Group and Family Halloween Costumes

Carrie Haider Gatzke's kids dressed up as the Scooby Doo gang for Halloween, complete with a blow up Scooby Doo. This costume comes together with regular clothes that your children can wear again and again, making it a good value.

A Disney classic comes to life with this creative family costume submitted by Katie Uppman. The little one looks super cute as Bert in his pavement chalk artist gear.

Aimee Rios' family became the Flintstones for a day. Mama Wilma is holding little Pebbles, who even has the right hairdo for the occasion.

Dress your crew up as the characters from Frozen! Mom Jenny Santoso played along as Olaf the snowman.

Morgan Medinger submitted this photo of a brother-sister duo playing out the popular Little Red Riding Hood story.

Start with sailor gear and transform into Popeye's posse this Halloween like Lisa Adams' family. Your little munchkin can play the role of Sweet Pea.

Everyone in your crew can find a character to be from the popular movie Wizard of Oz, like Casey Hardwick Walter's family chose to do. Dad even went as the yellow brick road!

This theme is simple but genius! Hannah Losiewicz and her family dressed up as movie theater concessions.

Lisa Jubb's brood dressed up for the holiday in style as Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Wendy, and Mr. Smee.

Angie Sucharski played the wicked stepmother in this otherwise-sweet family costume idea. Snow White is even biting into the apple!

Samantha Goodenough dressed her whole family in Superman costumes, because everyone deserves to be a superhero on Halloween.

Heather Zito-Samuel submitted this picture of her Lord Business and Lego Man having a blast in their getups.

Erica Paredes made sure everyone in her crew was in costume to be part of the Avengers. Their youngest daughter was Baby Hulk.

Cheryl Stewart Listi donned her Princess Leia costume to be a part of her family's Star Wars theme. Light sabers make the idea even more fun.

Rachel Branch Chunglo shows that even the smallest of babies can join the family's theme with this Big Bad Wolf story idea.

Jamee Lynch Moore knows how to dress like her partner and make it look cute. The duo and their kids are rocking an Alice in Wonderland theme.

Karla Bennett clearly gets creative when she is caffeinated. Her family dressed up as venti, grande, and tall Starbucks Frappuccinos.

Carrie Youngblood shared this shot of a ballpark favorite come to life. Ketchup and mustard are doing a great job raising their mini hot dog!

This year, Carrie Youngblood did a group costume as well! They must love food, because she and her partner are chefs about to heat up their little lobster.

Deb Kovatch and her family dressed up as beloved animated characters from Toy Story 2.

Shawnna Kroeger is raising some serious Kansas City Chiefs fans. We've got the whole gang here: player, coach, and devoted cheerleaders.

Colleen Nicole Johnson reports that she got the grandparents and a few aunts to joined her themed costume idea this year. We think everyone looks great as a Muppet.

Sara Wallace-Davis brought the Wreck It Ralph game to life, complete with Calhoun, Fix It Felix, Wreck It Ralph, and Vanelope.

No-sew capes team up with felt-and-duct-tape masks, belts, and badges personalized with the initial of your family's last name.

Your child is the fruit (and flower) of your labors. Play up your role in her cultivation with this cute pair of Halloween costumes. The felt seed packet uses store-bought letters, and the flower's petals are stapled to a simple headband. Other family members can dress up as farmers (in overalls and straw hats) or more flowers.

Your undead brood is invited to a party that's going to rock the graveyard, so you'd better dress the part. Cutting out the bones is made easy by first laying strips of duct tape on a parchment paper backing. Accessorize with formal-yet-funky touches, such as a choker, top hat, tutu, and vest.

A parental pit crew supports a speedy young upstart who's on track to blow away the competition. The crew is outfitted in disposable coveralls from the hardware store, detailed with duct tape. The trophy and wrench get their shiny silver coat from aluminum foil. You can customize the car to fit over a variety of chassis (wheelchair, stroller) or even be worn by a driver who's on foot.

Just like the traditional sandwich, you only need a few simple "ingredients" for this Halloween costume -- two slices of toast (Mom and Dad), plus bacon, lettuce, and tomato (three adorably edible kids)!

Toast:
For each piece: Cut a 20-x-30-inch piece of foam core to resemble toast. Make belt with face-to-face duct tape. Attach adhesive-backed Velcro to each end; use as closure. Tape belt to foam core at waist level. Cut light brown felt into toast shape (about 25-x-35 inches), and hot-glue a 1-1/2-inch-wide dark brown felt border. Attach to foam core with duct tape.

View instructions for the Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato costumes on the next three slides.

Cut two 6-x-40-inch wavy strips of off-white felt and four 2-x-36-inch wavy strips of red felt. Arrange red strips on off-white felt. Place chenille stems in between layers; adhere using iron-on fusible bonding. Bend bacon in several places to give curled look. Attach to sweatsuit with adhesive-backed Velcro.

Poncho: Cut one 26-inch and one 20-inch square from dark green organza and cut a 23-inch and a 17-inch square from light green organza. Trim wavy edges around each square. Stack and center the pieces, largest at bottom, and cut a wavy slit from one corner to center. Cut a round neck hole, 4 inches wide. Cut a 4-foot piece of thin ribbon and sew through all layers around neck hole, for tying.

Headpiece: Trim light green organza with rickrack and hot-glue to a headband.

Shoe clips: Cut two 4-inch circles of dark green organza and two 3-inch circles of light green organza. Stack small circle on top of large, gather across diameter and tie with green ribbon. Hot-glue to shoe clips or clip-on earrings.

Body: Use hand towels or batting to pad the outside of two large plastic colanders. Cover in red stretchy fabric and hot-glue to inside edge. Poke two holes through the fabric on opposite sides and two additional holes at top, about 7 inches apart. Cut four 12-inch pieces of red ribbon and thread through holes of one colander to corresponding holes of the other; tie to secure over shoulders and at sides.

Collar: On green felt, draw an 8-point star, 18 inches from point to point, and a 6-inch hole in the center for head. Cut out and repeat. Place chenille stems, from neckline to tip, on each "leaf" of one layer and hot-glue other layer on top. Cut to center between two points, as shown, and attach green ribbon to each side; tie to close.

Hat: Cut three small leaves from green felt and hot-glue to top of hat.

Help a trio of pretty pixies take flight! All you need for this set of costumes are floral headbands (glue fake flowers to a headband), flower wands (glue flowers and ribbons to the tip of a painted stick), gossamer wings, puffy tutus, and leggings.

Ahoy, matey! A pirate is nothing without his colorful parrot sidekick.

For the pirate, pair a loose white shirt and black vest with well-worn pants and boots, and then tie a long scarf around the head as a bandanna. Add finishing touches, like an eye patch and a fake scabbard.

View instructions for the Parrot costume on the next slide.

Poncho: Cut a 20-inch square of red felt. Cut a 5-inch slit in the middle of each side and a hole in the center for head, about 6 inches in diameter.

Wings/feathers: Cut seven strips of colored felt, 4 inches wide, of varying lengths; cut each into a zigzag shape, as shown. Starting at corner, hot-glue overlapping rows of "feathers" and trim to fit. Repeat for opposite corner.

Tail: Cut a 12-inch equilateral triangle from red felt and seven more strips of "feathers" from colored felt. Then, with one tip of triangle pointing toward you, hot-glue overlapping zigzag felt strips and trim to fit. Hot-glue red ribbon along top of triangle for belt.

Hat/beak: Cut a triangle from orange felt and hot-glue to front of hat.

For this clever costume, your stroller becomes an all-American snack cart, complete with the cutest hot dog on the block.

Mom and Dad can coordinate with white button-down shirts, jeans, aprons, and paper servers' hats.

View instructions for the Hot Dog costume on the next slide.

Braid red yarn into a thick strand about 18 inches long, and knot at the ends. Repeat the same braid with yellow yarn. Sew or hot-glue the braids to an orange sleep sack, making sure to "weave" them together as shown in the photo.

Get the neighborhood boys (and girls!) together and let them rock out! Dress them in comfortable concert performance outfits like graphic tees, striped shirts, hoodies, dark jeans, and sneakers. Then add some instruments (a toy guitar, a set of drum sticks), plus some hats and hip shades. And make sure to gel some hair!

A farmer and his wife show off their favorite barnyard animals! Adults can throw on some overalls or jeans, checkered shirts, boots, and straw hats.

View instructions for the Pig and Cow costumes on the next two slides.

Ears: Cut two outer-ear shapes from dark pink felt. Cut two slightly smaller inner-ear shapes from light pink sticky-back felt and attach. Cinch ears at base and hot-glue to hat.

Tail: Cut two 6-inch circles from light pink sticky-back felt. Arrange chenille stems in a spiral on sticky side of one circle. Stick other circle on top and cut in between chenille stems into spiral shape. Pull spiral from center to create tail and hot-glue to back of pants.

Body: Cut spot shapes from black sticky-back felt and attach randomly to white sweatsuit. Ears: Cut two outer-ear shapes from black felt. Cut two inner-ear shapes from light pink sticky-back felt and attach. Cinch ears at base and hot-glue to hood.

Horns: From beige felt, cut two horn shapes of the same size. Place one on top of the other and glue the edges of two sides. Stuff with batting or cotton balls. Glue the remaining side closed and hot-glue to hood. Repeat.

Tail: Cut a 4-x-4-inch square of black felt and cut fringes on one side. Hot-glue opposite side around one end of a 38mm white chenille stem (createforless.com). Attach top of tail to back of sweatpants with hot-glue gun.

Originally published in the October 2008 issue of Parents magazine.