you be comfy, and a "Seinfeld" group costume does just that. Get the gang together, pick a character, and go for it — and remember, the subtle touches (Kramer's hair; Elaine's blazers; George's puffers) make all the difference.
Creative Halloween Costumes: Cousin Itt It's always a great time for an Addams Family-themed outfit. Simply drape a bedsheet over you and pair your look with some sunglasses. Creative Halloween Costumes: Sour It's a great time to replicate Olivia Rodrigo's iconic cover art from her first album "Sour.
" A tank top, a plaid skirt, and lots of (face-safe) stickers pull the look together. Creative Halloween Costumes: Spice Girls Another pun, for a group that loves to laugh. These simple Spice Dresses ($32, originally $40) make it so easy to go as the "Spice Girls" — and no one's fighting over who gets to be Posh.
Creative Halloween Costumes: Reverse Cowgirl Have a cowgirl costume from years prior? Slip the "reverse" card out of your Uno deck and you have a flirty, creative new costume for this Halloween. Creative Halloween Costumes: ZomBeyoncé There's only one Queen Bey, but anyone can be a Zombie Beyoncé. Channel your favorite Beyoncé look, then use your makeup skills to transform yourself into a member of the undead.
— Additional reporting by Mirel Zaman Corinne Sullivan is a former PS contributor. Mirel Zaman is the health and fitness director at PS. She has over 15 years of experience working in the health and wellness space, covering fitness, general health, mental health, relationships and sex, food and nutrition, spirituality, family and parenting, culture, and news.
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