One thing I love about DIY animal costumes is that my kids use them all year long for pretend play. I’m totally ok spending extra time making DIY costumes knowing the costume will be enjoyed all year round. If you have an animal lover on your hands, this list of 37 DIY animal costumes for kids and adults covers all the bases from farm animal costumes to zoo animal costumes and everything in between. Oh and I love the idea of a group family zoo costume! Anyone?
Farm Animal Costumes
Use a farm theme for a family costume or a trunk or treat idea. Adults can go as farmers with overalls and red bananas and then pick a few of these animal costumes for the kids. Or if you have a tractor lover on your hands, this cardboard box tractor costume is a fun one too!
1. Chicken
Does it get any cuter than a baby chicken? The answer is no! This DIY chicken costume was made with 2 white feather boas and 2 sets of yellow rubber gloves. For more details, check out Living the Swell Life.
2. Cow
What’s a farm without the cows! Here’s an easy, no sew cow costume that anyone can make in 30 minutes. For the complete tutorial check out Make It and Love It.
3. Horse
This adorable, creative diy horse costume is made from a cardboard box! Don’t miss this hot pink cardboard box horse over at Kid Stuff World too.
4. Pig
This pig costume includes a tutu which is always extra cute! Just add ears and a pig snout to a light pink hoodie for an adorable, easy pig costume. For the complete tutorial check out Spot of Tea Designs.
5. Sheep
This no sew sheep costume is adorable! Just hot glue cotton balls to a white hoodie and cut the sleeves off of the hoodie! For the complete tutorial, check out This Lovely Life.
6. Bunny
All you need for a bunny costume is a white leotard, a white tutu, and bunny ears! My daughter insisted on carrying am Easter basket as her candy bag and told everyone she was the Easter Bunny! (Here is the white leotard and bunny accessories my daughter is wearing.)
7. Spider
A spider is not a typical farm animal, but I had to include in this section in honor of Charlotte’s web. How cute would Charlotte and Wilbur be as a sibling costume? For the complete spider tutorial, check out Pretty Providence.
Zoo Animal Costumes
8. Flamingo
This pink flamingo costume might be my favorite animal costume on the list! All you need are pink boas, felt, sheets of foam, and a hot glue gun! For a step by step tutorial, check out this DIY flamingo costume post.
9. Panda
This panda bear baby costume is super simple to make and involves very little sewing. You can ditch the sewing for hot glue if you’d like! Check out C.R.A.F.T. for the DIY panda bear costume.
10. Crocodile
Turn a long narrow cardboard box into a crocodile head with this simple tutorial from Evil Mad Scientist.
11. Fox
For a detailed fox costume tutorial, check out Taylor Made Creates.
12. Moose
How cute is this tiny moose? And how smart is it to use gloves as moose antlers? For the full tutorial, check out the House of Paint.
Safari Animal Costumes
Grab a few friends and make some DIY animal costumes on this list then show them off with a costume party!
13. Elephant
This elephant costume was specifically made to look like Gerald from Piggie and Elephant. My family loves that duo so much we made Elephant and Piggie pumpkins last year! This costume does involve sewing with a pattern but it would be fun for imaginative play all year long! For the complete tutorial, hop on over to Larissa Another Day.
14. Lion
This DIY lion costume is adorable and best of all, it’s a no sew costume! Check out the complete tutorial on Night Owl Blog.
15. Giraffe
I love that this mama incorporated her daughter’s fore arm crutches into her giraffe costume! For more pictures and details about the costume check out A Life Less Ordinary.
Under the Sea Costumes
16. Shark
This DIY shark costume is made out of a large piece of cardboard and spray paint. I attached a reusable grocery bag handle to the back of the shark so my son could easily hold the shark. Click here for more DIY shark costume details.
17. Jellyfish
A clear umbrella with streamers or ribbons attached is the key to this adorable DIY jellyfish costume made by Mariah from Giggles Galore.
18. Octopus
It doesn’t get much cuter than a baby octopus costume and I love that this one is made with knee socks!
Bird costumes
From a pigeon to a peacock… this list of bird animal costumes has it all. (Minus a penguin, I want to make a penguin costume!)
19. Pigeon
You can make the cutest little DIY pigeon costume with a paper plate and a mint colored dress! Best part? It will take you less than 3 minutes to paint and put together.
20. Chicken
This chicken costume for kids is extra special if your kiddo who loves the book, Interrupting Chicken! It’s also super easy to make. All you need is a cardboard box and paint.
21. Peacock
This is the best handmade peacock costume I’ve come across. The onesie and tights are store bought, but the tail feather “belt” is handmade. For more details and pictures, check out Creatively Christy.
DIY Animal Costumes
The following list of cute animal costumes don’t fit into any of the categories above, but they’re too cute not to make the animal costumes for kids list!
22. Bat
These bat capes and hats are perfect for little bat lovers. Find the simple sewing project on Made Everyday.
23. Hedgehog
Alida Makes sewed the cutest toddler hedgehog costume I’ve ever seen. I love that it’s warm and comfortable too. This is one of those costumes that will get used all year long!
24. Lizard
What kid doesn’t love lizards? Turn a green hoodie into a lizard with some eyes, nose, and tail! For the lizard costume tutorial, check out Taylor Made Creates.
25. DIY Koala costume
All you need for this koala bear costume is a grey onesie, grey pants, and white felt. The koala bear mask is super simple to make with a free printable template! Find all of the DIY koala costume details here.
Adult animal costumes
26. Fox
This awesome Fox costume can likely be put together with clothes from your closet or thrift store. You will need to DIY a mask and tail. This costume was originally found What I Wore tumblr which has since been transitioned into Stars + Field.
27. Goldfish
Turn a plain orange hooded sweatshirt into a goldfish costume masterpeice with a little hand sewing! Find the complete tutorial on Jenna Brand.
28. Lobster
All you need to be a lobster for Halloween is 48 plastic red cups, 15 plastic red plates, tons of clear packing tape, and a lot of patience. For more details about the DIY lobster costume, hop on over to Answering Oliver.
29. Jellyfish
30. Lady Bug
This lady bug costume can be put together in less than 15 minutes once you find the right supplies. Click here for details on how to make an adult lady bug costume.
31. Bat
31. BatI love how she up-cycles an old umbrella into a pair of epic bat wings! For a step by step tutorial, check out the Evil Mad Scientist
32. Wolf
This no sew wolf hoodie is perfect for a quick, easy Halloween costume. Find the complete tutorial on Lia Griffith.
Have you ever made a DIY animal costume for Halloween? If you’re looking for more DIY Halloween costume ideas, don’t miss these:
Comments & Reviews
Here’s a costume idea! When I was a kid, for Halloween, me and my sister dressed up as two strong, cunning spiders and our friend dressed up as a fly we had caught. He let us wrap white string around him. It was fun pretending to be strong girl spiders that had caught him in our web. We kept singing Itsy Bitsy Spider and tickling him. It was so fun! He had fun pretending to be caught by two cunning girl spiders!
Awesome ideas. This kind of arts is whole year round so the kids could enjoy wearing cute animal customs and learn from it.
Hi! I just made ‘jellyfish’ umbrella for my 6 yr old son, thank you for the idea.
These are brilliant! We have only request – more elephant costumes please.
I’ll work on that 🙂
Some very creative costumes, this blog was a good read, some very cute pictures ! keep it up
I’m looking for a good costume, and I’m thinking Twitter. Every time I get candy, I yell HASHTAG JUST GOT CANDY!
Homemade costumes are the best!
A rented or store bought costume is just a sign of a lac of imagination and creativity.
How lucky these children are to have such talented mothers
Last year was my sister wedding and she rented a dress, and gues after the wedding who was waring bride dress for halloween ?? me!! hahhaah was really fun, but i fall in love with the dress ♥♥♥
Omg!,, love your creativity! I’d love to swap some ideas with you! My son wants to be a great white for Halloween this year, at least he is giving me more notice than when he decided he needed to be a dolphin the day before a superhero b-day party he was invited to! Seriously, email me back pls!
Gwen
so many fun ideas!!!
I need to show that My Little Pony one to my daughter. That is incredible! Hell they’re all pretty amazing!
Cute roundup! I think my favorite is the giraffe 🙂
Thanks! I love the unicorn too 🙂
adorable Jamie! great roundup!!! lovin the little moose!