Family Halloween Costume Ideas

Creative Family Halloween Costume Ideas We’ve Actually Worn!

If you’re looking for family Halloween costume ideas that are fun, creative, and actually doable- Hi! You’re in the right place! 🙌🏻 From Harry Potter and Super Mario to The Little Mermaid, Pokémon, Monsters, Inc., and more, these family Halloween costume ideas have been some of our favorites over the years.

Family Halloween costume ideas through the years, including The Little Mermaid, Nightmare Before Christmas, Harry Potter, Super Mario, Pokémon, Monsters Inc., and more.

Every year we come up with a family Halloween costume theme that everyone will love, and it usually ends up capturing whatever we’re really into that year. It makes looking back at our costumes such a fun little snapshot of each stage! Over the years, we’ve created and pieced together everything from DIY movie-inspired costumes to classic storybook and video game characters. Sometimes there’s a little give-and-take over who gets to be a “main character”, but overall, this has become one of our favorite family traditions. My kids look forward to it every year (and start planning earlier and earlier 😉).

One thing that you’ll notice is that I like to venture away from 100% store-bought and work in as many pieced together or DIY elements as possible.

Whether you’re searching for an easy family Halloween costume, a DIY costume idea, inspiration for matching costumes for the whole family, or links to put the looks together for your own group, you’ll find all the details of our favorite family Halloween costumes right here!

Tips for Choosing a Family Halloween Costume

After quite a few years of coordinating family Halloween costumes, I’ve learned a few things that make choosing a theme (and actually pulling it off!) a little easier:

Make sure the kids work as a group on their own. This is probably my biggest tip! We try to choose core characters that make sense together without Mom and Dad. The kids are the ones running around trick-or-treating together, taking pictures with friends, or heading to school events, so I want their costumes to still feel like a complete group. Mom and Dad can always be part of the supporting cast and the kids get a kick out of us embracing the more “out there” characters!
Choose a theme with plenty of characters. The more options, the better- especially as kids get older and have opinions about who they want to be! Themes like Pokémon, Super Mario, Harry Potter, and Monsters, Inc. give everyone plenty of characters to choose from.
Lean into what they’re loving right now. Our costumes usually reflect something the kids are really into that year, which makes everyone more excited to participate. It’s also so fun to look back and see a little snapshot of what the kids loved at each age.
Mix store-bought and DIY pieces. You definitely don’t need to DIY five costumes from scratch to make them feel unique! I usually buy the harder-to-recreate pieces and then add homemade or pieced-together details where I can. I also like to think about how I can use a piece beyond Halloween. For example, I bought Josie’s oversized puffer vest for her Boo costume in Harper’s size so she could wear it throughout the winter after Halloween! And especially for my own costume, I’d rather buy something I can wear again (hello, pretty emerald green velvet jumpsuit!) than spend the same amount on a store-bought Prof McGonagall costume. Then I can just add my own accessories to bring the character to life!
Think about warmth and comfort. You can see my Northeast Ohio roots come through on this tip! I plan for costumes that can fit or incorporate leggings, sweatshirts, or other warm layers underneath without completely changing the look. It might be 90 degrees or snowing on Halloween, so sometimes the final costume layers are a game-time decision 😂.

Monsters, Inc. Family Halloween Costume -2025

Our Monsters, Inc. family costume was one of the most fun and playful Halloween themes! It was colorful, recognizable (the shouts from down the street of “MIKE WAZOWSKI!” made my son’s whole day), and surprisingly easy to recreate using a mix of store-bought pieces and a few simple DIY touches. The inflatable Mike Wazowski costume was absolutely hilarious, and I 10/10 recommend adding this one to your family costume idea list.

Family dressed as Sulley, Mike Wazowski, Boo, Celia, and Randall ffrom Monsters, Inc. for Halloween.

Our family dressed as Sulley, Mike Wazowski, Boo, Celia, and Randall. One thing I loved about this theme was that there are so many fun characters to choose from. Everyone gets to have a unique look while still fitting perfectly within one recognizable group!

Shop Our Costumes:

Mike Wazowski Inflatable Costume | Sully Onesie (my 10 year old wore xxs) | Sully Paw Gloves | Randall Costume

DIY Boo Costume:

For Boo, I started with a sweatsuit and layered an oversized purple hooded vest (I got size 10-12 for my 5 year old) over the top.

To make Boo’s headpiece, I cut off a mop’s top from Dollar Tree for the “hair” and soaked in tea to give it that dingy color, and attached the strands to a headband using a zip tie. For the eyes, I painted styrofoam half spheres, one half completely black, and one side with a black “eye”. Then attached them to a bobble headband, removing the ball it came with and gluing the centers together to form a full sphere. To finish the costume, I cut teeth from white felt and hot glued them around the edge of the vest hood.

My DIY Celia Costume:

Purple bodysuit | Green Dress | Purple Wig |

Tentacles were made with children’s purple tights. Add a wire for shape and stuffing. Stripe details added with blue washi tape and pinned to my dress.

For the headpiece, I braided purple pipe cleaners and wrapped them around a headband. To make the serpent heads, I cut out a diamond shape from felt and secured them with glue by sandwiching a pipecleaner between two head pieces. The center eye was made with felt and attached with fishing line.

Harry Potter Family Halloween Costume -2024

If your family loves the Wizarding World as much as we do, a Harry Potter family costume is always a magical choice. This theme works especially well because there are so many characters to choose from, making it easy to customize for families of any size! We chose to dress up as Harry, Hermione, Hedwig, Professor McGonagall, and Dumbledore.

Family of five dressed as Harry Potter characters for Halloween.

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Professor Dumbledore: Robes | Beard , Hat, Glasses Set I attached gold ribbon trim to the robe and hat

Professor McGonagall: Hat | Glasses | Turtleneck | Brooch | Green Velvet Jumpsuit (Similar here)

DIY Hedwig Owl Costume

Leggings | For body, I cut teardrop shapes out of various shades of felt and glued them in overlapping layers to an oversized sweatshirt. I also used felt to make the eyes and beak and glued them to a cream beanie | Wings- Old dress up costume from Hanna Andersson

Pokémon Family Halloween Costume -2023

One of my favorite things about doing a Pokémon family Halloween costume is that there are SO many options! Everyone can pick their favorite character (or, in my case, a fab pink-haired villain 👩🏻‍🎤).

This costume theme is colorful, fun, and comfortable, which is especially a cozy plus during our Ohio falls that require all the layers! With so many Pokémon, trainers, and Team Rocket characters to choose from, it’s also an easy theme to make work for families of just about any size.

Family Pokémon Halloween costumes featuring DIY Jessie from Team Rocket and DIY Jigglypuff.

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Charizard | Pikachu – Toddler | Pikachu – Kids | Ash Ketchum Accessories | Pokéball Trick-or-Treat Bucket

Easy DIY Jigglypuff Costume

I started with an oversized light pink sweatshirt. Then cut oversized facial features out of felt, and attached them using felt glue.

To give Jigglypuff her signature round shape, we added a little extra bulk underneath! She layered a t-shirt and regular-sized lightweight sweatshirt, and we added craft stuffing between the two layers, before putting the oversized Jigglypuff sweatshirt on top.

To finish the look, she wore a light pink beanie and carried a microphone prop.

Costume inspiration via Holly Muffin.

DIY Jessie (Team Rocket) Costume

For my Team Rocket costume, I wore black leggings, a black body suit, black boots, and gloves. I layered a white sports skort and slim crop top over the black base to recreate Jessie’s signature look.

To make the Team Rocket shirt, I cut a large ‘R’ out of red felt, and a triangle out of black felt and used felt glue to attach both to the front of my shirt. Don’t forget Jessie’s iconic pink hair wig!

Super Mario Family Halloween Costume -2022

Super Mario was such a fun family costume because every character is instantly recognizable- especially when traveling in a group! There are also so many side characters to choose from, which gives everyone plenty of options and makes this an easy theme to expand for families of almost any size. We went with the core group of Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, and Toad.

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My DIY Toad Costume:

For my toadstool hat, I started by cutting an 18″ circle from foam poster board (thick cardboard would work too!). Then, I cut an approximately 8″ circle from the center to create an opening large enough to fit on my head like a hat.

Next, I cut a large circle of white fabric, leaving about 3″ of extra fabric around the outside edge of the foam board. Glue the outer edge of the fabric to the outside of the ring, so that the fabric on the “top” remains baggy.

To give the underside of the mushroom its pleated look, I cut a long strip of white fabric/felt and hot glued it around the donut shape, folding the fabric over itself as I worked my way around. I filled the center with craft stuffing to give the top of the mushroom its puffy, rounded shape. Glue on red felt circles.

For the vest, my goal was to make a simple no-sew vest, but I wasn’t able to find a large enough piece of felt in the color I was looking for. Instead, I pieced together my costume by cutting it out 3 pieces and hot-gluing them to a long sleeve shirt.

Next, I glued around the edges at the shoulders, and arm holes, but left the front unattached. I wrapped the front pieces around to the back, also attaching them with hot glue.

I finished it with gold ribbon trim.

Nightmare Before Christmas Family Halloween Costume -2021

Our Nightmare Before Christmas family Halloween costume was the perfect mix of spooky and whimsical! With so many fun characters to choose from, everyone got to bring a little piece of Halloween Town to life. I loved how all the costumes came together as a group, with each character having their own unique look and personality. Plus, who doesn’t love a little Tim Burton magic at Halloween?

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Sally: Patchwork Dress (Similar) DIY: Sally Wig- I hot glued long strands of chunky red yarn to a red beanie hat. I dyed the arms (and legs) using turquoise fabric dye | Turquoise face paint | Black eyeliner stick (for face details)

Jack Skellington: Costume | “Skull” Beanie Hat | He wanted face paint instead of his mask on Halloween night, so I painted this skull face. (His headless image in the main family pic was a little photoshop magic I surprised him with afterwards 😉) Black face paint stick | White all-over face paint

Zero the Dog: Costume | Similar star pajamas

Oogie Boogie: Okay, a few options here-

This was the priciest Halloween costume we’ve ever bought 😬, but also… how could we not? This giant Oogie Boogie costume was a STATEMENT. And my husband was the real MVP around the neighborhood that year.

More recently, I saw this INFLATABLE Oogie Boogie costume – The oversized look without all the heavy bulk! Plus it makes storage so much easier.

I also found that you can just purchase the mask portion – it would be great paired with a brown sweatshirt & sweatpants!

DIY Mayor Costume:

I thrifted a white button-down shirt and suit jacket, and DIYed the Mayor’s hat, ribbon, and spider brooch.

For the Mayor’s hat, I cut a large felt circle to create the brim and glued it onto a headband. Then I rolled a piece of stiff felt into a tube shape and glued it upright in the center of the brim. It’s okay if it’s a little wonky! I wrapped burlap ribbon around the base to finish it off.

For the oversized “MAYOR” ribbon, I looped and stapled wide ribbon to create the shape. Then I glued a white felt circle in the center and wrote “MAYOR” with puffy paint. The spider was simply cut out of felt, and I attached both the ribbon and spider using safety pins.

Face paint was a huge part of this costume! Here’s how I did mine:

Red face paint stick | Black face paint stick | White all-over face paint | White paint stick

Space Family Halloween Costume -2019

When your 5 year old tells you she wants to be “space” for Halloween … yes, like ALL of it 😂 Here’s what I came up with for our space-themed family Halloween costumes!

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Astronauts: Unfortunately, I can’t find this exact flying astronaut one anymore, but this one is very similar! Or I have seen DIY on Pinterest! Orange Astronaut Suit (Kid Size) | Orange Astronaut Suit (Baby/Toddler) Orange Helmet | White Helmet

DIY Solar System Shirt:

The kids and I painted various sizes of half styrofoam spheres to make the planets and then glued them on a black shirt. We added glow in the dark stars and stickers.

DIY Spaceship Wagon :

I used cardboard boxes, posterboard, pie tins, and tissue paper. Then I covered it all in white Duck Tape, used black Duck Tape for the details, and added the pie plates and tissue paper to the back.

The Little Mermaid Family Halloween Costume -2018

I mean, I have no words. This is the one that really sent us down the rabbit hole of going ALL IN on family costumes. Disney princesses were LIFE, and this sequins mermaid outfit was 4-year-old Harper’s daily wear. 😅 She sang and danced to The Little Mermaid soundtrack daily, acting out the entire movie. I can still remember the look of pure awe in her eyes when I surprised her by walking into the living room on Halloween as full-on Ursula. It was one of those little moments of childhood magic I’ll never forget!

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The Little Mermaid: Sequins Mermaid Tail Skirt | Sequins Mermaid Top | Tip: If it’s chilly, add this nude bodysuit underneath

Sebastian: Toddler Size

Prince Eric: Easy peasy! He wore a white button down shirt, rolled up dark jeans, black rain boots, and tied a red sash around his waist.

Ursula: I wore a base layer of a light purple turtleneck top and metallic purple leggings. On top, I wore a black tank top and full black tutu skirt (similar skirt here). The high slit in skirt was perfect to show off Ursula’s tentacle legs! I added “suction” spots by cutting circles out of felt. I added a stuffed eel around my neck. I pinned my hair up and sprayed it with white temporary hair spray color. This is another one where the makeup really finished the look! Here’s a close up of my face- and , yes, evil Disney villain facial expressions required 😜:

The Three Little Pigs Family Halloween Costume -2017

So easy and oh. so. cute! Harper was in a Big Bad Wolf phase – she loved The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood, so I suggested to her that she could be Little Red and her baby brother could be the wolf. Well, no. She wanted to be the wolf 😂 so we pivoted, and the whole family became the Three Little Pigs, which ended up being simple and adorable.

Shop Our Costumes

Pig Ears & Snout set | Overalls- Women (also recommend thrifting these!) | Overalls- Toddler | Toddler Pig Costume

Family Halloween Costume Ideas

Creative Family Halloween Costume Ideas We’ve Actually Worn!

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Tips for Choosing a Family Halloween Costume