Ever since his first appearance in the arcade classic, Donkey Kong, Mario has been one of the most popular and recognizable video game icons. You can morph into the Nintendo hero from Mushroom Kingdom with this easy-to-assemble homemade Mario costume. You can also create a great couples costume by adapting this look into an outfit for Mario’s brother, Luigi.

Nintendo Mario Costume Materials

• Fake mustache
• Red ball cap
• White gloves
• Red t-shirt
• Denim overalls
• Brown round-toe boots
• White felt
• Scissors
• Large, brass buttons
• Needle and thread
• Short brown wig with sideburns
• Work tools

Create a Homemade Nintendo Mario Costume
Take the white felt and draw a circle on it that measures three inches in diameter. Use a marker to trace a thick “M” in the center of the circle and use scissors to cut out its shape. Hot glue the circular “M” cutout to the front center of the red ball cap.

Next, use your needle and thread to sew one large brass button to each overall strap where it adjoins the front of the overalls. Simply wear the red t-shirt underneath the denim overalls, pairing the outfit with round-toe work shoes or boots. Wear white gloves to mimic Mario’s cartoon hands, and wear the short sideburned wig underneath the ballcap to create a signature Mario look. Finally, place a wrench and a hammer in your back pockets or overall carpenter side loops for an authentic plumber effect.

Jellyfish grace shallow waters with their languid swimming and compelling shape, but their sting is enough to evoke a little Halloween scare! You can use this homemade jellyfish costume for a school play, science fair demonstration, or simply as an innovative costume for trick-or-treating.

Jellyfish Costume Materials

• Roll of bubble wrap
• Clear duct tape
• Hot glue gun
• Transparent “bubble” umbrella
• White or silver pants
• White or silver long-sleeved shirt
• Stickers
• Wiggly eyes
• Glow sticks

Make a Homemade Jellyfish Halloween Costume
Begin by laying out several yards of a roll of bubble wrap on the floor. Use scissors to create parallel, vertical cuts an inch or two apart along the bubble wrap without cutting through to the opposite end. Wrap the uncut edge of the bubble wrap around the lowest hanging part of the opened bubble umbrella and affix it with hot glue. The shape of the bubble umbrella will create the jellyfish’s body, and the bubble wrap fringe will represent its tentacles.

Attach the wiggly eyes to the front top of the bubble umbrella using your hot glue gun. Use clear duct tape to affix the glow sticks on the underside of the umbrella to create a jellyfish fluorescent glow. Decorate the outside of the costume with stickers to add detail and interest. Wear your silver or white base outfit and carry the opened umbrella for a versatile costume with dramatic effect.

Taking the audio world by storm, the iPod has nearly single-handedly started a digital music revolution.
With a few basic materials and some creativity, you can dress as this innovative Apple device for your next Halloween event, costume party or technology mixer.

iPod Costume Materials

• Foam board
• Permanent marker
• Paintbrushes and paints
• Posterboard
• Spray paint
• Elastic
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors

Make Your Own Classic iPod Costume

Begin by holding the posterboard in front of your body, placing the top of the posterboard at shoulder level and mark the board at each shoulder and the elevation where it hits your knees. Trim the board down to size and trim your second board to match. Next, hold one end of the elastic just below your shoulder, running it over the shoulder until it hits the same elevation on your back. Mark and cut the elastic and create a second, identical piece.

Hot glue one end of the elastic to your first
posterboard near the shoulder marks, attaching it to the second board in the same spots to create elastic shoulder straps. Spray paint one side of the costume the color you would like your iPod to be. Cut a large rectangle out of foam board to represent the screen and decorate it with a menu to mimic the iPod’s display before hot gluing it to the front of your costume. On the lower portion of the costume’s front, glue two concentric foam board circles, one in gray and one in white, to represent the iPod’s clickwheel.

From the influential bands like the Ramones to pop-heavier sounds like Green Day and Blink 182, punk rock has been transforming the music scene since the 1970s. Even if your musical tastes tend towards easier listening, you can dress up as a music revolutionary with this homemade punk rocker costume.

Punk Rocker Costume Materials

• Tight jeans
• Dog collar
• Rubber bands
• Hair gel
• Iron-on transfer letters
• Iron
• Brightly colored temporary hair dye
• Temporary tattoos
• White t-shirt
• Scissors
• Eyeliner
• Large, studded dog collar
• Doc Martens or combat boots

Make Your Own Punk Rocker Halloween Costume
Begin by cutting up your jeans with scissors, focusing on the knees and the area just under the rear of the jeans. Pull at the holes to create a worn look and smear dirt so that the jeans look broken in. Next, use your iron-on transfer letters to spell out the name of your favorite punk rock band or use a classic punk rock catchphrase like “Anarchy in the UK!” or simply “Oi!”. Finally, place the letters face-down on your shirt and gently iron to create your punk t-shirt.

Dress in your punk rock t-shirt, combat boots and jeans and wear your dog collar around your neck, ensuring a comfortable fit. Create a punk rock hairdo by fashioning your hair into a “faux hawk” using hair gel and rubber bands. Spray your new hairdo with bright temporary hair dye and use water to transfer temporary tattoos to your arms. Finally, use black eyeliner to outline your eyes.

Everyone’s favorite adventurous explorer, bilingual Dora teaches children about shapes, colors, animals and numbers. Your toddler or young child can transform into their favorite pint-sized adventurer with this adorable homemade Dora the Explorer costume.

Dora the Explorer Costume Materials

• Pink t-shirt
• Orange pants
• White sneakers
• Brown wig with bangs
• Beads
• Elastic string
• Light blue backpack
• Socks
• Yellow ruffle trim
• Needle and thread
• Colored permanent markers
• Wiggly eyes

Create Your Own Dora the Explorer Costume

Begin by creating Dora’s faithful friend and helper, Backpack. Begin with a light blue backpack and draw a cartoon-inspired nose and mouth on the backside using the permanent colored markers. Next, glue two large wiggly eyes on the backpack’s rear to complete the animated face.

Take each sock in hand and using a needle and thread, sew the yellow ruffled or lace trim around the top of the sock. Next, wrap the elastic string comfortably around your child’s wrist and cut a length 2 inches longer than the string. String your beads onto the elastic, centering the design around a large flower bead or charm if possible. Tie off the ends of the elastic to create Dora’s signature bracelet for your child’s costume.