Funny Ideas for Unusual Halloween Costumes

Creativity is the most important factor in building a funny costume.

Costumes are a big part of Halloween. Certainly dressing up in costume is one reason Halloween is one of America's favorite holidays. While some prefer scary costumes, others go for the humor factor in their Halloween outfits. Many such costumes line the racks and shelves at Halloween stores. By definition Halloween store costumes aren't unusual. The most effective way to have an unusual, funny costume is to make it.

Foods

You can build a sandwich costume using a cardboard box for a box fan. Just cut the box in half and paint each half as a piece of bread. Then hang different colored pieces of cloth out the sides, top and bottom, making the sandwich: pink for bologna, green for lettuce and yellow for cheese. Paint a plastic trash can (after placing holes to fit on the body) like a popcorn tub from the theater. Use foam or cotton balls over the top of the can to create the popcorn.

Toys

A ball toss game --- a small cup with a string attached to the bottom and a ball at the end of the string --- is both a child's toy and a potential Halloween costume. Cut holes for the body in a straight garbage can or hamper to be worn open side up. Paint the item yellow. Add a length of rope to the bottom and attach a red ball about the size of the opening in the top of the costume.

You can create a toy plastic soldier costume with light green clothing and makeup. Matching boots, helmet and toy rifle complete the look.

Hybrid Costumes

Combining two common costumes can yield a costume that is both humorous and unusual. Start with a full gorilla costume. Then wear a wedding dress and all the accessories over the top. Go with the pale makeup and fangs of a vampire, but add a hippie wig, tie-die shirt, jeans and lots of beads. A bunny costume can be the basis of a costume with an army uniform, complete with helmet, boots and toy weaponry serving to finish it.

Exaggerated Gender Swap

While the idea of dressing as the opposite sex is nothing new for Halloween, adding to the basic concept can increase the humor potential and freshness of the costume. Doing an especially bad job is one way to exaggerate the gender swap (like a man with facial hair dressing as a woman and doing an obviously bad job on the makeup). Another way is to increase the disparity between the two roles. For instance, a small woman dressing as a circus strongman or a burly man going as a ballerina.

References

• News Blaze: For Families, Halloween Second Only to Christmas