Are you obsessed with the seashore scenery and deep sea creatures? Check out this roundup of DIY ocean-themed costume ideas for Halloween to dress up as your favorite ocean creature and objects from mermaids to seashells costumes, fish to octopus, jellyfish, and much more for both kids and adults. All of them have been designed very professionally keeping in mind comfort, accurate mimicry, and adorability. You can complete them very quickly and many of them repurpose the items you may already have.
Handmade Ocean-Themed Costumes
Here is a list of best of DIY ocean-themed costume ideas, our favorite of animal costumes. You can display this collection to your family so that whole family can get one costumes theme:
Goldfish Costume
This goldfish Costume is lightweight, comfy, and easy out crafted primarily from an orange hoodie and felt. To create fish-like features, scales are made from cut felt circles glued randomly onto the hoodie.
While fins are fashioned from the altered sleeves. Large, expressive eyes are added using vinyl for a realistic touch. While designed for Halloween, it can be repurposed as a bird costume with minor adjustments. As a tip, always check thrift stores for base clothing items to keep costs low!
DIY Octopus Costume
You can assemble this cute and comfy octopus costume for a girl in under an hour using tights, a matching shirt, a hat, and some felt. Characterized by its playful look, the costume involves stuffing tights for tentacles and attaching them to a belt plus an adorable-eyed winter hat. It ensures comfort and ease of movement for young wearers.
This Turtle Costume is heartwarming and perfect for a baby’s first Halloween. You can make it with two types of fleece and a bit of Poly-fil for the shell. It offers a cozy and adjustable fit thanks to its Velcro attachments.
It’s straightforward to make, with options for sewing by hand or using a machine, and even the possibility of using fabric glue for a no-sew approach. Designed to keep a baby snug during chilly festivities, the costume includes a detachable shell and fins for convenience.
Sea Anemone Balloon Costume
This costume quick, easy, and affordable project, requiring only a hot glue gun, glue sticks, and balloons in many shapes. It takes around 2 hours to assemble, making it perfect for last-minute Halloween or school plays. For costume (not scenery), all you need to gather long balloons, fill the air in them, fold and attach as a shell around a any wearable.
More Simple DIY Octopus Costume
The Last Minute DIY Octopus Costume is an affordable and quick solution for an outfit repurposing of items. It costs only $5 and takes less than an hour to craft from materials found at the dollar store. This costume requires a long shirt (maybe of Dad), fuzzy socks for tentacles, and some felt for eyes. It will give a little one-sea-inspired look without much preparation time.
Homemade Mermaid Costume
Make an appealing mermaid costume for your daughter with this guide. Starting with a clearance dress from H\&M uses glittery foam scales and a tail, all attached with hot glue. The outfit can be completed with a matching starfish headband and trick-or-treating bag, ensuring the mermaid can walk comfortably for an evening. Make sure you have a Cricut machine or you cut accurately the tail by hand.
Seashell Costume
This costume forms a 3D shell shape, with an ombre paint, thanks to the clever use of spray paint. It is perfect for photo props or performances as a wearer separately holds it. It's strung together with canvas straps for easy wear. While crafting this costume involves steps like cutting, gluing, and painting, it's manageable with a bit of patience. To complete the look, wear coordinating solid-colored clothing underneath.
DIY Scuba Diver Costume
Make this costume for kids who love underwater adventures. It's relatively easy to make, with materials like spray-painted soda bottles for air tanks and felt for straps. This costume doubles as playful dress-up gear long after Halloween is over. The tutor suggests starting with items you already have to keep costs low. Tip: Use safety goggles painted to match for a realistic yet safe mask option! Also, there is an option for a cute fish catcher.
Whale Costume
Crafting a whale costume with cardboard is simpler than it seems thanks to this tutorial. All you need is cardboard, paint, and some patience to make a child's Book Day special. The design involves cutting out shapes, painting them, and attaching a tail with a hot glue gun. To wear the costume, ropes or strings are used as arm straps. A useful tip from the creator includes getting the kids involved in painting for a more personalized touch.
DIY Baby Fish Costume
This Baby Fish Costume is colorful and super warm for little ones requiring minimal sewing skills. This costume involves dyeing a white infant gown purple, adding iridescent material for fins, and using fabric glue to attach colorful felt scales. A cute fish eyeball headband completes the look, crafted with a styrofoam ball.
It's an easy project for those who can sew straight lines. The creator suggests using permanent fabric glue for attaching scales to avoid sewing and ensure they stay in place.
Pink Baby Shark Costume
Turn your little one hoodie and pajama into a cute girly shark costume with this guide. All you will add are cute elements like felt teeth and eyes and magenta craft foam for the shark's fin and lips. It features adorable "DOO DOO DOO" lettering on the back, adding a playful touch. The costume is no-sew, making it accessible for beginners. A hot glue gun is your main tool. To make the costume pop, use an EasyPress 2 for the iron-on vinyl letters.
Jellyfish Costume Tutorial
These Jellyfish Costumes for Siblings Glow in Dark are unique DIY, no-sew costume ideas. You'll need items like a sombrero for the base, glow sticks, battery-operated Christmas lights, and various fabrics, all easily found at the dollar store. Adding bubble wrap and iridescent filler brings the jellyfish to life, making it glow. It's designed to be easy, with most of the assembly requiring hot glue instead of sewing.
Ray Hoodie Costume
This tutorial converts a baby's velvety hoodie into a ray costume specifically manta rays. You can use a teal blue velour hoodie and try some straightforward modifications on it. The difficulty level is intermediate, requiring some sewing skills mainly for shaping the sleeves into pectoral fins and adding features like the white belly and cephalic lobes. For those attempting this project, the creator suggests using actual manta ray figures for more accurate visual references.
