Need easy, last-minute Halloween costume ideas for your kids? These Wisconsin parents have you covered
Did spooky season creep up on you, and you're still on the hunt for costumes for your little ghouls and goblins?
We took to social media to ask Wisconsin parents for inspiration — and they delivered. Many of the suggested costumes are easy, affordable and even use materials you probably already have at home.
Here are a few costumes you can easily crank out the week before Halloween:
Beanie Babies are an easy costume for kids, pets or the whole family
Beanie Baby costumes are easy to make, and incredibly versatile. Appleton's Kate Coffey turned her children into these childhood favorites one year.
Coffey's twin girls dressed up as black cats (fitting for Halloween) and her young son a lion, using pajamas she already had. Coffey already had the cat ears and lion headband in her dress-up bin, but originally got them from Target, she said. Dollar stores will also be a good place to look for animal ears, and tails, too.
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Just print out a picture of the iconic TY tag, or make it yourself using construction paper if you're feeling crafty, and secure it with yarn. Draw on little noses or whiskers with makeup or faceprint and you're done!
Scarecrows are classic for a reason
On any given Halloween, you're likely to run into quite a few scarecrows. Maybe this is because they are a horror movie classic, maybe it's because people of all ages can be scarecrows, and maybe it's simply because the costume is easy to pull off.
To make the costume for her son Henry, New London's Sarah Raether sewed scrap fabric stuffed with straw onto a pair of Henry's pants, had him don a plaid shirt and hat he already had, and attached raffia to the arms of his shirt (raffia is less itchy than straw, Raether explained). Of course, the costume would not be complete without a crow friend, which Raether purchased on Amazon but can be found in nearly any store's spooky section.
This 'basic mom' costume is guaranteed to garner some laughs
A few years ago, Appleton's Danielle Schueller's daughter, Amelia, took inspiration from close to home and dressed up as, well, a mom for Halloween. Schuller said the costume idea came organically.
"I came up with the idea because my daughter loved pushing around her baby doll, and I thought 'basic mom' would be funny, but also simple and cute," Schueller said.
Amelia pushed her baby doll in a stroller the whole night, and was decked out in sunglasses and a plaid scarf, with the ultimate motherhood essential in hand: a Starbucks cup (it is pumpkin spice season, after all). Instead of lending Amelia her real phone, Schueller gave Amelia a phone case. She also had a shopping bag tied to the stroller.
Have a magical Halloween as your favorite Hogwarts student
Becoming your favorite wizard doesn't require a spell, a store-bought costume or breaking the bank, Kaukauna's Hannah Greuel proved.
To make a Harry Potter costume for her son, Greuel found a graduation gown at Goodwill, customized it with a Hogwarts patch (there are a number of options via Amazon Prime) and used gold ribbon to add stripes to a maroon tie her family already had at home. All that was left was a wand, which Greuel made using chopsticks, hot glue and paint and a tutorial she found on Pinterest. If your child doesn't have glasses like Greuel's did, there are tons of tutorials online. Don't forget to paint on the iconic lightning bolt scar with makeup or facepaint.
But what if Harry isn't your child's favorite character? Just switch out the tie depending on the Hogwarts house you pick, and the patch as needed.
Take your tot to Transylvania with a Dracula costume
Here's another classic for you: Dracula. Green Bay's Jessica Pardee proved this costume works for all ages (vampires are immortal, after all) when she previously turned her 1-year-old son, Rome, into Dracula for Halloween.
While Pardee used a tuxedo Rome had from a wedding, you can simply have your child wear a long sleeve white shirt and solid black pants. A vest is a must (try Goodwill, or you can even make a DIY no sew vest with an online tutorial).
Then, add a cape (Pardee purchased one, but you could easily use Velcro and towel to get the desired result), temporarily spray their hair black if it isn't already, and, if your child is old enough, add some fangs, and you have yourself a little vampire.
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The Monsters Inc. crew is perfect for you, and your little Boo
Lauren Kramer of Darboy found the perfect family costume to show off her baby bump when she was pregnant with her second child: The Monsters Inc. crew.
To be Mike Wazowski, she donned a green shirt and glued a big eye on her belly, which she made with felt. To transform her husband into Sully, she took a light blue shirt and dyed purple splotches on it, mimicking the monster's colorful coat. Pigtails, an oversized pink shirt and purple leggings (which she already had at home) was all it took to make little Boo.
It may not be The Great Pumpkin, but Charlie Brown will still elicit smiles
What's cuter than Charlie Brown?
Baby Charlie Brown. All Neenah mom Shannon Van Lankvelt needed to craft this costume was black eyeliner, black tape and a yellow collared shirt, which she found at a thrift store. She already had the pants, slippers and Snoopy stuffed animal.
Using black tape, Van Lankvelt replicated Brown's signature yellow shirt, and she used black eyeliner to draw Brown's curly hair and eyebrows.
This s'more costume belongs on Insta-graham
You'll want to gather around the campfire after taking a bite of this costume! This year, Oshkosh's Austin Otto will dress as a s'more for Halloween.
"My 9-year-old had no idea what he wanted to be. We had just returned from a Cub Scout campout complete with a bonfire and s'mores and were discussing ideas when he jokingly thought of it," said Austin's mom, Stephanie Otto.
Otto soon got to work: She turned a cardboard box into graham crackers, which she cut holes in so Austin could wear one around his neck above his shoulders and one around his waist. A square of foam wrapped in brown fabric became the chocolate. She even cut the foam into small sections to resemble the pieces of a Hershey's bar. All that was left was a marshmallow, which Austin's midsection makes when he wears a white sweatshirt.
Paint, cardboard and glue is all you need for this dyno-mite costume
Rupali Kadam of West De Pere transformed a box into a prehistoric pal.
To make this dinosaur costume, cut the top and bottom off a cardboard box so your child can wear it, making small cut outs on the side for your little to hold it up. Alternatively, secure ropes to the sides for your child to hang over their shoulders to keep the costume in place. Using the extra cardboard, create a head and neck for your dinosaur, complete with spikes, and don't forget to give them a smiley grin. Glue it to the box, or the dino's "body." Dress your child in the same color as your dinosaur to complete the look.
Be a flash from the past with this African leader costume
After a homeschool lesson on leadership styles, Quinta Caylor's son Emmanuel Che-Kika found his Halloween costume: Shaka, a historic Zulu king and conqueror.
"He says the leadership quality he admired the most was his ability to foresee the future and problem-solve in advance," said Caylor, who lives in Omro.
Emmanuel's dad got to work on his costume. For the base, all Emmanuel needed was a black shirt and black pants. While Emmanuel's dad used his sewing skills, animal-print fabric could easily be cut in the shape of a bib, armbands, headpiece, and a cloth around his waist, to achieve the desired look. Fasten with safety pins or Velcro.
Add long, flowy feathers, a headpiece and tribal marks. Last, use cardboard to make a shield and a wood rod, or whatever you have around the house, and cardboard painted silver to make a spear.
Pay tribute to unsung heroes, like garbage collectors
Like Emmanuel, Randi Vanderheide's son also wanted to dress as somebody he admires.
"Wesson is and was obsessed with the garbage man, and that was the only thing he wanted to be," the Kaukauna mom said. "We let him choose each year whatever he wants to be for Halloween, and we find a way to make it happen."
Vanderheiden's husband attached training wheels and a handle from an old toy to a small trashcan they found at Menards. They painted the trashcan, which Wesson used to carry his candy, green. Vanderheiden bought a reflective hoodie, but if your child already has a florescent yellow hoodie, adding some silver duct tape will do.
For the final touch, put your trash company's logos on the can and hat. Vanderheiden used a vinyl cutter to craft hers, but you can easily draw them yourself or print a copy from your computer.
This year, Vanderheiden is in for another challenge: Wesson wants to be the Kaukauna water tower.
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Madison Lammert is a Report for America corps member who covers child care and early education in Wisconsin at The Post-Crescent. Contact her at mlammert@gannett.com or 920-993-7108. Follow on Twitter @MadisonLammert0.
You can directly support her work with a tax-deductible donation online at http://bit.ly/Appleton_RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Post Crescent Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Dr, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Need easy, cheap Halloween costumes? Here's ideas from Wisconsin parents