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One of the reasons Halloween is so beloved is because it lets us think differently. The creative Halloween costumes people manage to think up never fail to amaze us. Some of the coolest outfits are DIY Halloween costumes that reference a joke or pop culture event in a really clever way. But there are also store-bought costumes that do the work for you and still deserve to win the award for most creative Halloween costume at any party.
If you’re looking for an original Halloween costume, we have 42 ideas to inspire you. These creative Halloween costumes run the gamut from pop culture references (we’ll be honest, there’s more than one “Barbie” costume on this list) to always-funny puns, and they include cool Halloween costumes you can buy or DIY, as well as creative Halloween costume ideas for solo trick-or-treaters or people in need of group costumes. Let the list spark your own creativity, or use it as inspiration for one or more of your own unique Halloween costumes (you can dress up all month long, right?). We’re sure you’ll find a scary-good and creative Halloween costume idea that’ll have all your friends in awe or laughing out loud all night long.
— Additional reporting by Lauren Harano, Naomi Parris, and Mirel Zaman