Easy to Make Halloween Costumes Based on Characters
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28 Best Book Character Inspired Costumes That You Can Easily DIY
From Sherlock Holmes to Strega Nona, these come together quickly.
Temi Oyeyola
There are endless ways to celebrate Halloween. Fancy nail art. Stepping out to themed parties. Curling up with a scary novel or ghost movie...but for us bibliophiles, Halloween also presents the perfect opportunity to express our devotion to the art of reading by dressing up in a costume inspired by our favorite book characters.
Some of the best—and easiest Halloween costumes—for children and adults are derived from beloved novels, like Alice in Wonderland, and children's storybooks, like The Paper Bag Princess. Teachers can bring these works to life by dressing up as Junie B. Jones or the Mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, for example, while boys and girls in kindergartner might especially like being Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss. Better yet, if you opt to channel a stylish YA character, like Lara Jean of To All the Boys I've Loved Before , these costumes can be worn long after Halloween.
Without further ado, we've consulted bloggers and cosplayers to find the best (and simple to DIY or buy) book character costumes—from classics for kids and toddlers to don on character day at school to hidden gems for adults.
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Charlotte from Charlotte's Web
Charlotte from E.B. White's book Charlotte's Web might just be literature's wisest spider. This easy DIY simply involves drawing a spider web on a white shirt and writing a word on it, like Charlotte does in the book, and pairing it with black leggings and a mask. Your little one can also dress up as Fern, the farm girl from Charlotte's Web , or Wilbur, the book's adorable pig.
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The Cat in the Hat Inspired Costumes
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Cruella de Vil
Cruella de Vil originated in children's books written by Dodie Smith, and became a famous Disney villian. There are many directions a Cruella costume will go in. Will you be a chic villain, like Cruella in 101 Dalmatians? Or a punk rock-inspired Cruella, like in the recent prequel movie? This blog gives a kid-friendly costume DIY version, involving a tulle skirt in Cruella's signature red, black and white palette that works equally well for adults.
See DIY Tutorial
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Sherlock Holmes and John Watson
We solved the mystery...of what you're going to be for Halloween this year: Sherlock Holmes and his partner-in-crime-fighting, Dr. John Watson. Let your imagination run free on this couples or BFF costume. All you really need are period-style hats, a fake pipe, and a magnifying glass.
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Junie B. Jones and Humphrey the Hamster
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Strega Nona
Exchange the typical black dress and green face paint for a witch costume inspired by Strega Nona, the character from Tomie DePaola's beloved books. Drape a large scarp around your shoulders, and wear a lot of fabric—long skirts, sweaters, apron, and a hat.
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The Raven
When in doubt, cloak yourself in Edgar Allan Poe's gloomy aesthetic and know that fellow literary-minded people will see what you're aiming for.
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Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat
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Daisy Jones
Channel the '70s aesthetic found in Taylor Jenkins-Reid's hit novel, Daisy Jones and the Six, for a laid-back and literary costume. Daisy Jones is the singer of a short-lived and legendary band. Once the movie adaptation comes out, this costume will be even more popular. For more inspiration, check out Fleetwood Mac's outfits—the band that partially inspired the book.
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"Miss Frizzle" by Joanna Cole
All aboard the Magic School Bus. All this whimsical dress needs is a bright orange wig, and then Miss Frizzle is officially in the building. It's particularly on-the-nose for teachers but anyone can pull off this beloved book character costume.
Check out a costume tutorial.
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Tinkerbell
No magic dust is required to become Tinkerbell from J.M. Barrie's classic novel, and Disney's popular movie adaptation. Unfortunately, the costume doesn't come with the ability to fly.
Check out a makeup tutorial.
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If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Characters
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Moby Dick and Ahab
This costume will require some creative crafting skills, since recreating a life-size whale would be a highly inconvenient—but the clever couple's costume, inspired by the Herman Melville classic, is definitely worth the effort.
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Elena Nicolaou As a culture editor at Oprah Daily, Elena covers the latest in books, movies, TV, pop culture, and the ever-expanding world of streaming.
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