The 31 Best Family Halloween Costume Ideas

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

These matching family Halloween costumes, designed by Karla Bennett Moore, are cute (and caffeinated!) instead of corny. Her family dressed up as venti, grande, and tall Starbucks Frappuccinos.

Matching family Halloween costumes can be fun, too! Samantha Goodenough dressed her husband and kids in Superman gear, because everyone deserves to be a superhero on Halloween.

With this clever DIY family Halloween costume, your undead brood will rock the graveyard! Accessorize with formal-yet-funky touches, such as a choker, top hat, tutu, and vest.

In another costume idea by Carrie Youngblood, these two chefs are preparing to heat up their little lobster.

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.

Family of five Halloween costumes may seem tricky, but this one requires a few simple "ingredients"—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.

Aimee Rios' crew became everyone's favorite Stone Age family for Halloween. Mama Wilma is holding little Pebbles, who even has the right hairdo for the occasion.

Do your littles one still sing "Let It Go" all day long? Dress them up as the characters from Frozen, such as the Anna and Kristoff in this adorable photo. 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.

To recreate this family of three's Halloween costumes, designed by Lisa Adams, simply raid your closet for basic pieces, and add details to mimic Popeye and Olive. Your little munchkin can play the role of Sweet Pea.

No matter this size of your family, everyone can find a character in The Wizard of Oz to replicate. The dad in this photo even went as the Yellow Brick Road—how clever!

This family-themed Halloween costume is simple but genius: Hannah Losiewicz's clan dressed up as movie theater concessions.

Take a cue from this clever family of four Halloween costume. Lisa Jubb's family dressed up as Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Wendy, and Mr. Smee.

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.

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

For their Alice in Wonderland themed costumes, Jamee Lynch Moore and her husband dressed as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and their kids rocked Alice and White Rabbit outfits.

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

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!

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.

To infinity and beyond! Deb Kovatch and her family dressed up as three beloved animated characters from Toy Story: Woody, Jessie, and Buzz Lightyear.

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

Colleen Nicole Johnson got the grandparents and a few aunts to join her themed costume idea. We think everyone looks great as a Muppet!

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

Whipping up your own personalized superhero outfits isn't so hard! In this example, no-sew capes team up with felt-and-duct-tape masks, belts, and badges personalized with the initial of the family's last name.

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.

Help a trio of pretty pixies take flight! All you need for this set of sister 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.

For this clever family Halloween 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.

Need a family Halloween costume for brothers or cousins? Dress everyone 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 for a rocking crew of band mates!

A farmer and his wife love showing off their favorite barnyard animals in this adorable costume idea. 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.