When I needed a book character costume, for book character day, I knew immediately which character, from which book to choose. As a ten year old with red hair, I was totally obsessed by Pippy Longstocking. When my school had a Book Character Dress-Up Day, I told my dad I was going to be Pippy.
In New Zealand, we can do anything with number 8 wire (fence wire) and funnily enough, my dad pulled out his #8 wire and pliers to make a Pippy Longstocking headpiece. Then I raided my older sibling’s closets to get the craziest clothing I could find. By the end of the day, I was the spitting image of Pippy.
I think the day was so memorable because my whole family pitched in to help me dress like my favorite book character. That’s why I didn’t add any descriptions (or links to fancy costume stores) on my list of book character costume ideas. Be creative with your kids and spend time on them, not money. That’s how you build memories!
1. Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Ephraim’s Daughter Longstocking
2. Oliver Twist
3. Sherlock Holmes
4. Long John Silver
5. Frankestein
6. Raggedy Ann and Andy
7. Paddington Bear
8. Moby Dick
9. Coraline
10. Harold and the Purple Crayon
11. Max (Where The Wild Things Are)
12. Mrs Frizzle (Magic School Bus)
13. King Arthur
14. Count Dracula
15. Heidi
16. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
17. The Phantom of the Opera
18. Doctor Dolittle
19. Ferdinand the bull
20. Clifford the Big Red Dog
21. Aladdin,Genie (The Arabian Nights)
22. The Three Musketeers
23. Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, The Lost Boys, Wendy
24. Little Red Riding Hood, Grandmother/Wolf
25. Romeo and Juliet
26. Three Little Pigs, Wolf, House of Sticks/ Bricks/Straw
27. Humpty Dumpty
28. Alice/ White Rabbit/ Queen of Hearts/ Cheshire Cat/ Mad Hatter/Tweedle Dee/Dum
29. Robin Hood
30. Huckleberry Finn
31. Mowgli (The Jungle Book)
32. Tarzan
33. Dorothy, The Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, The Scarcrow, The Wicked Witch
34. Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyor, Tigger, Roo
35. Toad, Mole, Badger (Wind in the Willows)
36. The White Witch, Aslan, Mr Tumnus (The lion the witch and the wardrobe)
37. Charlotte, Templeton, Wilbur (Charlotte’s Web)
38. Willy Wonka, Augustus Gloop,Veruca Salt, Oompa-Loompas
39. Curious George, Man in the Yellow Hat
40. Stuart Little
41. The High Witch (The Witches)
42. Mouse (If you give a mouse a cookie)
43. Harry Potter, Hermoine, The Weasleys, Dumbledore
44. The Velveteen Rabbit
45. The Poky Little Puppy
46. Thomas the Tank Engine
47. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
48. Anne of Green Gables
49. The Little Prince
50. Madeline
51. Hobbits, elves, Gandalf (Lord of the Rings)
52. The Paper Bag Princess
53. Sweet Valley Twins
54. Cinderella, Prince Charming, The Ugly Step Sisters
55. The Little Mermaid
56. Where’s Waldo?
57. Puss in Boots
58. Grizzly Adams
59. Pigeon (Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus)
60. Dennis the Menace
61. Captain Underpants
62. Fancy Nancy
63. Olivia the Pig
64. Bugs (How Many Bugs in a Box?)
65. Berenstain Bears
66. Black Beauty
67. Robinson Crusoe
68. Chicken Licken
69. The Tortoise and The Hare
70. Things, Grinch, The cat in the hat (Dr Seuss)
71. The Rainbow Fish
72. Llama (Llama Llama Red Pajama)
73. Ladybug Girl
74. Jack and the beanstalk, beanstalk, magic beans, cow
75. Noddy, Big-Ears, Mr. Plod
76. Don Quixote, windmill
77. Badjelly the Witch
78. The Giving Tree
79. Polar Express, conductor, hobo, Father Christmas, Elves
80. Jumanji game, dice, hunter
81. Night at the Museum, security guard, any museum exhibits
82. The Littles
83. Polar Bear, kid with daemon, witch (The Golden Compass)
84. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
85. Werewolf, vampire (Twilight)
86. Mary Poppins, chimney sweep, Bird Lady
87. The Brave Little Toaster
88. Native American, Cowboy (The Indian in the Cupboard)
89. Car, Child Catcher, Spy, Baron/Baroness, Toymaker (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
90. Dragon (Eragon)
91. Phileas Fogg (Around the world in eighty days)
92. Moose (If You Give a Moose a Muffin)
93. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
94. Little Bo Peep
95. Laura Ingalls Wilder
96. The Pied Piper, Rats
97. Cat, Worm, Pig, Bunny, Bear (Richard Scarry Books)
98. Rapunzel
99. Gingerbread Man, Fox (The Gingerbread Man)
100. Snow White, Seven Dwarfs, Magic Mirror, Poison Apple, Queen, Huntsman
In celebration of Halloween and because we love dressing up and books, Glow Word Books put on their thinking caps and came up with a bonus 45 book character costume ideas for you to enjoy.
1. Liza, Mirabella the rat (The Spindlers)
2. Meg and Mog
3. Princess and the pea
4. Massive meatloaf Man (Super Chicken Nugget Boy)
5. Liliputians, Brobdingnagians (Gullivers travels)
6. Jemima Puddle-Duck
7. Winnie the Witch
8. Julian, Dick, Anne, George, Timmy the dog (The Famous Five)
9. The Sandstorm, The falcon, The Sheppard (The Alchemist)
10. The Hardy Boys
11. Encyclopaedia Brown
12. James, Aunt Sponge, Aunt Spiker, Grass Hopper, Lady Bug, Spider, Centipede, peach (James and the Giant Peach)
13. Gypsy Caravan, Pheasant, Victor Hazel (Danny the Champion of the world)
14. Tiger, Can of Tiger Food, Sophie (The Tiger Who Came to Tea)
15. Hercules Morse, Bottomley Potts, Scarface Claw, Muffin McLay (Harry Maclary from Donaldson’s Diary)
16. The Little Match Girl
17. Violet Baudelaire, Count Olaf (Series of Unfortunate Events)
18. Amelia Bedelia
19. Meg, Charles Wallace, Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, Mrs Which, IT, Aunt Beast (A Wrinkle in Time)
20. Harriet the Spy
21. Farmer Brown (Click, Clack, Moo)
22. David (No. David!)
23. Angelina Ballerina
24. Percy Jackson
25. The Hunger Games
26. The Little Blue Trucks
27. Camilla (Bad Case of the Stripes)
28. The Little Engine that Could
29. The Monster at the end of the Book
30. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
31. Cleopatra
32. Little Pookie
33. The Snowy Day
34. Harriet the Spy
35. Caps For Sale
36. The Golden Compass
37. A Light in the Attic
38. Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs
39. Goodnight Moon
40. Green Eggs and Ham
41. Corduroy
42. Goodnight Gorilla
43. The Bridge to Terabithia
44. Puss in Boots
45. How the Grinch stole Christmas
Like balloon animals? You can always go as Dax from the Great Mail Mix-Up. He has glasses, wears cool paper hats and is always with his best friend, Zippa, a blue balloon-animal poodle.
Did I miss your favorite one? Let me know your suggestions!
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About Natasha Hanson
Natasha Hanson is the author of On The Day I Got My Period. View her Profile.
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
As an expert in book character costumes, I can confidently say that I have a depth of knowledge and first-hand expertise in this area. When it comes to creating a memorable book character costume, it's all about being creative and using the resources you have. Let me provide some information about the concepts used in this article:
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Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Ephraim's Daughter Longstocking: Pippi Longstocking, the red-haired girl with superhuman strength and a penchant for adventure, is a beloved character from Astrid Lindgren's book series.
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Oliver Twist: The main character in Charles Dickens' novel of the same name, Oliver Twist is an orphan who faces many hardships and navigates the dark underbelly of Victorian London.
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Sherlock Holmes: Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant detective known for his deductive reasoning and keen observation skills.
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Long John Silver: Long John Silver is a cunning pirate and one of the central characters in Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel, "Treasure Island."
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Frankenstein: The iconic creature created by Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's novel of the same name. The creature is often portrayed as a misunderstood outcast.
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Raggedy Ann and Andy: Raggedy Ann and Andy are the lovable rag dolls created by Johnny Gruelle. Their adventures in the world of toys have captured the hearts of many children.
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Paddington Bear: The well-known bear from Peru, Paddington Bear, is the creation of Michael Bond. He is known for his love of marmalade and his adventures in London.
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Moby Dick: The white whale and the obsession of Captain Ahab in Herman Melville's novel "Moby-Dick." The story explores themes of obsession, fate, and the human struggle against nature.
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Coraline: The titular character in Neil Gaiman's dark fantasy novel "Coraline." She discovers a parallel world that seems perfect, but hides a dark secret.
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Harold and the Purple Crayon: Harold, the young boy armed with a purple crayon, embarks on imaginative adventures in Crockett Johnson's picture book series.
These are just a few examples from the extensive list of book character costume ideas mentioned in the article. Whether you choose to dress up as a classic character like Sherlock Holmes or explore the magical world of Pippi Longstocking, the key is to let your creativity shine and have fun bringing these characters to life. Remember, it's not about spending money on fancy costumes but about building memories with your loved ones.
