Matching Family Halloween Costumes

There are Halloween costumes—and then there are the years the whole family dressed up together. Some families go all in with head-to-toe family Halloween costumes. Others need little more than a cape, a hard hat or a pair of butterfly wings to pull the whole idea together.

You’ll find a few classics here, but also plenty of ideas you probably haven’t considered. From astronauts and superheroes to puppy love, butterflies, firefighters and favorite characters, the best family costume ideas are the ones that feel like your family. Choose a theme, take lots of pictures, and make it match!

Clever Family Costume Ideas

Fairies, Gnomes & Gardeners Costumes

A family costume doesn’t mean everyone has to dress alike. Turn the backyard into an enchanted garden with little fairies and garden gnomes while Mom and Dad dress as the gardeners tending to them. Fairy wings, a flower crown, a pointy gnome hat and a few things already hanging in the closet may be all you need.

This is also an easy costume to make your own. Add another fairy, another gnome, a butterfly or even a busy little bee. The more your enchanted garden grows, the better it gets.

American Girl Mom + Me Costume

Matching your American Girl doll might be the sweetest excuse for a Mom + Me Halloween look. Hill House makes it especially easy with coordinating dresses for Mom, daughter and doll. Add bows, Mary Janes and a few vintage-inspired accessories if you want to make the look feel more like a costume—or simply wear the matching dresses and let the doll steal the show.

Butterfly & Butterfly Catcher Family Costumes

Let the kids become the butterflies while Mom and Dad take on butterfly-catching duty. Butterfly wings come in endless colors and styles, so siblings don’t even need to match. Add khakis, a safari hat and butterfly net for the grown-ups and you have an easy family costume everyone understands—with very little for the parents to buy.

Rain Gear Doubles as a Costume

Halloween costumes don’t necessarily have to be costumes. A colorful raincoat, matching boots and an umbrella can do double duty as an adorable Halloween look—especially if October weather where you live tends to be wet. Ladybugs, dinosaurs, frogs and other kid-friendly rain gear practically turn themselves into costumes. Add a coordinating shirt, scarf or umbrella for Mom or Dad and suddenly the whole family is in on it.

Puppy Dog Family Costumes

This one is almost too easy. Dress the kids as spotted puppies and let the adults become dog walkers or dog catchers with khakis, utility vests, leashes and treat bags. Everyone coordinates without everyone wearing the same costume—and the puppy costumes are especially adorable on little ones.

Family Costumes Hard at Work

Family Astronaut Costumes

Astronaut costumes make an especially fun family theme this year with space exploration back in the headlines. Everyone can choose a different flight suit—white, orange, blue or even pink—while still looking like one coordinated crew. Best of all, there are astronaut costumes for everyone from Mom and Dad to toddlers and babies.

Family Construction Worker Costumes

Construction worker costumes may be one of the easiest ways to get the whole family matching for Halloween. Start with jeans and T-shirts, then add reflective vests, hard hats and a few toy tools. Kids can load up their tool belts, while Mom and Dad can keep things simple. Have a baby or toddler along for the ride? Turn the wagon into the crew’s very own work truck.

Family Chef Costumes

Turn Halloween into a family affair with matching chef costumes. Chef coats, aprons and hats work for everyone from baby to grown-ups, and nobody has to spend the evening hidden inside an elaborate costume. Even better, pull the aprons and hats out again for pizza night, holiday baking or your next family cooking adventure.

Family Firefighter Costumes

Firefighter costumes are especially fun for families because everyone can join the crew without wearing exactly the same thing. Kids can go all-in with helmets, jackets and toy fire extinguishers, while parents can keep it simple with black pants, a firefighter jacket or even just a helmet. Add a pumpkin bucket and your little fire crew is ready to answer the Halloween call.

Thomas the Train Family Costumes

If Thomas is the star of your house, let the kids take the lead while Mom and Dad join the railway crew. A Thomas costume for your littlest engineer paired with striped overalls, conductor hats and red bandanas for the rest of the family makes an easy matching look. It’s especially cute for families with more than one little train fan.

The Family That Plays Together Stays Together

Golf Family Costumes

Golf is an easy family costume to pull together without everyone wearing the exact same thing. Mix argyle, plaid, knickers, golf dresses and old-school caps, then add clubs and visors to finish the look. It works especially well for a family of golfers—or a family willing to pretend for one night.

A League of Their Own Family Costume

There’s no crying in baseball—but there may be a little arguing over who gets to be a Rockford Peach. A League of Their Own makes a great family Halloween costume, with pink baseball uniforms mixed with classic baseball gear for the rest of the team. Add red caps, knee socks and a baseball bat and the whole family is ready to play ball.

Zombie Football Family Costume

Football season gets a Halloween makeover with an entire team of the undead. Mix zombie football players with zombie cheerleaders, coaches or referees, then use coordinating team colors and a little gruesome makeup to make everyone look like they belong on the same very spooky team.

This one is easy to adapt to your own family. Everyone can choose the role they actually want to play while the football theme keeps the group together.

Favorite Sports Team Family Costumes

Sometimes the easiest family costume is already hanging in your closets. Pick the team your family loves and mix jerseys, T-shirts, hoodies, hats and team colors into one coordinated Halloween look. Add eye black and trick-or-treat bags and you’re ready to go.

Best of all, nothing gets packed away on November 1. Wear it all again on game day.

Favorite Characters & Halloween Classics

Favorite Character Family Costumes

Some Halloween costumes never really go out of style. The characters may change from year to year, but dressing as a favorite movie, show or game gives everyone in the family a chance to choose a character they actually want to be.

Toy Story is especially easy for a family group because there are so many characters to choose from. The same goes for Super Mario Bros., Frozen, Star Wars, Minions, Sesame Street, Scooby-Doo and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Let the kids choose their favorites and fill in the rest of the cast around them.

And don’t save the costumes just for trick-or-treating. Wear them to the neighborhood Halloween party, decorate the golf cart, have friends over for dinner or turn Halloween night into one big costumed family get-together.

Shop Family Character Costumes:
Toy Story Costumes | Super Mario Bros. Costumes | Frozen Costumes | Star Wars Costumes | Minions Costumes | Sesame Street Costumes | Scooby-Doo Costumes | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Costumes

Superhero Family Costumes

Superheroes make family costumes especially easy because everyone can choose a favorite. Go all out with a full costume, or keep it simple with a superhero T-shirt, cape or mask. Either way works—and mixing the two makes this an especially easy theme for the whole family.

Classic Monster Family Costumes

Frankenstein, Dracula, mummies and little monsters make an easy family theme because everyone can choose a favorite. Mix classic monster costumes rather than trying to find one matching set—and babies make especially cute little Frankensteins.

Legends of the Hidden Temple Costume

Anyone who grew up watching Legends of the Hidden Temple will recognize these shirts immediately. Let everyone choose a team, then add helmets, knee pads and name tags to recreate the wonderfully over-the-top look of the original show. It’s an especially fun family costume because Mom and Dad can join in without actually having to wear a costume.

Halloween Pajamas Count, Too

Thing 1, Thing 2 & the Whole Family

Thing 1 and Thing 2 are even more fun when the whole family gets involved. Start with simple red pajamas for everyone, then add blue wigs and Thing 1, Thing 2, Thing 3—or as many Things as your family needs. It’s easy, instantly recognizable and nobody has to spend Halloween night in an elaborate costume.

Best of all, the red pajamas don’t have to disappear into the costume bin on November 1. Lose the wigs and Thing patches and bring them back for Christmas morning, Valentine’s Day or even the Fourth of July with different accessories. One pair of pajamas, lots of family fun.

More Costume PJs

Some of the cutest Halloween costumes are actually Halloween pajamas. Cozy bear, unicorn, flying squirrel and other animal onesies let kids head out trick-or-treating, then curl up for bedtime without changing into something else.

Sometimes All You Need Is a Cape

Not everyone needs a head-to-toe costume. Sometimes a great cape, pair of wings, mask—or even a tail—is enough to turn clothes you already own into something completely different. It’s an easy way for Mom or Dad to join the family theme, give a last-minute costume a little more personality or let a child change their mind without starting over from scratch.

Add a Tail | Capes & Wings | Capes & Masks | Masquerade Masks

Happy Halloween. Make it Match!