For Halloween this year, instead of a boringly typical Halloween costume, or maybe the newest Disney princess, why not draw inspiration from literature for your kid's costume? There are many fantastic children's books, and the characters from them ooze personality; here are our favorites!
Elf on the Shelf
Sent in by Abigale to our 2014 costume contest.
Halloween may be in October, but in the hearts of many, they are already preparing for Christmas. This cute little elf costume, inspired by the book of the same name, will make your child one of Santa's little helpers, to look over those who are naughty and nice. The costume comes with their own shelf, and a replica set of ornamental decorations for the shelf. An excellent Christmas character, to bring a little festive spirit to Halloween!
Where The Wild Things Are
Sent in by Richard to our 2016 costume contest.
"Where the Wild Things Are", a tale about a little boy's imagination and his journey into a mysterious wilderness. This is a perfect costume set for a family, with the parents playing the malicious-seeming beasts, and the child as Max, the protagonist of the tale. Voted as the number one picture book for children, this book generates plenty of literary inspiration and imagination for Halloween costumes, and the realistic masks contrast well with the cute costume for the child.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Sent in by Megan to our 2014 costume contest.
From the comic book that swept the nation, dressing up as Greg from "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" is sure to generate tons of laughs. The clothing part of the costume is both awkward and hilarious, with a white shirt and too-high socks, combined with an ill-fitting backpack and shoes. However, the costume's main drawing points are its overblown, ginormous head and gloves, which look incredibly comical and a little disconcerting. Between the gaping holes for eyes and the rest of the costume, it is built as a surefire hit at parties.
Cat in the Hat
Sent in by Crystal to our 2015 costume contest.
A literary classic for children, Dr. Seuss's "The Cat in the Hat" has generated many Halloween costume ideas over the year, and for good reason. The book has plenty of character options, from the Cat in the Hat, with his massive red-and-white striped hat, and peculiar rhyming speech, to Thing 1 and 2, a staple for twins and siblings. This costume set has a make-up adorned Cat, as well as two adorable costumes for Thing 1 and Thing 2, with blue puffy hair and red onesies.
Very Hungry Caterpillar and Beautiful Butterfly
Sent in by Jessica to our 2012 costume contest.
Finally, the caterpillar, the famous one that kept on eating and eating everything in sight, appears. From the "Very Hungry Caterpillar" children's book, this costume set has both the hero in question, with a fat bulgy body that is incredibly adorable, as well as the completed butterfly that the caterpillar grows into. The caterpillar can be combined with the various squashes and pumpkins that seem ubiquitous at Halloween to make for a very convincing costume, and the butterfly has a beautifully colorful pair of patchwork wings.
These costumes should give plenty of inspiration to draw from for a more refined set of Halloween costumes. Many of these costumes are simply drawn from a character from the plethora of children's books, and from reading the book, you will find plenty of illustrations and descriptions to discover the potential for a great costume!
(Click on the images below for detail on each costume)
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From modern children's classics, to fairytales from the likes of Hans Christian Anderson, there is no better source of inspiration than books. Even if the reference isn't fully understood by many of your child's classmates, the characters still make for fascinatingly in-depth characters, and you will be sure to garnish approving (and sometimes jealous) comments from other parents.
For more book characters Halloween costumes, be sure to check out our Literary Costumes Gallery
