18 Easy Cardboard Halloween Costume Ideas [Recycled]

cardboard Halloween costume ideas

Think outside the box! Get creative, recycle cardboard – 18 fun-to-make, easy cardboard Halloween costume ideas for a great family Halloween project.

Designing Halloween costumes is a great family project. Be sure to let everyone have some creative freedom in designing their own easy cardboard Halloween costume ideas.

Are you looking for fun, easy homemade Halloween costume ideas for inexpensive Halloween costumes? These easy cardboard Halloween costume ideas might help you find the answer to your quest.

The easy cardboard Halloween costumes are made from discarded boxes easily found in your community. Be sure you plan your search for cardboard boxes before it rains!

This is a great family project that is great for the environment, too!  All you need to do is combine cardboard, some inexpensive trimmings, and imagination for the makings of great homemade Halloween costumes, such as a cheese sandwich, popcorn box, Hershey candy bar, tooth, restaurant table, and more…

Cardboard Halloween Costume Ideas

Have you made one or more Halloween costumes using cardboard? Submit your cardboard Halloween costume ideas in the comment box below or a link to where it can be found…

Cheese Sandwich

A Yummy – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. Take two pieces of white cardboard and cut them to look like Sandwich bread–paint or color about 1-inch along the edges brown for the crust.
2. Pick other colors of poster board to be the Sandwich contents — one color of yellow for the cheese, another for the mustard. One color of green for pickles, another for the lettuce (cut jagged edges for more leafy look).
3. Glue or tape a couple pieces of the contents to the inside of each piece of “bread” and use rope or wide ribbon as shoulder straps to attach the two parts together.
4. Wear red sweats for ketchup (or yellow sweats for mustard and use a red piece of poster board for ketchup).

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Hershey Candy Bar

A Sweet – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. Use a cardboard box that will fit over your body. Cut holes for your head and arms.
2. Paint box for candy bar of your choice Nestle, Hershey, Mr. Goodbar etc.
3. OR, paint the candy wrapper as a birth announcement / baby shower favor.

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Popcorn Box

A Mouth Watering Homemade Halloween Costume

1. Use a medium cardboard box, turn it length wise, paint it white.
2. Make red pin stripes down the front and back.
3. Use a black marker to write popcorn on the box.
4. Hot glue pop corn on the top of the box.
5. Add some to hair, shoulders, and down the arms.
6. Wear all white clothing or all popcorn yellow clothing.

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Restaurant Table

A DeServing Homemade Halloween Costume

1. Use lightweight cardboard square for table.
2. Add table cloth and glue on plastic glasses, plates, etc.
3. Cut a hole in the middle of the table to insert your head.
4. The mask is a stand up menu with eye holes.

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Gift Box

A Giving – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. Get a box as big or small as the person wearing it.
2. Cut two holes for arms and one hole for the head.
3. Wrap with Halloween, birthday, holiday paper and accessorize with bows and ribbons as desired.

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Tooth

Something to Smile About – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. 2 boxes and white paint.
2. Glue boxes together.
3. Paint them white.
4. Cut curve on bottom.
5. Add a large toothbrush and tube of toothpaste

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Button

Cute as a Button – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. From cardboard, cut out two circles and color or paint one side of each. Draw 4 smaller circles on them as well.
2. Cut holes in a garbage bag (for head and arms).
3. Glue the circles to the bag.
4. Cut out a “needle” shape from cardboard and glue it to the back button, sticking out a bit.
5. Thread some yarn (braid 3 strands together to make it look bigger) through the needle and around to the front of the button.
6. Glue it in place over a button hole.

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Refrigerator

A Very Cool – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. Use a rectangular box, cut out head and arm holes, be sure that the top of the box with the flaps goes over stomach.
2. Cut off the two smaller flaps, place a piece of cardboard behind the two longer flaps. Decorate it to look like a side by side refrigerator.
3. Paint it a kitchen decor color, put a “shopping list” on the outside, and kids’ art work, and other things you would find on a refrigerator.
4. Paint on the inside what might be seen if one opened the fridge or freezer doors!

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Juicy Fruit Gum

A Juicy Homemade Halloween Costume

1. Take a cardboard box cut leg and arm holes.
2. Take yellow duct tape (or yellow paint) and cover the box until all of it is yellow.
3. Then get blue paint and paint the words “juicy fruit” on it.

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Box

Get Boxed In – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. Cut holes out of the top and bottom of a big cardboard box, just large enough to go over the person’s body.
2. Then cut arm holes and there you have a cheap original costume.

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Mirror

Who’s the Fairest of Them All – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. Wear all white.
2. Get some face paint and make your OWN face as UGLY as ever. Do not try and look good today.
3. Get an old picture frame, or something big enough to fit around your head. Make it look like a picture frame and strap it on to your shirt in anyway possible using tape or glue, and make sure it balances on your shoulders.
4. When people ask you what you are, say nice and calmly, a mirror!

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Spilled Spaghetti

Don’t Forget the Cheese – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. Cut a circle out of cardboard that will fit inside a strainer.
2. Poke holes in the cardboard circle.
3. Attach strands of yarn any length you wish to the cardboard circle.
4. Put that inside the strainer and fasten with bobby pins.
5. Cut styrofoam balls in half and paint brown and red – they are your meatballs.
6. Glue Velcro to the backs – Sew the other Velcro pieces to a red sweat suit.
7. Take your meat balls and attach all over your sweat suit.
8. Put the strainer on your head like a hat, tie with yarn under your chin, and there you have it…a mess to clean up!

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Credit Cards

No Limit on This – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. Paint cardboard rectangles pink.
2. Write “Bank of Dad” on it with black markers.
3. Add a funny name like “Susie Supershopper”.
4. Write an account number on it.
5. Paint the “American Express” logo on it.
6. Put string around it and hang it from the neck.
7. Carry shopping bags from different stores to hold candy!
8. What to wear underneath: black turtleneck, simple black pants, funky hat, funky shoes, feather boa, fake eyelashes or heavy mascara, lots of lip gloss, lush and eye shadow and sparkles.

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Candy Buttons

Sweet as a Button – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. White foam board
2. Styrofoam balls (large)
3. Scissors
4. Bright colored paint (pink, blue,yellow,green and orange recommended)
5. Cut in half white styrofoam balls.
6. Paint them a variety of colors (similar to Candy Dots).
7. Glue the foam balls to 2 pieces of cardboard painted white or foam board – one side only.
8. Punch large holes at the top of each piece of foam board.
9. Take 2 pieces of rope/string/ribbon and tie them into the holes (like a sandwich board).
10. Wear white top and pants underneath.
11. Hand out Candy Dots to Trick or Treaters.

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Post-It Note

Don’t Forget to Buy Candy – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. Use 2 pieces of yellow Card Board with top painted to look like glue.
2. Write a message, Don’t Forget to Buy Halloween Candy, on the front.
3. Write Post-It on the back similar to the logo found on packaging.
4. Wear black turtle neck, black pants, and black knit cap.
5. Attach a large novelty pencil or pen to the hat using Velcro.
6. OR wear a yellow or tan sweat suit and write No 2 Pencil on the legs and wear a pink cap for the “eraser”.
7. Attach wide black ribbon to both pieces and wear sandwich style over shoulders.

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Laptop Computer

Put Yourself on the Net – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. Find a large rectangle cardboard box.
2. Cut holes in bottom for legs.
3. Cut top so it flips up.
4. Paint box grey or other computer colors.
5. Paint on keys, screen or other computer stuff.
6. Attach an old mouse to the side.
7. To wear, put suspenders on sides of box and use shoulders to hold up!

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Dishwasher

Save Time, Do the Dishes and Trick or Treat – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. Take a box and cut three corners of one side so it acts like a door.
2. Next take some paper plates, plastic utensils, and paper cups and tape or glue them to a piece of cardboard the size of the opening of the “door”.
3. Then draw the racks that hold the dishes and utensils.
4. put some holes on two of the corners of that piece of cardboard.
5. Thread some string or thin rope through the holes and hang around your neck.
6. Cut a hole the size of your head in the bottom of the box (the side where the door opens down).
7. Put the box over your head and when you open the “door” you can see the dishes.
8. You can draw the dials of the dishwasher on the box above the door.
9. If you tape some string on the corner of the door and where the corners where the door opens the door will stay open instead of falling to your ankles or knees.
10. You can cut the plastic cups in half if they are going to stick out of the door.
11. If you don’t have the utensils or the piece of cardboard (don’t cut out the door in the box) just find a picture of inside a dishwasher and enlarge and tape it to the front of the box.

Spirit of Halloween

Nana Finds the Best – Cardboard Halloween Costume

1. Wear black and orange.
2. Attach as many Halloween decorations as you can to your outfit.

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source: KidsTurnCentral.com