Picture this: You’ve finally settled down after work, your cuppa’s in-hand, you’re resting before the day ahead – then your child says the dreaded words, “What am I wearing for Halloween this year?”.
Far more frightening than any ghoul, the thought of putting together a last-min costume for school, trick-or-treating or a Halloween party can send a shiver down your spine. But fear not, the children’s school playground equipment experts at Playdale are here to help.
They’ve collated the easiest (but still effective) Halloween costumes that you can throw together in five minutes – with common items you’re likely to have lying around at home. So, if you’re finding yourself in a last-minute scramble, take a look at these frightfully good costume ideas.
- Miss Trunchbull
Anyone who’s seen Matilda (1996) will testify that, when it comes to children’s story villains, Miss Trunchbull is the closest we get to matching the tension of an ’80s slasher horror (the house break-in scene still gives us nightmares).
Trunchbull also makes for a surprisingly easy last-minute costume – just get your little one a pair of black trousers, a grey sweatshirt and the largest belt you can find. Bring it all together by slicking back the hair into a tight, low bun and voila! I hope you saved room for an oversized chocolate cake.
- The Room on The Broom Witch
The Room on The Broom Witch is the perfect way of getting a fresh costume out of the most common Halloween accessory – a pointy hat. Even if you don’t have one lying around from last year, any local corner shop, petrol station or otherwise will have one for cheap that you can pick up on the way to your event.
For the rest of the clothing, you want a red top, an old broom and a purple (or black, if you’re struggling to find the right colour) skirt. When it comes to the hair, tie long hair into a single plait and fasten it at the bottom with a bow. If you want to really bring the costume home, accessorise with a cuddly cat toy!
- Steve (A Minecraft Movie)
The legendary Steve from Minecraft, the video game, and more recently, A Minecraft Movie (2025), is an easy costume that’ll be a big hit with your kids, whether they loved the film or are obsessed with the game.
Depending on whether you recreate the game Steve or the Jack Black version from the film, all you need is a turquoise t-shirt, blue jeans and brown shoes – with an added foam pickaxe, wood-cutting axe or foam sword.
If you do have a little bit more time on your hands, why not try to recreate the game version’s blocky head? All you need is to cut some eye holes out of a cardboard box, then simply draw on the details with some coloured pens.
- Where’s Wally?
Where’s Wally is one of those instantly recognisable costumes that’s (thankfully) super low-effort to put together convincingly. It also has the adorably meta appeal of turning your child’s Halloween party into a living panel of a Where’s Wally book – dress them up and watch them play Where’s Wally in a sea of wacky character costumes!
All you need is four items: blue jeans, black-rimmed glasses, a white and red striped top and a bobble hat. It’s a simple and fun costume that swaps out the fake blood and face paint for something a bit more comfortable.
- Classic zombie
It wouldn’t be Halloween without at least one undead monster in the mix – whether that’s Frankenstein’s or the much-easier zombie. The beauty of a zombie costume is that it can be pulled together from literally anything in your laundry pile.
Grab some old clothes (bonus points if they already have rips), and rough them up a bit with scissors. Add dark circles under the eyes with eyeshadow and finish with a smear of fake blood – or red-coloured makeup if you have none lying around from last year.
- Wednesday Addams
This spooky pop-culture icon is back in the limelight thanks to Jenna Ortega’s Netflix series, Wednesday (2022–2025). From The Addams Family (1991) to steaming gold, this simple costume can either be a polka-dot dress or a goth-ed up version of their school uniform!
For the school uniform version, take an older uniform and add white/grey pin-stripes (if you have time). If not, leave black and add a black tie. Then, add heavy black eyeliner and style the hair into two long pigtails.
7. Labubu
If you haven’t seen a Labubu by now, it’s truly a miracle. For those uninitiated, Labubus are 2025’s latest consumerist trend – they’re essentially collectable, cheeky-grinned monsters made by Hong Kong designer Kasing Lung.
They fit into the “creepy-cute” category of monster (think Monsters Inc., rather than Predator), and their simple design makes for an easy, yet topical Halloween costume. Labubus come in all colours and sizes, so grab your child’s favourite fluffy onesie and replicate the infamous Labubu grin using makeup.
For bonus points, add a pair of cat ears to go under the onesie hood, making the shape of the monster’s ears.
8. Marvel Zombies
Marvel’s latest Disney+ animated show, Marvel Zombies (2025), sees a selection of Marvel heroes fight back against a zombie apocalypse which has turned many of our beloved heroes into brain-munching undead.
This means superhero fans have the perfect opportunity to adapt their old Marvel costumes into zombie versions! All you need is some green makeup or face paint, a couple of tears in the fabric here and there, and a splatter of “blood” for good measure. Before you know it, you could zombify last year’s Spider-Man or Captain America with very little effort.
9. Eleven (Stranger Things)
Eleven from Stranger Things (2016) is iconic, and with the final series coming next month, there’s never been a more relevant time to recreate her classic look from the first series – especially as the show has become a spooky-season classic.
All you need is a pink dress, a blue denim jacket and white trainers. Add a drop of fake blood running down from one nostril (a drawback to Eleven using her telekinesis in the show) and you’ve got an unmistakable Eleven fit.
10. The Mummy
This takes the cake for the simplest Halloween costume of all time – and it’s the banker if you truly have none of the items to make the nine other costumes in this list.
All you need for a mummy costume is toilet paper – that’s it. Grab some old clothes as a base (white or grey is best, but even black works), then wrap strips of toilet paper around the arms, legs, and torso. Leave a few loose ends flapping for that “ancient” vibe, and you’re done. If you have it, you can also add a little dark eyeshadow for a sunken, spooky effect.
Which of these 10 frightfully simple DIY costumes will your children be trying this Halloween?
Credit:
Playdale Playgrounds: https://www.playdale.co.uk/schools-nurseries/
