Halloween is the most wonderful time of the year (don’t question me on this), and I spend every year hoping it’ll be the best one ever. I don’t have a certain level of standards Halloween has to meet, other than it being:
- Spooky
- Have a combination of non-stop horror movie binging and haunted house/cornfield visits, and
- Come up with an amazing and unique Halloween costume.
#3 is by far the most important. I’ve had some years where I’ve failed miserably, like the year of my youngest daughter’s first Halloween, in which I was too exhausted to come up with a costume and instead wore an alien print onesie with some smeared-on makeup. Not a cute look.
*Courtesy of @annabgiles Instagram
But this is the year I think I’ve come up with the Halloween costume ideas to beat all others: Oregon-Inspired Halloween Costumes for Oregon Kids!
Read on below to see the 10 best ideas I’ve come up with — and let us know if you can think of better ones.
The Portland Stag Sign
The Portland Stag Sign is one of my favorite parts of Portland — I’ve always loved it.
Materials:
- White onesie
- Red Rudolph nose
- White antlers
- Cardboard
- Scissors
- Strong string or twine
- Markers or paint
- Hole puncher
Dress up in an all-white oneside, put on white antlers and a red Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer nose, and make a sign out of cardboard that says, “Portland, Oregon Old Town,” and hang it around your neck with string or twine. Boom — you’re a Portland icon!
A Voodoo Doughnut
Please argue amongst yourselves in the comment section on who ACTUALLY has a lock on the best doughnuts in Portland. Still, for my money, Voodoo is pretty dang good — and their branding immediately lets you know who they are.
Materials:
- Doughnut costume
- Scissors
- Cardboard box (painted pink)
- Pink paint
- Paintbrush
Paint a cardboard box pink, cut a hole in the bottom, and throw on your doughnut costume — voila! You (or your kid) is a Voodoo Doughnut.
A Bridge. Any of Them, Really
One of the most charming things I found out about Portland Public Schools is their annual Bridge Project, in which elementary school-age kids make famous(?) Portland bridges out of popsicle sticks and hot glue. Some kids (and their parents) are more ambitious — last year, I saw one with working lights.
But I digress. Create your own Portland Bridge Project Halloween costume out of cut-up pool noodles and bind them together in whatever way works — hot glue, rubber bands, twine, pipe cleaners, etc.
Materials:
- Pool noodles in your bridge colors of choice
- Saw
- Hot glue
- Twine
- Rubber bands
- Pipe cleaners
- Whatever works
A Subaru
Everyone knows that Subarus are THE cars of Oregon! Think of this as your own personal PDX SoapBox Derby and get creative.
Materials:
- Cardboard boxes
- Scissors
- Hot glue
- Paint
- Paintbrushes
A Portland Hipster
Is “hipster” still even a phrase used in the common vernacular anymore, or am I dating myself? Who knows! Dress up your kiddo as a Portland Hipster in flannels, cargo pants, hiking boots, a beanie, and black, thick-rimmed glasses.
Materials:
- Flannel shirt
- Tank top
- Cargo pants (or leggings, or skinny black jeans)
- Hiking boots
- A beanie
- Fake tattoos
- Hipster-looking, cool glasses
A Giant Sequoia
These big guys are one of my favorite things about Oregon. Dress your kid up like a big ol’ tree, a la school play style. If you’re handy, you can easily sew together a costume using instructions like these, OR you can keep it simple by using the materials below.
Materials:
- Brown pants
- Green t-shirt or sweatshirt
- Scissors
- Green felt
- Hot glue
Cut out the felt leaves and hot glue them onto your sweatshirt. Easy!
Multnomah Falls
Have your kiddo dress up as the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon! Dress up in a blue dress with lots of tulle, if you can find it (thrift store shopping trip, anyone?), and add a gray belt for the bridge.
Materials:
- Blue dress
- Tulle
- Hot glue, if needed
- Scissors, if needed
- Gray belt
Powell’s City of Books
Ah, yes — the mothership of book stores. Powell’s is famous, and rightly so, as it’s a bookstore the size of an entire city block in beautiful Portland, Oregon. At four stories tall with literally over one million books, Powell’s is a namestay in Portland — and how cute would your kid be dressed up as this iconic landmark?!
Materials:
- Cardboard box
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Hot glue
- A few lightweight books
- Powell’s tote bag
Hand out books that you’ve been meaning to give away to other trick-or-treaters, as if you’re a walking, talking Free Little Library.
Sasquatch
Photo courtesy of Anna Giles
Okay, okay — Sasquatch (or, Big Foot, or whatever you want to call him … her … them?) isn’t necessarily an “Oregon thing,” but he’s definitely a THING here. And who doesn’t want to wear a Sasquatch costume?! You can buy one here, or you can make your own using the materials listed below.
Materials:
- Brown bodysuit
- Brown felt
- Scissors
- Hot glue
- Brown monster slippers
- Sasquatch mask (or you can try your hand at makeup)
Oregon License Plate
What’s more iconic than that license plate with a glorious Douglas fir on it? Perhaps many other things, but I, for one, love it. Here’s how to make your kid into one:
Materials:
- Cardboard
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Ribbon
- Scissors
- Hole punch
Paint a flat piece of cardboard just like the famous Oregon license plate, cut a couple of holes at the top for your ribbon, and hang it around your kid’s neck. Make sure their tags aren’t expired before they go trick-or-treating!
Ghost of the Shanghai Tunnels
If you have older kiddos, do yourself a favor and take a tour of the Haunted Underground Shanghai Tunnels in Portland this Halloween season. It’s a fascinating tour of Portland’s sometimes-seedy past — and educational! The cost is $38/person — book here.
Materials:
- A ghost costume OR
- A traditional white sheet with two cutout holes for eyes OR
- If your kiddo really wants to be historically accurate, dress as a zombie-fied sailor
Did we miss anything? Drop your Halloween costume ideas in the comments below!
Anna Giles has written about parenting, her kids, cats, and other things for over 10 years now (the math is easy when your oldest kid is 10). Fancy companies she’s written for include Delta, IHG, Bravo, NBC, E!, Syfy, and Disney. Parenting publications she’s written for include Romper, Time Out New York Kids, and Mommy Nearest. She’s really good at procrastinating on writing her Great American Novel. She has two kids and a perfect golden retriever. A born-and-raised Southerner, she’s learning to love her new PNW home in Portland but would really like to join a sauna during the winters, so please read her articles!!!