It's OK to admit it: you already want to be your favourite TV show or movie character IRL, so why not make that dream a reality this Halloween [1]? Whether you want to be Ariel from "The Little Mermaid", [2] Wednesday Addams [3] from "The Addams Family", Barbie [4] from the "Barbie" movie, or Woody (or Jessie) from "Toy Story", you can bring your onscreen icon to life when you transform into them with a DIY [5] costume.
No need to splurge on new items. Channel your character's cool, quirky, or unique style in a totally original (and cheap [6]!) way for spooky season, using clothes and accessories you already have in your closet. Most costumes from movies or TV show Halloween [7] costumes already have wildly cool looks (basically everything worn on "Mean Girls [8]" and every "Clueless" outfit ever), so dressing the part will be easier than you imagined.
Finding easy character costumes to replicate this year should be a breeze with TV shows and movies like "The Super Mario Bros. Movie", "Succession", "Stranger Things [9]", "Black Panther [10]", "The Umbrella Academy [11]", Star Wars, and more. Ahead, take a peek at the best DIY Halloween costume ideas for some of the most legendary TV and film characters to grace our screens.
— Additional reporting by Lauren Harano
Cowgirl Barbie From "Barbie"
- Movie character costumes: Margot Robbie's Barbie from the "Barbie" movie.
Barbie and Ken From "Barbie"
- Movie character costumes: Barbie and Ken from the "Barbie" movie.
Princess Rhaenyra from "House of the Dragon"
- Movie character costumes: Emma D'Arcy's character Princess Rhaenyra from HBO's "House of the Dragon."
Doric From "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves"
- Movie character costumes: Sophia Lillis's character Doric from "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves."
Shiv From "Succession"
- Movie character costumes: Sarah Snook's Shiv from "Succession."
Bowser From "The Super Mario Bros. Movie"
- Movie character costumes: Bowser (who was voiced by Jack Black [12]) from "The Super Mario Bros." movie.
M3gan From "M3gan"
- Movie character costumes: The robot M3GAN from the scary movie of the same name.
Elliot and E.T. From "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial"
- Movie character costumes: Henry Thomas's character Elliot and the famous extra-terrestrial from 1982's "E.T."
The Ghostbusters From "Ghostbusters"
- Movie character costumes: The Ghosbusters crew from the horror-comedy movie franchise.
Garth and Kat From "Saturday Night Live"
- Costumes from TV shows: Fred Armisen's Garth and Kristen Wiig's Kat from their long-running "SNL" skit on the "Weekend Update" segment.
The Women Prisoners From "Orange Is the New Black"
- Costumes from TV shows: The ladies from Litchfield Penitentiary in Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black [13]."
Beetlejuice From "Beetlejuice"
- Movie character costumes: The creepy titular character from "Beetlejuice."
Han Solo and Princess Leia From "Star Wars"
- Movie character costumes: Han Solo and Princess Leia from the "Star Wars" movie franchise.
Regina George From "Mean Girls"
- Movie character costumes: Regina George's spring fling outfit from "Mean Girls [14]."
Jack Skellington From "The Nightmare Before Christmas"
- Movie character costumes: Jack Skellington from Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas."
Peter Pan and Wendy From "Peter Pan"
- Movie character costumes: Peter Pan and his love Wendy from "Peter Pan."
Darla From "Finding Nemo"
- Movie character costumes: Brace-faced Darla from "Finding Nemo."
Mia Wallace From "Pulp Fiction"
- Movie character costumes: Uma Thurman [15]'s Mia Wallace from "Pulp Fiction."
Elle Woods From "Legally Blonde"
- Movie character costumes: Reese Witherspoon [16]'s Harvard grad, pink-obsessed character from the "Legally Blonde" franchise.
Wednesday Addams From "The Addams Family"
- Movie character costumes: Wednesday Addams, daughter of Gomez and Morticia, in "The Addams Family" franchise.
Cruella de Vil From "101 Dalmatians"
- Movie character costumes: The iconic fictional villain from "101 Dalmatians."
Romy and Michele From "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion"
- Movie character costumes: Mira Sorvino's Romy and Lisa Kudrow's Michele from 1997's "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion."
The Plastics From "Mean Girls"
- Movie character costumes: Karen Smith, Gretchen Wieners, and Regina George from "Mean Girls [17]."
Twisty From "American Horror Story"
- Costumes from TV shows: Twisty the disgraced clown from "American Horror Story [18]: Freak Show."
Dionne and Cher From "Clueless"
- Movie character costumes: Best friend-duo Dionne and Cher from "Clueless."
Hermione Granger From "Harry Potter"
- Movie character costumes: Emma Watson [19]'s Hermione Granger from "Harry Potter [20]."
Mary Poppins From "Mary Poppins"
- Movie character costumes: The magical English nanny from "Mary Poppins."
Pink Ladies From "Grease"
- Movie character costumes: The pink ladies from the classic movie "Grease."
Squints and Wendy Peffercorn From "The Sandlot"
- Movie character costumes: Squints and Wendy Peffercorn from "The Sandlot."
Marty McFly and Doc Brown From "Back to the Future"
- Movie character costumes: Marty McFly and Doc Brown from the "Back to the Future" movies.
Gomez and Morticia Addams From "The Addams Family"
- Movie character costumes: Gomez and Morticia Addams from "The Addams Family" movies.
Effie Trinket From "The Hunger Games"
- Movie character costumes: The colourful District 12 escort, Effie Trinket, from "The Hunger Games" movie series.
Erica Sinclair From "Stranger Things"
- Costumes from TV shows: Priah Ferguson's Erica Sinclair from Netflix's "Stranger Things [21]."
Ashley O From "Black Mirror"
- Costumes from TV shows: Miley Cyrus [22]'s Ashley O from "Black Mirror"'s "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" episode.
Neytiri From "Avatar"
- Movie character costumes: Zoe Saldaña [23]'s Neytiri from the "Avatar" franchise.
Mia Thermopolis and Lilly Moscovitz From "The Princess Diaries"
- Movie character costumes: Mia Thermopolis and Lilly Moscovitz from "The Princess Diaries" movie franchise.
The Child From "The Mandalorian"
- Costumes from TV shows: The child from "The Mandalorian."
Fleabag From "Fleabag"
- Costumes from TV shows: Phoebe Waller-Bridge's character Fleabag from "Fleabag."
Lola and Bugs Bunny From "Space Jam"
- Movie character costumes: "Space Jam"'s Lola and Bugs Bunny.
Sabrina Spellman From "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina"
- Costumes from TV shows: Sabrina Spellman from Netflix's "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina."
Dora the Explorer From "Dora the Explorer"
- Costumes from TV shows: Dora the Explorer from the staple Nickelodeon series of the same name.
Carmen Sandiego From "Carmen Sandiego"
- Costumes from TV shows: The titular character from Netflix's "Carmen Sandiego" series.
Chip and Joanna Gaines From "Fixer Upper"
- Costumes from TV shows: "Fixer Upper" stars Chip and Joanna Gaines.
Detective Pikachu From "Pokémon Detective Pikachu"
- Movie character costumes: The famous Pokémon character from the 2019 film "Pokémon Detective Pikachu."
Agent M and Agent H From "Men in Black: International"
- Movie character costumes: Tessa Thompson's Agent M and Chris Hemsworth's Agent H from fourth "Men in Black" instalment.
Wonder Woman From "Wonder Woman"
- Movie character costumes: The titular superhero character from "Wonder Woman."
Archie From Riverdale
Dorothy From "The Wizard of Oz"
- Movie character costumes: Dorothy and her dog, Toto, from "The Wizard of Oz" musical.
The Terminator From "The Terminator"
- Movie character costumes: Arnold Schwarzenegger [24]'s Terminator character from the sci-fi action film franchise.
Joel Goodson From "Risky Business"
- Movie character costumes: Tom Cruise [25]'s Joel Goodson character from "Risky Business" featuring his iconic shirt and underwear outfit.
Zero From The Nightmare Before Christmas
Ariel From "The Little Mermaid"
- Movie character costumes: Ariel from Disney's "The Little Mermaid."
Jessie From "Toy Story"
- Movie character costumes: Cowgirl Jessie from Pixar's "Toy Story."
Billy From "Stranger Things"
- Costumes from TV shows: Dacre Montgomery's character Billy from "Stranger Things [26]."
Moana
Velma From Scooby-Doo
The Child From The Mandalorian
Lola and Bugs Bunny From Space Jam
Sabrina Spellman From Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Minnie Mouse
Dr. Facilier From The Princess and the Frog
Margot Tenenbaum From "The Royal Tenenbaums"
- Movie character costumes: Gwyneth Paltrow [27]'s Margot Tenenbaum from "The Royal Tenenbaums" movie.
Risky Business
Mary Poppins
Jessie From Toy Story
Vanya Hargreeves From The Umbrella Academy
Jasmine From Aladdin
Black Panther
Danny and Sandy From Grease
Roxanne From A Goofy Movie
Woody From Toy Story
Snow White From Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Elizabeth Schuyler From Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton From Hamilton
King George III From Hamilton
Alexis and Moira Rose From Schitt's Creek
Belle From Beauty and the Beast
Klaus Hargreeves From The Umbrella Academy
Batwoman
Dwight Schrute From The Office
Tiana From The Princess and the Frog
Thor
Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala From Star Wars
Clark Kent
Gabriella From Brink!
Dustin From Stranger Things
Nebula From Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century
Cher From Clueless
Rapunzel From Tangled
Slytherin Student
Tiana and Prince Naveen From The Princess and the Frog
Winnie the Pooh
Kim Possible
Aladdin and Jasmine From Aladdin
Ariel From The Little Mermaid
The Scooby Doo Crew
Wednesday Addams From The Addams Family
Veronica Corningstone and Ron Burgundy From Anchorman
Holly Golightly From Breakfast at Tiffany's
Beetlejuice
Dionne and Cher From Clueless
Spock and Uhura From Star Trek
Regina George From Mean Girls
Mia Wallace From Pulp Fiction
Cruella de Vil From 101 Dalmatians
Harley Quinn From Suicide Squad
Hermione Granger From Harry Potter
Pink Ladies From Grease
Squints and Wendy Peffercorn From The Sandlot
Avatar
Gomez and Morticia Addams
Ashley O From Black Mirror
Elton John From Rocketman
Fleabag From Fleabag
Carmen Sandiego
Detective Pikachu From Detective Pikachu
Golden Girls
The Breakfast Club
Elliot and E.T.
Melanie Daniels From The Birds
Ghostbusters
Team Zissou From The Life Aquatic
Ms. Piggy From The Muppets
Suzy and Sam From Moonrise Kingdom
Indiana Jones
Garth and Kat From Saturday Night Live
Orange Is the New Black
Magda From There's Something About Mary
Troop Beverly Hills
Downton Abbey
Jack Skellington From The Nightmare Before Christmas
Peter Pan and Wendy
Darla From Finding Nemo
Elle Woods From Legally Blonde
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
Maverick and Goose From Top Gun
The Plastics From Mean Girls
Carrie Bradshaw From Sex and the City
Twisty From American Horror Story
Margot Tenenbaum From The Royal Tenenbaums
Wonder Woman
Jean Grey From X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Zoolander
Sailor Moon
Maleficent
Back to the Future
Effie Trinket From The Hunger Games
Erica Sinclair From Stranger Things
Mia Thermopolis From The Princess Diaries
Agent H and Agent M From Men in Black: International
Dorothy
Dr. Alexei From Stranger Things
Arthur From Joker
Janet From The Good Place
Buddy the Elf
Penny Lane From Almost Famous
Cowgirl Barbie From "Barbie"
- Movie character costumes: Margot Robbie's Barbie from the "Barbie" movie.
Barbie and Ken From "Barbie"
- Movie character costumes: Barbie and Ken from the "Barbie" movie.
Princess Rhaenyra from "House of the Dragon"
- Movie character costumes: Emma D'Arcy's character Princess Rhaenyra from HBO's "House of the Dragon."
Doric From "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves"
- Movie character costumes: Sophia Lillis's character Doric from "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves."
Shiv From "Succession"
- Movie character costumes: Sarah Snook's Shiv from "Succession."
Bowser From "The Super Mario Bros. Movie"
- Movie character costumes: Bowser (who was voiced by Jack Black [28]) from "The Super Mario Bros." movie.
M3gan From "M3gan"
- Movie character costumes: The robot M3GAN from the scary movie of the same name.
Han Solo and Princess Leia From "Star Wars"
- Movie character costumes: Han Solo and Princess Leia from the "Star Wars" movie franchise.
Wednesday Addams From "The Addams Family"
- Movie character costumes: Wednesday Addams, daughter of Gomez and Morticia, in "The Addams Family" franchise.
Dora the Explorer From "Dora the Explorer"
- Costumes from TV shows: Dora the Explorer from the staple Nickelodeon series of the same name.
Chip and Joanna Gaines From "Fixer Upper"
- Costumes from TV shows: "Fixer Upper" stars Chip and Joanna Gaines.
Cowgirl Barbie From "Barbie"
- Movie character costumes: Margot Robbie's Barbie from the "Barbie" movie.
Velma From "Scooby-Doo"
- Costumes from TV shows: "Scooby Doo"'s Velma.
Barbie and Ken From "Barbie"
- Movie character costumes: Barbie and Ken from the "Barbie" movie.
Danny and Sandy From "Grease"
- Movie character costumes: John Travolta [29]'s Danny and Olivia Newton-John's Sandy from "Grease."
Rapunzel From "Tangled"
- Movie character costumes: Rapunzel from Disney's "Tangled."
Princess Rhaenyra from "House of the Dragon"
- Movie character costumes: Emma D'Arcy's character Princess Rhaenyra from HBO's "House of the Dragon."
Kim Possible From "Kim Possible"
- Costumes from TV shows: The titular character from Disney Channel's "Kim Possible."
Doric From "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves"
- Movie character costumes: Sophia Lillis's character Doric from "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves."
Holly Golightly From "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
- Movie character costumes: Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly from "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
Harley Quinn From "Suicide Squad"
- Movie character costumes: The eccentric Harley Quinn from the "Suicide Squad" franchise.
Shiv From "Succession"
- Movie character costumes: Sarah Snook's Shiv from "Succession."
The Golden Girls Crew From "The Golden Girls"
- Costumes from TV shows: The beloved four-girl friend group — Rose, Dorothy, Sophia, and Blanche — from "The Golden Girls."
Ms. Piggy From "The Muppets"
- Movie character costumes: Ms. Piggy from "The Muppets" franchise.
Bowser From "The Super Mario Bros. Movie"
- Movie character costumes: Bowser (who was voiced by Jack Black [30]) from "The Super Mario Bros." movie.
Indiana Jones From "Indiana Jones"
- Movie character costumes: Harrison Ford [31]'s gun-toting explorer character from "Indiana Jones."
M3gan From "M3gan"
- Movie character costumes: The robot M3GAN from the scary movie of the same name.
Han Solo and Princess Leia From "Star Wars"
- Movie character costumes: Han Solo and Princess Leia from the "Star Wars" movie franchise.
Wednesday Addams From "The Addams Family"
- Movie character costumes: Wednesday Addams, daughter of Gomez and Morticia, in "The Addams Family" franchise.
Dora the Explorer From "Dora the Explorer"
- Costumes from TV shows: Dora the Explorer from the staple Nickelodeon series of the same name.
Chip and Joanna Gaines From "Fixer Upper"
- Costumes from TV shows: "Fixer Upper" stars Chip and Joanna Gaines.
Velma From "Scooby-Doo"
- Costumes from TV shows: "Scooby Doo"'s Velma.
Danny and Sandy From "Grease"
- Movie character costumes: John Travolta [32]'s Danny and Olivia Newton-John's Sandy from "Grease."
Rapunzel From "Tangled"
- Movie character costumes: Rapunzel from Disney's "Tangled."
Kim Possible From "Kim Possible"
- Costumes from TV shows: The titular character from Disney Channel's "Kim Possible."
Holly Golightly From "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
- Movie character costumes: Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly from "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
Harley Quinn From "Suicide Squad"
- Movie character costumes: The eccentric Harley Quinn from the "Suicide Squad" franchise.
The Golden Girls Crew From "The Golden Girls"
- Costumes from TV shows: The beloved four-girl friend group — Rose, Dorothy, Sophia, and Blanche — from "The Golden Girls."
Ms. Piggy From "The Muppets"
- Movie character costumes: Ms. Piggy from "The Muppets" franchise.
Indiana Jones From "Indiana Jones"
- Movie character costumes: Harrison Ford [33]'s gun-toting explorer character from "Indiana Jones."
Cowgirl Barbie From "Barbie"
- Movie character costumes: Margot Robbie's Barbie from the "Barbie" movie.
Barbie and Ken From "Barbie"
- Movie character costumes: Barbie and Ken from the "Barbie" movie.
Princess Rhaenyra from "House of the Dragon"
- Movie character costumes: Emma D'Arcy's character Princess Rhaenyra from HBO's "House of the Dragon."
Doric From "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves"
- Movie character costumes: Sophia Lillis's character Doric from "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves."
Shiv From "Succession"
- Movie character costumes: Sarah Snook's Shiv from "Succession."
Bowser From "The Super Mario Bros. Movie"
- Movie character costumes: Bowser (who was voiced by Jack Black [34]) from "The Super Mario Bros." movie.
M3gan From "M3gan"
- Movie character costumes: The robot M3GAN from the scary movie of the same name.
Han Solo and Princess Leia From "Star Wars"
- Movie character costumes: Han Solo and Princess Leia from the "Star Wars" movie franchise.
Wednesday Addams From "The Addams Family"
- Movie character costumes: Wednesday Addams, daughter of Gomez and Morticia, in "The Addams Family" franchise.
Dora the Explorer From "Dora the Explorer"
- Costumes from TV shows: Dora the Explorer from the staple Nickelodeon series of the same name.
Chip and Joanna Gaines From "Fixer Upper"
- Costumes from TV shows: "Fixer Upper" stars Chip and Joanna Gaines.
Velma From "Scooby-Doo"
- Costumes from TV shows: "Scooby Doo"'s Velma.
Danny and Sandy From "Grease"
- Movie character costumes: John Travolta [35]'s Danny and Olivia Newton-John's Sandy from "Grease."
Rapunzel From "Tangled"
- Movie character costumes: Rapunzel from Disney's "Tangled."
Kim Possible From "Kim Possible"
- Costumes from TV shows: The titular character from Disney Channel's "Kim Possible."
Holly Golightly From "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
- Movie character costumes: Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly from "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
Harley Quinn From "Suicide Squad"
- Movie character costumes: The eccentric Harley Quinn from the "Suicide Squad" franchise.
The Golden Girls Crew From "The Golden Girls"
- Costumes from TV shows: The beloved four-girl friend group — Rose, Dorothy, Sophia, and Blanche — from "The Golden Girls."
Ms. Piggy From "The Muppets"
- Movie character costumes: Ms. Piggy from "The Muppets" franchise.
Indiana Jones From "Indiana Jones"
- Movie character costumes: Harrison Ford [36]'s gun-toting explorer character from "Indiana Jones."