Halloween can be a spooky and joyous time of year. Some people don’t even celebrate it only one day. Often times the celebrations span over the course of weeks and there are plenty of opportunities to dress up and stun your families and friends with contest-winning costumes. Costumes can get expensive especially if you need multiple costumes for different events, but when you get creative you may just win any costume contest or otherwise without even breaking the bank.
Here are some iconic costumes that will have you winning at Halloween and you won’t even have to break a sweat or your pockets. That is if your costume even has pockets. Let’s get to costuming!
1. Pre & post-tornado The Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy
Get creative and instead of buying a whole new costume, reusing an old classic like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz might just be exactly the solution to an epic costume.
Half in color and half in black and white it immerses Halloween in the best of both worlds from this easily recognizable story. You’ll for sure stand out and put the other Dorothys to shame. We’ll follow this costume directly to the yellow brick road any day.
2. Supermarket Sweep Contestants
When you think of winning at Halloween, this costume might just come to mind and in case it hasn’t we have you covered. Not only do you probably have most of these items lying around the house, like a white collared shirt and blue sweater, but the things you’re missing can be easily obtained through a quick supermarket trip.
The best part is you have an excuse to put whatever fun items you find laying around, into your trusted cart. This costume without a doubt turn any Halloween night into a game.
3. Blue’s Clues: Magenta and Blue
You can’t beat a childhood classic. This costume is especially good if you have someone to dress up with, whether its a significant other or a best friend, all it takes are literally some blue and magenta colored outfits and some paper cutouts.
The crowd will be “woofing and barking” up a storm when you enter the party. It’s sure to be a wild night so you can leave the leash at home.
4. M&M’s that Stay Together, Win Together
A little spray paint, tutus, and colored shirts are all you need. Get a group of friends together and become the M&M’s bag of your Halloween dreams.
What could be more iconic and memorable than dressing up as your favorite Halloween candy? It is the epitome of Halloween. Halloween is nothing without the candy after all.
5. Garden Gnomes
A lot of times when people think of dressing up as a gnome, The Smurfs, come to mind. Although it is a fun costume, Halloween is the time to take it one step further and get creative. Dressing up like a garden gnome is sure to win over everyone, especially your neighbors. That is if you manage not to scare them too much.
Trick-or-Treaters may also get a kick out of it when walking up to your home, just make sure they don’t kick you first.
6. The Eleventh Doctor and The Little Mermaid with a Twist
We are all familiar with the classic little mermaid costume, but it’s way overdone and can get complicated when attempting to get that green tail effect. Here is an easier and more creative twist, Little Mermaid in human form, complete with a flounder bag and blue bow.
In an unrelated story twist, she meets “the eleventh doctor” an incarnation of the Doctor, the main protagonist of the science fiction television series Doctor Who. You might have people saying, “who?” but it’s sure to score you brownie points with those who understand.
7. Sims & Censored
We all can remember the Sims, all different versions and evolutions of Sims to be exact. This is sure to get a laugh and a smile from everyone this Halloween season.
Just make sure you’re covered up underneath. All you need is some cardboard and a little patience and we think you will be winning at Halloween in no time.
8. Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz
Iconic would be an understatement and memorable won’t do these best friends justice at all. This timeless pair are the life of the party. Both Lucy and Ethel are award-winning and you have more than half these things in your closet already. If you don’t, then even if you need to buy something new, you will be able to wear it on the day-to-day anyway.
You don’t need to venture out of your comfort zone to win at Halloween and look great doing it.
9. A Black Cat and a Scratching Post
Black cats are a Halloween staple but what makes this costume so creative and different is it’s scratching post counter part. You should jump on this idea before someone else enters the contest with it.
If there is one thing you’ll regret, it’s not thinking of it first.
10. The Cheetah Girls
The cheetah girls are secretly our favorite choice and perhaps one of the most recognizable by those 90s babies. We all know you kept your velour tracksuit and good thing too because they’re already coming back in style.
The best thing about these velour tracksuits is that you can even spin them into a few more costumes without changing much, from Paris Hilton’s Juicy era to Regina George’s mom, the list goes on.
11. Peter Pan’s….. Shadow
Peter Pan is another overdone classic but here it is with a twist and all you need are some black clothes. It’ll be the comfiest and easiest costume of the season. You’ll turn this exhausted costume into something even better.
We are a fan! Especially if you happened to be Peter Pan last year, now you can get double the usage out of it. That’s great news if you’re not a costume repeater, like us.
12. “Spoiled Milk”
As the saying goes, “No use crying over spilled milk.” We doubt you’ll be crying over this spilled milk costume. It’s already making us want to turn into spilled milk too. All you need is the white dress you already have and some crafts.
No need for a designer, all you need is the bag it comes in, but if you have a designer bag you can invest in a “costume’s bag” you’ll want to wear more than once.
13. The Spiced Girls
Everyone loves the Spice Girls, but what about the “Spiced Girls?” With this costume, you’re taking creativity and puns to a whole new level. All you need is the apron you already have lying around, some mini pumpkins, and a printer.
Bonus points if the pumpkins are real and you carry some cinnamon seasoning.
14. Recess’s Spinelli
If you’re a 90s baby, you’ll remember everyone wanting to be and fearing Spinelli at the same time. If you are a group you can even dress up the whole crew.
If you also happen to be a Doc Martens and leather jacket kind of girl, then you already have half your costume and can focus on getting the voice down just right.
15. Pigs in a Blanket
When we think of “Pigs in a Blanket” we probably automatically think of that flaky breadlike dough wrapped in sausage but in this case, we would all be wrong. Here is another play on words costume that can only go right when it comes to Halloween.
All you need is a pink shirt, a blanket, and some facepaint. That sounds easy enough, you can thank us later when you’re the winner.
16. Regina George From Mean Girls
Everyone fears and wants to be a Mean Girl when their on the up and up but who is brave enough to be her when she is down? Another iconic twist on a classic. Regina George after the bus got her.
10 out of 10 on this costume. We are already looking for our pink dress. We might let you beat us if you’re mean enough.
17. Your Google Maps Route
Can anyone even drive without maps anymore, we doubt it! If you end up being the first person at the party it’s even funnier since you can always say it’s because you have a great sense of direction.
Dad jokes aside, this is the easiest and most creative way to conquer Halloween, not to mention outrun the competition.
18. Jelly Beans in my Belly
Who wouldn’t want to be a Jelly Bean pack? Especially for Halloween. What could be more on theme than your candy coming to life, costume and all?
Book it to your toy store for some balls or balloons and get to crafting. Time is of the essence and this competition waits for know one. There are too many ghouls out there.
19. Arthur but Make it a Meme
What are we if not Nickelodeon kids? This creative costume takes all the things we love about Arthur and turns it into a meme-able moment.
Arthur’s first meme, and all it took were jeans, a yellow sweater and some cardboard and paint.
20. French KISS
A French KISS, unlike anything else you’ve experienced. The band KISS, that is, if it was a French. We think this costume is undeniably lucky not to mention easy to pull off.
Lucky because you may just get a kiss too by the end of the night, and you’ll win Halloween for sure. Hop to, all you need is a beret and some face makeup. We’d wish you luck but you already have it.
21. The Emerald City
The Wizard of Oz-themed costumes you see a lot during Halloween, from Glinda the Good Witch to Elphaba to Dorothy and her friends, but what you don’t see often is The Emerald City.
We’ve thought of it so you don’t have to. The most iconic perhaps of all the things Oz is no other than where the Wizard himself lives, plus we hear that emerald green is one of the best fall colors this year.
22. A Jägerbomb
Get the party started with this alcoholic concoction. You don’t need to loosen up with this costume since it’s guaranteed to get you into the Halloween spirit.
There won’t be a sad face in the house with this pairing. Some even say it’s better than peanut butter and jelly. If you’re feeling like you want some extra attention we think this is the way to go. You can even carry around actual bottles for an added edge.
23. Bugs and Babs Bunny of the Tune Squad
Take your sportiness to the next level with these bunny costumes. They’re both stylish and comfortable.
We definitely want you on our team.
24. Copy Cat Strikes Again
This one is for all those tech-savants out there. There is nothing worse than a copycat but in this case, we totally dig it. CTRL-C is just your spicier and more creative black cat.
Just be sure someone doesn’t copy this first before you can. You don’t want the copycat to be the copycat of your costume. Then again, isn’t copying thee biggest form of flattery.
25. The Cactus Lady
Somewhere between a cactus lady and a made scientist. Disclaimer: No actual green thumb is needed, but it may help.
Some paper cutouts should suffice, we are all for carrying some cactus sugar cookies too, it is Halloween after all. The sweeter the better.
26. Taco “Belle”
We all know Princess Belle but here she is with an unexpected twist. Her trusty taco is sure to keep her from getting hungry, especially from reading all those books.
Perhaps they were cookbooks all along, we are getting hungry just thinking about it.
27. Light Me Up
This cute couple went above and beyond by creating the illusion that one is being lit up by the other through an array of Christmas lights. You got two holidays rolled into one with this costume. The not-so-conventional plug and outlet lights put the magic in Halloween.
We can’t wait to see how they win at Christmas too. Happy Halloween to these two, we think they definitely know how to turn it up, the light that is.
28. Some More S’Mores
With costumes this good, it’s hard to decide on just one but you don’t have to with all these Halloween events coming up. You won’t run out of fire with this costume genius! S’mores around the campfire.
It’s as easy as it is fun to dress up with your favorite partner and get into some melted chocolate and fiery gooey goodness.
29. Let-Go of my Leggo
This costume allows the whole family to participate and there is nothing better than that, especially during Halloween. You won’t have anyone feeling left out and when you all show up together you’re definitely going to make a splash. Who doesn’t love building memories together?
This costume will certainly build you a winning team, so much so that it’ll be a challenge to get them to take these leggos apart once you’ve made it back home.
