2024’s ‘Cutest, Spookiest’ Halloween Costumes Kids Chose Themselves

The Halloween costumes are in! From the good old superheroes, princesses, and movie characters to jaw-dropping, creative, spooky, funny and witty looks–everything is here this Halloween season!

Smart Parenting asked parents from Smart Parenting Village to share their kids’ Halloween costumes, the inspiration behind them, and the stories accompanying each outfit. More than 300 kiddie Halloween costumes flooded in, some were planned for over a year, while others were whipped up last-minute due to delayed shipping! 

We also asked parents why they think it’s important for their kids to dress up on Halloween. Alfie Pardo Saniel, who created her daughter’s sinigang mix costume last year, shared, “I grew up dressing up during Halloween and going trick or treating and these became core memories for me. We're recreating this with our daughter, giving her a way to create her own Halloween core memories too. Halloween is a chance to unleash creativity and self-expression on a bigger scale–that’s why we really stress that our daughter must be the one choosing her own costume and theme.”

Nadine Cua takes Halloween seriously–she’s been DIY-ing all her sons’ costumes for eight years straight. She shared, “I’m a SAHM and an insomniac mom (hehe) so madami akong time sa gabi to look for pegs. Usually I look for pegs, for the following year right after the Halloween. Like for Jack’s costume, after 2023 Halloween, nakita ko yun sa TikTok, so I saved it na and told myself na sure na ako, yun na, kasi super funny nya (at least for me) or baka dahil sa video din hehe. So months before Halloween, oorderin ko na yung mga need ko.”

Here are some of this year’s cutest, funniest, wittiest, and most creative Halloween costumes:

Classic Superheroes and Movie Characters

Nothing beats classic superheroes, princesses, and movie characters as Halloween costumes. These kids dressed up as their favorite characters:

Ariel from The Little Mermaid

Photo by Jess Paloma-Ruiz
Chinggay, 4 years old
“We usually decide her Halloween costume. Since she turned 3 years old, she chose what she wanted to be for Halloween. She chose Ariel this year because she loves swimming and she wants to swim well daw like Ariel.”

Spiderman

Photo by Sunshine Ocmer-Dela Rosa
KD, 6 years old
“His favorite superhero is Spiderman.”

Kristoff from Frozen

Photo by Jigs Medrano Jaramillo
Yuan, 3 years old
“He loves watching Frozen with his sister. I also love that Kristoff isn’t the typical male character because he redefined masculinity. I wanted my son to learn that it’s okay to be vulnerable and have big feelings just like Kristoff. I also wanted him to learn to respect and be supportive of women (like his sister) and not to take their spotlight when it’s their turn to shine.”

Miguel from Coco

Photo by Jewel Joven 
Dyego, 10 years old
“Our neighborhood's Trick or Treat theme was Pixar so he decided to dress up as Miguel from one of his favorite movies. He is also a musician like Miguel so he can relate to the character. He won the grand prize for this costume (Mr. Pixar).”

Anger from Inside Out

Photo by Jonah Soria
Lucas, 2 years old
“Lucas loved the movie, so we decided to dress him as Anger—just like the character, he’s small and cute but has fiery expressions and a strong personality!”

Inside Out

Photo by Kristine Luares Bugasto
Kaleia, 8 years old, Kade, 4 years old and Baby Kade, 7 months old
“My kids love Inside Out. So I asked my kids what character they like to be. I love DIY-ing our costumes because it makes us unique and stand out from the rest, so most of the time, we win Best In Costume. The kids love that because they get to win cool stuff and even a hotel stay."

Avatar, The Last Air Bender

Photo by Lara
Yen, 1 year old 
“Baby smiles whenever he sees Aang.”

Witty, Creative and DIY Costumes

Some parents take their A-Game to the next level when it comes to Halloween costumes. From planning, crafting, designing and completing their costumes, these are some of the wittiest and most creative DIY Halloween costumes:

McDonald’s Fries and Ketchup

Photo by Donna Delos Santos-Calara
Raphael, 11 years old, and Zia, 4 years old
“I made the costume using boxes from used cartons, cardboard, and styrofoam. As a crafting mom, I always wanted DIY and personalized things instead of buying store costumes. I also wanted something unique, fun, and memorable for the kids.”

Purefoods Corned Beef

Photo by Alfie Pardo Saniel
Summer, 8 years old
“Inaawat na namin dahil ito ang request na araw-araw na almusal. Her corned beef costume is DIY, including the iron pan (treats bucket).”

Katipunerong Zombie

Photo by Rowena Musa
Leon Angelo, 11 years old
“We just made use of what we have at home. Sayang kasi yung Buwan ng Wika costume, I think next year hindi na kakasya sa kanya. 2 birds in one stone ang peg, hehe!”

Frozen Kid in Freezer and Jack Dawson from Titanic

Photos by Nadine Cua
Masen Cua (Frozen Kid), 4 years old, and Angelo Cua (as Jack Dawson from Titanic), 9 years old
"Frozen Kid in Freezer - I wanted to do something unique. I saw Jack from Titanic initially on TikTok last year, but the actual person wearing the costume is Rose. It’s easier that way because Jack could be just hanging on the edge of the costume. My son agreed to dress up as Rose, but I still tried to find a way to make it the other way around, and so I did. 

“Every year, I try to DIY their costumes. My eldest won his first Best in Costume when he was less than a year old–with the costume I put together at the last minute as the man behind KFC (I used his baptismal clothes, painted on his face, and printed a KFC poster). Since then, I felt the need to challenge myself to be better at DIY-ing and going for the win. Plus, since my youngest’s bday is in November, the goodies they get for trick or treating becomes a part of his loot bag giveaways (it’s my secret).

“My eldest is 9 years old now, with 8 winning streaks (the pandemic happened when he lost), and has never worn any store-bought costumes (except for that one time I dressed him up as a dinosaur in a cage, the cage is DIY) or went as a superhero. It’s also a good thing that he never asks me to buy costumes for him, it’s like ever since he can understand, he knows I’ll be making his costume/props, and all he has to do is sit down and wait for me to put makeup on him and I’m very thankful for that. I always tell him we’re the perfect team for Halloween. His younger brother also has a winning streak in Best in Costume of his age bracket.”

Plants Vs. Zombies

Photo by Che Luares-Delos Reyes
Zach and Zeus
“Lagi kaming sumasabay sa theme. Love ng kids ang Plants Vs. Zombies kaya game na game sila na zombie kaming lahat. ????All our costumes are DIY.”

“Woke Up Like This!”

Photo by Jennifer Samson-Lee
Zibi, 4 years old, and Autumn, 2 years old
“Due to typhoon Kristine, their intended twinning costumes that I ordered online did not arrive in time for our condo Halloween party. So I had to whip up an on-the-spot, easy DIY costume for both of them.”

"What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up"

Photo by Maria Andrea Martinez
Neo (military policeman), 6 years old, and Theo, (astronaut), 3 years old
“Kids wanted to wear non-spooky costumes and instead opted for something that they want to be when they grow up.”

Ghost Family

Photo by Jean Claire Lucas
Zane, 3 years old
“Second time niya pa lang mag-attend ng Halloween party. Last year, 2 years old siya nung nakita ko na nag-enjoy siya and hindi na nahihiya. Kaya sabi ko this year, gusto ko involved din kami sa costume. Lagi niya din sinasabi na ‘Happy ako kasi family tayo.’ Kaya nag-isip ako ng costume na pwede sa aming lahat at hindi ako mahihirapan gawin.”

Head on a Platter

Photo by Jayson Bagio
Lyanna, 6 years old
“Our little one loves Halloween parties and costumes. We’re finally over the Moana and Darna suits. We were browsing on social media when she and her mom found a headless woman costume video with a tutorial. They liked it–it’s trendy and even has variations based on your own creativity. You can also do it on your own with tools easily available at home. She won second prize for the costume.”

Pokemon Family

Photo by Charisse Espinosa
John Michael, 10 years old, and  Charmelle Anne, 16 years old 
“Both my kids are into cosplay, so dahil support kaming mag-asawa, go kami sa pag-costume. Yearly, we make sure we come up with a theme for our costumes sa Halloween. Pokemon is also our favorite.”

The Cereal Killer

Photo by Bea Santos-Del Rosario
Mayari, 3 years old
"We found the idea on Pinterest. Witty Halloween DIY costume, since we only have 2 days to think and find a costume na unique for her 1st trick or treat. Cereal box ang pinakamadaling hanapin that time.

“We actually bought a witch costume that time, yung nabibili sa divisoria. But this is the first Halloween ni Mayari na nakakaintindi na talaga at maaalala na niya. So we tried to think of another idea to make it more personal and unique. And Mayari is so happy with her costume, that she even helped sa paglagay ng fake blood.”

BumbleBee from Transformers

Photo by Aurora Altuna Tolentino
Johan Alonzo, 6 years old
“I want a unique costume for my kid. I saw videos of people making these kinds of costumes so it inspired me to make one myself. I previously made one out of cardboard but I'm not satisfied with it and it seems weak. My 2nd try is where I used a puzzle mat which only cost me 150 pesos. That's the final one that I used for my kid.”

Wind-Up Doll

Photo by Maria Ronallia
Audrey, 5 years old
“We chose a wind-up doll costume because it has a timeless and nostalgic charm.”

Still looking for a fun Halloween costume for your child? This mom has a store where you can rent out Halloween costumes!