Hey there! My son’s birthday is coming up soon and like the last couple of years, I have been throwing a huge Halloween Birthday Party for him with a spooky treasure hunt, trick or treating around the neighbourhood, games, and lots of food. Every year the kids have a blast, and so do I. Since my son and I lived in the U.S. and Canada for many years and really have gone crazy with Halloween (Americans take Halloween to a different level), it has become his favourite holiday. I am not crazy about decorating on Christmas or any other Holiday, but on Halloween especially because we celebrate my son’s birthday, I am going crazy. If you still need some ideas on last-minute Halloween costumes for yourself and your family, here are some ideas.
Enjoy and Happy Candy-Hunt.
Mario, Luigi, and Toad
Based on the classic video game characters, this group costume perfectly encapsulates your life—both because your baby, like Toad, is always present without making it clear what they actually do, and because the platonic realities of parenthood mean that you and your partner are now essentially siblings.
King Arthur, Guinevere, and Launcelot
It’s never too early to permanently warp your child.
Three of the six Village People
Shit, honey, the party’s in four hours! Don’t we have a toy construction hat somewhere? We can make that work. What else? What else? Would the cop outfit come off weird after, y’know, all of 2020? No, definitely not the Native American. Fuck it—let’s just tell them Skyler has a fever.
Family of bumblebees
Will only work if Dad still fits into his yellow-and-black-striped rugby shirt from college. Which, come on.
A living recreation of Edvard Munch’s The Scream, where one parent is madly shouting into the void as the child and other parent look on from a safe distance
Would be cute if this exact thing hadn’t happened at the playground last week.
Iron Man, Captain America, and the Incredible Hulk
You think little Wyatt will sit still long enough for you to put that green muscle suit on him? Ha. Hahahahaha! Ha.
The Three Musketeers
Might give you the chance to mention how D’Artagnan wasn’t actually one of the musketeers, which, after sixteen months of constant fatigue, is the only remotely interesting thing left in your brain.
Homer, Marge, and Maggie Simpson
A humorous way to pretend you live in the days when a middle-class family could afford a home.
Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and one of the ghosts
Instantly recognizable, this retro costume is an adorable reminder that your baby is trying to kill you both.
Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and a permanently scowling ball of frothing rage
You were going to dress up as C-3PO, but this is all you could muster after realizing what Congress’s refusal to address climate change means for your child’s future.
Lumberjacks
Because backbreaking physical labor now sounds like a fun change of pace.
A well-adjusted family where neither parent ever swears in front of the baby, even when the cat throws up for the third time in one day, and, oh, it seems the cat vomit got in the kid’s shoes, but that’s okay because you’re both adults who are always in control of their emotions
Halloween is all about make-befuckinglieve.
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and two gargoyle sidekicks
Channel Victor Hugo as you highlight how breastfeeding has permanently destroyed Mom’s posture.
Zombies
Con? Mindless, bleary-eyed drones shuffling from place to place as they struggle to remember the feeling of being alive is pretty on the nose for you and your partner. Pro? The kid’s so cute in that makeup!!
The Three Stooges
Might as well embrace your child’s new habit of poking you directly in the eyeballs.
Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers
You can’t go wrong with these slasher-movie classics. Plus, if you let your toddler carry a real knife, maybe the government will temporarily separate you and you can finally check out Nine Perfect Strangers.
Three of the six dogs from Paw Patrol
Although your child hasn’t gotten into this show yet, you assume it has most of the same problems as the Village People idea.
Pirates
Ah, the open seas. Picture it. The freedom to sail wherever you want—to be whoever you want to be. There was a time when your life was like this. When the world was wide open, and you could chart your own course through the choppy, thrilling waters of your future while breathing deep the salty air of adventure and—oh, neat, your kid just opened the door while you’re pooping.
Two adults and one very young person
Hey, there’s always next year.
