Sep 3

One of these group costume ideas movies is already out on video (complete with 3-D glasses!) and the other is coming out next week: 9.

Characters from 9

Characters from 9

Apparently the last hope for humanoid life on planet Earth is a collection of 9 six-inch tall ragdolls. This visually rich movie presents a good set of group costume ideas.

I’d just go for the spirit of the film without worrying too much about accuracy. Make some bodysuits out of coarse-woven cloth, some gloves, and a pair of goggles. Attach some oversized zippers, buttons and assorted fasteners. Get a few props to fit the movie if you like, such as the lightbulb staff or the bird skull helmet and I am sure you will be a big hit.

If you need a bit more inspiration, here are a couple of pictures and video clips from the movie:

Running from the Fabrication Machine

Running from the Fabrication Machine

Another good movie for group costume ideas is Coraline. Another set of ragdoll costumes, these will have button eyes instead of goggles, and you don’t need to make full body suits.

Wybie and Coraline

Wybie and Coraline

I would recommend using cheap sunglasses lenses for the buttons. This way you can still see through them fairly easily. Otherwise, you will need to make the buttons very large and place the holes so that you can see through them.

Coraline herself is even easier, you don’t need the buttons, but she does have dark blue hair. Wear a blue sweater with stars all over it and blue shoes and you’re all set.

The ghost children look like a very fun part of this group costume idea, too. Whitish-grey clothes and white makeup are almost all you need for this easy costume. Of course they need the button eyes too.

A bit of inspiration:

More group costume ideas to come, stay tuned!

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Aug 13

For the
Economically Challenged (whether by Choice or Circumstance)

OK, you need a group costume ideas, and you don’t want to break your
(very fragile) piggy bank. This seems even more challenging because you have a group who want to go with a common theme. You can put together the basics at home, and just add on a couple cheap accents from the costume shop or local discount store.

A band of gypsies is pretty easy if a few of you have the right tastes in clothing hiding away in your closet. The ladies just need to layer several skirts, perhaps with some scarves as skirts, and a simple peasant blouse with a few dollars of gaudy costume jewelry. The men just need a vest and a hoop earring.

A band of hobos is crazy simple; we used to use this one a lot when we were kids. Just take some old clothes and rough them up a little, drag them around in the dirt, maybe walk on them a little. Rub a bit of grime on your face, dark makeup works, but we often used old coffee grounds. And of course your goodie bag of a kerchief tied to a stick over your shoulders.

Couples and
Small Group Costume Ideas

Even for groups of three or four, it can be easy to twist a couples costume to work. For example, one old standard is Bonnie and Clyde, but if you have a larger group, just add a couple of police and you’re all set.
Just take the basic pair and build out a supporting cast to suit your group.

A lot of great group Halloween costume ideas come from taking the old standards and giving them a gruesome Halloween twist. I often see Cupid and a loving couple at Halloween parties. So let’s see cupid gone wrong. Maybe Cupid accidentally grabbed the wrong bow and arrows and people are getting killed. Just the diaper/loincloth and archery set for Cupid and bloody arrow wounds for the victims. Or step it up a notch (OK, several notches) and give Cupid a Tommy gun.

Take the gruesome and move it into the mundane with a zombie beach party or disco zombies. One very funny group I’ve seen was a “Ghouls Gone
Wild” take-off on the videos you see advertised on late-night TV.

Move the cute into the gruesome, or the gruesome into the ordinary and you have the makings of some very memorable group costume ideas.

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