Living Porpoisefully® founder + creator
As a marine science teacher, sea life costumes are my favorite. Mermaids, scuba divers, sharks, jellyfish…they’re timeless!
So, I’ve rounded up a bunch of Rett and my faves (many are DIY) so they’re all in one happy place.
And of course, these aren’t just for Halloween.
They’re fin-tastic for birthday parties, costume parties, a trip to the aquarium, or a dress up play center.
Spark ocean love in kids
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It’s an undersea Halloween party filled with “monsters” like ghost crab, vampire squid, goblin shark, and many more.
And for ocean fun all year long, enjoy the rest of our hand-painted children’s books on our site or on Amazon too!
Let’s dive in! You’ll find lots of inspiration here that’s great for kids and adults alike. Have fun!
We used a disposable mask, paper craft mask, shiny wrapping paper, and cupcake liners:
Such an adorable idea! Soda bottles are used for air tanks (secured by electrical tape), along with simple black pants and shirt, and a mask and snorkel. There’s even a “weight” belt made out of electrical tape and hair curlers!
What a great idea to use a sweatshirt hoodie for this costume!
Giggles Galore gives DIY instructions using tights, a hat, long sleeve shirt, a belt, white & black felt, and cotton batting.
What a jelly-tastic DIY, for any age! This one is electric with lights:
And here’s one from Alpha Mom that uses an umbrella:
Here’s one that’s great for last minute scrambling! We love the details of the mouth and gills on the underside to make it more real.
This simple cardboard cutout uses a pool noodle for the tube feet!
This Martha Stewart tutorial is complete with a claw template and instructions that are adaptable for any age. Don’t you love the ping pong balls as eyes?
And this baby lobster costume isn’t DIY, but it’s just so clawfully cute:
Couldn’t resist including this one, either (has the option to buy the pattern for about $5):
Another one from Alpha Mom, what a sweet costume that has a giant pearl to top it off!
LOVE this! MindOverMessy even included printable patterns.
Being a mermaid is a dream for many little girls (myself included!) and is a timeless costume that all ages will adore. I just love mermaid costumes, so I decided to give you several options. To top off whichever one you choose, there are two DIY tiara options that are fit for a mer-princess!
Here’s a quick-sew version with stunning sheer organza scales, complete with a video tutorial:
Here’s a no-sew option for those of us that are a little more challenged in that area:
And here’s one with coffee filters for the scales that the kids can color themselves!
To top the mermaid costume off, here is a DIY royal addition of a sea-jeweled tiara. Try and find faux starfish and use shells that you’ve collected instead of buying them. (By doing this, you’re not supporting harmful harvesting practices that are hurting marine species.) Click the picture below or here for the video tutorial.
Here’s one more tiara option, this one uses a headband:
Ok, I couldn’t resist adding one more: a mermaid baby costume! I haven’t gotten into crochet yet, but this looks like it might be a simple design to replicate for those of you who know crochet. Is this not the most adorable mermaid costume you’ve ever seen?
Just seeing all of these under the sea costumes makes us want to dress up too!
To go along with your ocean-themed costume, make Halloween even more fun for the whole family with with our undersea Halloween children’s book:
Have a fin-tastic Halloween!
I love the ocean and I LOVE to teach. My passion for the ocean turned into purpose (well...porpoise!).
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12 Responses
Your costumes are adorable!!!!
Thank you! We had a blast gathering the round up from so many creative bloggers! 🙂
They were awesome. Did you check out ‘Garden’ and ‘Summer’ and ‘Home Decor’ categories? You will see I love everything beach!
Love it! 😊
Thank you! I love makeovers, and re purposing!
Thank you for including my DIY Dolphin costume in your ocean round up. I love the name of your page and the idea! I was thinking of being a jelly fish this year and this round up gives me some easy ideas. Btw- I also have a Sea Turtle costume made from felt and a couch pillow, of all things – http://www.mindovermessy.com/diy-sea-turtle-costume/. Nicole @mindovermessy
Nicole – the sea turtle costume is adorable! So glad you liked the round up, and it was our pleasure to include your fantastic dolphin costume. We’re glad our post was helpful for your jellyfish costume endeavor and thanks so much for your note!
Thanks so much for including our mermaid tail and tiara in your round-up! Loving all the ocean-themed ideas. Too cute!
Thank you, Meghan! We loved including your mermaid tail and tiara, so fun. Glad you liked the ocean-themed ideas!