5 fail-safe fancy dress costume ideas for kids

Let me let you in on a little secret. Sometimes people don’t like superheroes and princesses. Don’t get me wrong, you might have a comics collection and be able to sing all the words to “Let it go” without missing beat, but whenever it’s time for a kid’s fancy dress party it seems like all you can see are row upon row of Iron Men, Hulks, Elsas and “some princess, not princess specifically, but it’s a pretty pink dress”.

Even when it’s World Book Day – yes, technically all these characters have appeared in books, but it’s not exactly adhering to the spirit of the occasion, is it? So that’s why we’re here. Below you will find five imaginative, fun and easy costumes, none of which feature characters currently owned by Disney.

Where’s Wally?

A great costume for World Book Day, children’s fancy dress parties and of course, class photos. A red white stripy jumper, a red and white stripy bobble hat and a pair of glasses and you child will have the most distinctive costume to ever be really hard to pick out of a crowd.

Alternatively, get a yellow and black stripy jumper and hat and give your child a pencil moustache to transform them into Odlaw, Wally’s evil counterpart (his name his “Waldo” spelled backwards, which makes more sense if you’re reading the original American books).

The Uniform for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

This one is great because not only is it easy, it’s infinitely customisable! Simply take your kid’s usual school uniform (or just black trousers/skirt, white shirt and grey jumper or blazer) and add the scarf of their preferred house. That’s red and gold stripes for Gryffindor (brave), blue and bronze for Ravenclaw (clever), green and silver for Slytherin (ambition) and yellow and black for Hufflepuff (who are also a house at Hogwarts).

You can easily customise the costume to fit your favourite character. A pair of glasses and a facepainted zig-zag will turn your Gryffindor costume into Harry Potter. Slick back their hair and put a Slytherin scarf on them and they’re Draco Malfoy.

Mr Messy

This is a great one because as well as being easy, it’s fun to make, and your kids will have a great time helping you. You just need a white long sleeved top and leggings, and some pink or purple fabric pens. Then simply scribble all over them from head to toe. Try to get that nice scribbly loopy pattern you see in the drawings of the real Mr Messy, then once you’ve got it perfect, take a black marker or some black fabric to put the face over the chest of the jumper.

The end result looks amazing and who doesn’t enjoy a chance to ruin some brand new clothes?

The Golden Ticket

The true hero of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is that shiny bit of paper that made it all possible, and it’s a surprisingly easy costume to put together. With a bit of shopping around you can find a pillowcase made of gold fabric for less than a tenner. You can buy sticky backed letters for a similar price to add text, then cut holes for your child’s neck and arms, and soon you’ll have a golden ticket off your very own!

The Little Prince

This book by the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a vital part of any children’s library, and a dead easy costume as well! You just need to some trousers, a green shirt, some red ribbon for his belt and a long yellow scarf, then get an old football and papier mâché it into a planet!

* Collaborative Post.