Break the Costume Mold
In 2021, there’s plenty of creepiness to draw inspiration from. From Squid Game, Among Us, & Cruella, you can pretty much take your pick of costumes that are sure to please. However, if you want to be unique, keep reading below to find a few ideas that may help you stand out.
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Popular
Squid Game Player
Expect the hit Netflix series Squid Game to be the inspiration for many costumes this season. However, most will elect to go as the workers, which were by far the more terrifying, albeit recognizable, characters. If you choose to dress as a slightly less recognizable contestant, you’ll have plenty of photo ops where you are surrounded by the pink demons. Beware this option, as you may be forces to play rock, paper, scissors for your life.
Squid Game Worker
Want to be a terrifying pink onesie-wearing stoic killer with a PlayStation button for a face? Great! This costume is going to be quite popular this season, which works in this case, since the silent killers are almost always seen in groups. Be ready to take some great group pics if you’re wearing this one!
Among Us
Be the imposter you’ve always dreamed of by walking around in an inflatable space suit! The big benefit of this costume is the roominess of it. You won’t even need pockets or a sack for treat storage! The virality of this game means that we should see at least one or two of these abominations walking around this halloween.
Cruella
Are you a hero or a villain? Why not be both? Luckily for Cruella fans, there’s a variety of costumes that you can choose from that would be artistically accurate – inlcuding dressing in all garbage. Since this was one of the biggest cinematic successes of the pandemic, it’s all but certain that Cruella will be making an appearance at most Halloween gatherings. The only question remains: Who will be the most fabulous?
Pennywise
There’s the old and the new version of Pennywise, so you first need to decide if you want to evoke Tim Curry, or Bill Skarsgård. If you want to genuinely disturb people, then go with modern Pennywise (pictured right). This is probably the most terrifying costume on this list, considering 42% of Americans are scared of clowns.
Couples/Group
Bennifer
Keep others guessing when you dress as the celebrity couple’s alter egos. Dress as Ben Affleck’s Batman, and J Lo’s Maid in Manhattan to complete the ensemble. By your powers combined, you are Bennifer! Be prepared to get plenty of questions, but to give onlookers a hint, just act like the most adorbable couple in history & the answer should become apparent.
Godzilla vs Kong
Another smash hit from the pandemic was Godzilla vs Kong, which means you may see on or the other afoot this spooky season. Why not dress as both if you’ve got a partner? The nice thing about this duo is that it’s slightly easier to put together. Any gorrilla or monkey costume will do, & any dinosaur or raptor costume will do.
Villains
Joe Exotic
Get a fun colored wig (blue, pink, purple, etc) from the super store. Then, there are tons of ways to do the outfit: polka-dotted dresses, lace trim bras, sequined To become the “Tiger King”, you’ll need a blonde woman’s wig, but (for some reason) a brown mustache. If you happen to be female with long blonde hair, this costume actually works even better. Of course, you’ll need the trademark vibrant leopard-print shirt and tight-fitting pants. Adorn with a gold necklace, cowboy boots, any almost any style of hat will work, other than formal. Optionally, you can have a gun belt, stuffed tiger animal, and/or reflective aviator sunglasses.
Carol Baskin
If you or someone you know is into the hippie-style, you probably have some of these items readily available. A flowery, flowing shirt with – of course – leopard print is a must. Also essential is a flower headband and dangly earrings. Again, you can carry a stuffed pet tiger, and this costume supports riding a bicycle.
The Joker
Head over to Goodwill for this costume. Find an old suit and paint it purple. Grab an orange dress shirt, some white gloves, and use a teal ribbon as your tie on your suit. Paint your face white with big red lips, then paint your hair and eyebrows green.
Heroes
Black Panther
If you’re fit & agile enough to pull off Black Panther, you probably should. This costume is one of the more Halloween-friendly Marvel costumes with it’s dark fabrick and angry feline motiffe. Another plus is that you’ll have no problems moving around & no capes to get caught in get engines.
Wanda
This one is on the border of Hero vs Villain, but so many people grew to be huge fans of Wanda during the beginning of 2021. Additionally, she sports many different outfits from different time periods, so one could have a lot of fun putting together an ensemble. Or even better, dress in multiple costumes in layers so you can change between them throughout the night! That’s sure to confuse onlookers.
Vision
Of course, you can’t mention Wanda without Vision. While this would also make for a great couples ensemble, Vision also stands perfectly well on his own two robotic feet. Like Wanda, you can also dress in one of this character’s many period-specific outfits, or opt for the most iconic red/green hero motiffe.
Children’s Favorites
Harry Potter (Any Character)
Any character from the series is going to be sure to please. Don’t get stuck on the Chosen One – feel free to let your inner Malfoy or Luna Lovegood have their day (or night) as well. The characters in this story make it possible for just about anyone to pull something off. Since the wild popularity of the story transends time, it might make sense to invest in a legit costume – you could be wearing it for years to come!
Baby Yoda
Be comfortable, adorable, powerful, and let others do the fighting for you when you don the Baby Yoda onesie. Pair this outfit with a few magic tricks like the floating ring, and you’ll easily convince people that you’re an aspiring Grogu.
(DIY) Inanimate Objects
Hershey’s Kiss
You’re going to need a lot of aluminum foil, boxers or spanks and a sports bra (for the girls) to put under the foil. Wrap your top half fairly tight in foil and when you get to your lower stomach and buttocks wrap more and more layers to portray the bottom heavy candy better. For your head, purchase some construction paper and roll it into a cone shape, cover with foil and glue a piece of tissue paper to the tip that says “Hershey’s.” This is the sweetest of all costumes!
Taco Bell Sauce
This one can be done solo or as a group. All you need is a really cheap strapless dress (Target cover-ups work great for this), or a colored t-shirt for guys, and colorful duct tape. Put the dress/shirt on and wrap it with the color of your choice. Yellow for mild, orange for hot, green for verde etc. Paint the name of the sauce in white across the top and a white square in the middle. In black write a “saucy” quote (get it?) like you find on the actual packets at the restaurant.
Frosted Mini Wheat
Use foam for this costume, cover it in brown felt, then use white spray paint to give it the “frosted” look. Cut out the eyes and grin with black felt and hot glue to the brown felt. Glue an empty milk carton to a ball cap with some really thick looking white pipe cleaner coming out of the spout to look like milk is pouring out of the milk carton.
Gumball Machine
Get a bag of multi-colored round balloons from the dollar store. Blow them all up and tie off the ends. Fill a large clear trash bag with the balloons. Make openings for your arms and legs, step in and you’re ready to go.
Rainbow
For this you need a white shirt, white pants, and paint in all the colors of the rainbow. Paint your shirt and pants in the order of colors on the rainbow. In case you forgot, it’s ROY G. BIV!
Magic 8 Ball
Wear all black, grab 2 pillows, and duct tape them around your body (under your black shirt). Draw the number 8 on a piece of printer paper and cut it out into a circle. Tape the piece of paper to your stomach. If people ask to give you a shake, you can just answer them with: “My reply is no.”
(DIY) Random
Hazmat Suit
Maybe you’re Walter White. Maybe you’re an essential healthcare worker. Maybe you just like the look of full-body plastic onesies. Either way, this costume is actually very cheap & easy. The suits usually go for around $15 and the respirator masks (which you might have already) go for around $20-30. The best thing about this costume is that it might actually come in handy AFTER halloween.
Quarantine Outfit (PJs/Messy Hair):
One of the most iconic looks of 2020 is the Quarantine Outfit. I’m sure we all have a lot of familiarity with this one and you likely already have all of the supplies needed! Throw on some PJs, rock some messy hair, and return to your natural habitat during Halloween.
The Typical Tourist
It is easy to spot a tourist on vacation. The classic tourist finds themselves in a Hawaiian shirt (even if they are not in Hawaii), khaki or cargo shorts, sunglasses, and the most essential fanny pack. Goodwill is a savior again! Head over to your local Goodwill and look for the most gaudy Hawaiian shirt you can find, the fanny pack that lets you pack the most, and the biggest most retro pair of glasses on the shelf. Grab your dad’s high dress socks and your favorite pair of sandals! Don’t forget your camera!! As a tourist you will definitely be snapping pics at your Halloween party!
Prisoner
For this costume you will need a white long sleeve shirt and white pants. Use a permanent marker to draw horizontal black stripes across the entire outfit. Don’t forget to leave white space on the upper left chest to write in your inmate number. Finish this costume with a pair of handcuffs or a ball and chain!
80’s Aerobic Girl
This one is for the ladies. Wear a colorful leotard with nude tights and legwarmers. Add a belt of any variety and a sweat band for your head. Put your hair into a high ponytail and you are ready to go!
Jolly Green Giant
You will need a long piece of fake ivy for this look, which you can purchase at most arts and crafts stores. Make a toga-like wrap for yourself from a green bed sheet. Take the leaves from the ivy and glue them all over the wrap. Then, paint yourself green and you’re ready to go.
If you still haven’t found a good costume idea, then you probably need to try a little harder. On the other hand, if you think you have a better idea that the ones we’ve mentioned here, let us know!
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