Why Group Costumes Are Worth The Extra Effort
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Real talk—group costumes take more planning than solo ones. But when you nail it? The photos are incredible and you automatically become the most memorable people at any party. Plus there’s something fun about walking in together and having everyone immediately get your reference.
I’ve done both solo and group costumes, and honestly the group ones always end up being more fun even if they require a few extra group chats to coordinate. The trick is picking something where everyone feels good in their costume and nobody’s stuck being the “lame” character.
Pop Culture Picks That Everyone Actually Recognizes
Movie and TV Characters
This is probably the easiest route because people already know what the characters look like. Mean Girls works perfect if you got four friends—Regina, Gretchen, Karen, and Cady are instantly recognizable and you can find most of the pieces in your closet already.
The Plastics’ pink outfits or the Halloween costumes from the movie (like the mouse ears) are both solid options. Daisy Jones & The Six blew up recently and gives you that cool 70s rocker vibe with fringe vests, bell bottoms, and leather jackets.
For something classic, Grease never gets old. You need Pink Ladies jackets (or just pink bomber jackets with the logo) and some high-waisted jeans or a poodle skirt. Add some cat-eye sunglasses and red lipstick and you’re done.
Superhero Squads
If your group can’t agree on one specific thing, do a Marvel vs. DC theme where everyone picks their favorite superhero. It’s flexible, everyone gets to be who they want, and you still look coordinated as a group. Ghostbusters is surprisingly easy—khaki coveralls or jumpsuits, some patches you can make with fabric paint, and inflatable proton packs from Amazon. Done.
The Barbie Phenomenon
Since the Barbie movie, this costume got even more popular. You can do different Barbies—Malibu Barbie, Cowgirl Barbie, Astronaut Barbie, whatever. Just make sure everyone coordinates on the pink level because you don’t want one person in hot pink and another in pale pink, it throws the whole thing off.
Character Costumes For Fantasy Fans
If your group is into fantasy or adventure stuff, these work amazing. Lord of the Rings sounds complicated but it’s actually doable. Frodo needs a vest and cloak, Gandalf needs a grey robe and staff, Aragorn needs rugged clothes and a sword. You can find medieval-style cloaks online pretty cheap and most of the other stuff you can thrift or already own.
Game of Thrones gives you so many character options depending on your group size. Jon Snow’s all black with a fur cloak, Daenerys needs a flowy dress and maybe a dragon prop, and a White Walker just needs white/blue makeup and torn clothes.
Scooby-Doo and the Gang is literally perfect for five people. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby each have super distinct looks that are easy to put together. Orange turtleneck for Velma, purple dress for Daphne, green shirt for Shaggy—you probably own half this stuff already. The only slightly tricky one is Scooby but you can find dog onesies or just do face paint.
Super Easy Last-Minute Group Ideas
Okay so maybe you waited too long and Halloween’s in like three days. These costumes require almost no prep.
Food and Candy Themes
M&Ms are the easiest thing ever. Everyone wears a solid color shirt (red, blue, yellow, green, orange, brown) and you either print or draw a big white “M” on the front. Literally takes 20 minutes.
Different Flavors of La Croix is basically the same concept but more trendy. Wear the color of your flavor, make a simple label, and boom—you’re a sparkling water can. It’s funny and requires zero sewing skills.
Pie Slices work great if you wanna do something slightly more crafty. Cut cardboard into triangle shapes, paint them like different pie flavors (pumpkin, apple, cherry), and attach them to your body.
Minimalist Concepts That Still Look Good
Rock, Paper, Scissors for three people is genius and so simple. All black or all white base outfits, then one person carries a rock, one makes paper shapes to attach to themselves, and one has scissors.
Where’s Waldo works for any size group. Red and white striped shirts, jeans, round glasses, and a beanie. The more people you have doing it, the funnier it gets because it actually becomes hard to find “Waldo” in the group.
Crayons just need solid colored clothing and you can make the Crayola wrapper from poster board or buy cheap crayon boxes costumes online.
Group Size Matters—Here’s What Works Best
For Exactly Four People
Wreck-It Ralph characters give everyone unique looks. Ralph’s in his overalls, Vanellope’s got that candy racer vibe, Fix-It Felix looks retro, and Vanellope’s got the princess dress option.
American Girl Dolls is super nostalgic if you grew up with them. Everyone picks their favorite doll—Samantha, Molly, Kirsten, whatever—and recreates the signature outfit. This one requires a bit more effort but the photos turn out amazing.
For Five People Exactly
