From the classroom to the costume closet, a year of pop culture-inspired learning has given us plenty of Halloween inspiration.

One year ago, I published my first Teachertainment blog about Halloween. Since then, we've explored witches, superheroes, rescue pups, toys, video games, football players, dancers, and a coyote whose engineering failures deserve their own documentary.

And somewhere along the way, I accidentally assembled a pretty impressive Halloween costume catalog. Because kids don't just watch their favorite characters. They want to be them. And whether they're putting on a cape, grabbing a wand, or convincing their parents to dress as Bowser, there's plenty to learn along the way. So, in honor of a year of Teachertainment blogs, we're revisiting the archives some favorite and turning them into costume inspiration. Welcome to the Teachertainment Costume Universe. The educational connections are intentional. The candy consumption is entirely up to you.

PAW Patrol:
No Costume Is Too Big, No Trick-or-Treater Too Small

As we discovered in No Job Is Too Big, No Lesson Is Too Small!, PAW Patrol is full of opportunities to teach teamwork, STEM, and problem-solving. For Halloween, the mission is simpler: rescue the candy.

Buy it: Dress as Chase, Marshall, or Skye with one of these PAW Patrol costumes.
DIY it: Match a shirt and pants to your favorite pup's color, add felt ears to a baseball cap, and turn a backpack into a Pup Pack.
Teach it: Have kids invent their own rescue pup, complete with a specialty, equipment, and a problem to solve.

Congratulations. You thought you were making a costume. You wandered into engineering.

Wicked & The Wizard of Oz:
Follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Costume Aisle

In Exploring Oz & Wicked: A Magical Learning Experience, we explored character, perspective, and the difference between being good and being popular.

Oz also happens to be an excellent destination for family or group costumes.

Buy it: Go classic with Glinda or Elphaba costumes, or explore Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion.
DIY it: The Scarecrow is easy with flannel, overalls, patches, and raffia. Dorothy needs a blue gingham dress and ruby slippers. For something more elaborate, Fiyero can wear a tailored jacket, vest, boots, and Shiz-inspired details, or try a ready-made Fiyero-inspired outfit.
Group it: Mix the Wicked and Wizard of Oz universes! Elphaba, Glinda, Fiyero, Dorothy, the Wizard, Boq, Nessarose, and the Yellow Brick Road itself are all possibilities.
Teach it: Compare how a character looks and behaves across the different versions of Oz. How does a costume change our first impression of someone?

One family. Two witches. Several questionable leadership decisions. Unlimited tulle.

Spider-Man:
With Great Candy Comes Great Responsibility

Our blog Every Spider Has a Story explored identity, responsibility, and the many people behind the mask. And Halloween is the perfect opportunity to enter the Spider-Verse yourself.

Buy it: Choose Peter Parker, Miles Morales, or Gwen Stacy from a selection of Spider-Man costumes.
DIY it: Start with a red, blue, or black hoodie, add a spider emblem, and create cardboard web shooters.
Teach it: Invent a new Spider-person, including their powers, weaknesses, and responsibilities.

The costume might take 20 minutes. Explaining your child's elaborate multiverse backstory could take considerably longer.

Toy Story:
You've Got a Costume in Me

In You've Got a Friend in Learning, we explored friendship, belonging, and what makes each Toy Story character special. With Toy Story 5, the costume box has gotten even more crowded.

Buy it: Woody, Jessie, Buzz Lightyear, and Bo Peep remain classics. Newcomers include Smarty Pants and Lilypad, both available as children's costumes.
DIY it: Forky is still a budget-friendly masterpiece. Try a white outfit, red pipe-cleaner eyebrows, mismatched craft details, and a handmade name tag.
Group it: Turn the entire family into Bonnie's toy collection, mixing longtime favorites with the newest arrivals.
Teach it: Have kids invent a new toy, describe its purpose, and explain how it might fit into the group.

Only Toy Story could give us a cowboy, a space ranger, a tablet, and a potty-training toy in the same Halloween parade.

Super Mario:
Level Up Your Halloween

When we explored Level Up Learning: Bringing The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Into the Classroom, we discovered how Mario's adventures can inspire math, storytelling, teamwork, and problem-solving.

Now the Mushroom Kingdom is ready for trick-or-treating, and the group costume possibilities are practically endless.

Buy it: Start with Mario, Luigi, or Yoshi. For a more galactic look, try Princess Rosalina.
DIY it: Mario and Luigi only need colored shirts, overalls, hats, and mustaches. Toad requires a white mushroom cap with red spots. Ambitious families can attempt Bowser's shell or a cardboard Question Block.
Group it: Add Princess Peach, Bowser, Bowser Jr., Rosalina, Toad, Yoshi, or even a little Luma for a full Mushroom Kingdom takeover.
Teach it: Design a Halloween-themed Mario level using patterns, shapes, obstacles, and a map. How many coins can players collect before reaching the castle?

It's-a me, educational enrichment!

Moana:
Trick-or-Treat Beyond the Reef

Our blog From Animation to Live Action: What Moana Can Teach Us About Storytelling explored how characters and stories evolve through different adaptations. Halloween gives kids the chance to create an adaptation of their own.

Buy it: A Moana adventure dress offers an easy starting point.
DIY it: Use a coordinated skirt and top with fabric patterns and character-inspired accessories. Or create a Maui-inspired outfit with a leafy skirt and lightweight cardboard hook.
Teach it: Compare character costumes across the animated and live-action adaptations. What do colors, patterns, and accessories tell us?

The ocean chose Moana. Your child chose the costume. Guess who's paying?

Football:
Friday Night Lights, Saturday Night Candy

In Football Is Back! Turn the NFL Season Into a Classroom Lesson, we explored the math, geography, and teamwork hiding inside America's favorite fall sport. Fortunately, football also provides one of the easiest last-minute Halloween costumes.

Buy it: A favorite player's jersey is already most of the costume. For a Halloween twist, try a zombie football player.
DIY it: Add athletic pants, eye black, and a homemade player badge.
Teach it: Create a trading card with imaginary player statistics and use the numbers for math problems.

Touchdowns: 14. Candy collected: 327. Reese's surrendered to parents: classified.

Dancing with the Stars:
Sequins Count as Educational Materials

As we learned in From the Ballroom to the Classroom, underneath all the spray tan, fringe, and rhinestones, Dancing with the Stars is basically a weekly math worksheet with better lighting.

Buy it: Start with a sparkly dance outfit or ballroom-inspired costume.
DIY it: Add fringe, rhinestones, and a giant cardboard judges' paddle.
Group it: One celebrity contestant, one professional dancer, and one judge holding an enormous 10.
Teach it: Score everyone's costumes and calculate the mean, median, mode, and range.

The judges have spoken. The parent who made three costumes gets an automatic 10.

Wile E. Coyote:
The Costume That Will Probably Go Wrong

In Beep Beep! Learn Learn!, we celebrated perseverance, creative thinking, and spectacular engineering failures through the adventures of Wile E. Coyote.

Naturally, the best costume should look like it was assembled entirely from the ACME catalog.

Buy it: Start with a brown animal costume or simple coyote ears and tail.
DIY it: Add an ACME cardboard rocket, a lightweight fake anvil, or a giant blueprint labeled Foolproof Plan #47.
Teach it: Ask kids to design a safer, more effective invention for catching the Road Runner.

If the costume falls apart halfway through trick-or-treating, congratulations. You're still in character.

Superheroes:
The Costume Aisle Has Entered the Chat

Our blog Up, Up, and Away! explored what makes someone a superhero beyond capes and superpowers. Halloween gives kids the chance to answer that question themselves.

Buy it: Choose a favorite Marvel or DC hero, or start with a plain superhero cape and mask.
DIY it: Turn an old T-shirt into a cape, then design a unique emblem using felt or fabric markers.
Teach it: Invent a superhero with a name, origin story, superpower, weakness, and mission.

The Avengers have a much bigger costume budget. Your homemade hero has better creative control.

Welcome to the Halloween School District

Remember Class Is (Almost) Back in Session!, where we explored some of entertainment's most memorable fictional schools? That blog alone could populate an entire Halloween parade.

Buy it: A Hogwarts robe, Nevermore Academy uniform, or recognizable school-themed accessory can establish the look.
DIY it: Combine everyday school clothes with a homemade crest, school tie, or fictional student ID.
Group it: Have everyone attend the same fictional school, or create a very unusual interschool exchange program.
Teach it: Design an original fictional school, complete with a mascot, motto, rules, and curriculum.

Extra credit for the family that arrives dressed as an entire faculty meeting.

The Best Costume Might Be the One They Invent

Nearly a year after A Parent's Guide to a Spooktacular Halloween: Fun, Family & Frights, I've realized something: Halloween is one of the easiest ways to turn children's interests into learning opportunities.

A PAW Patrol costume can inspire engineering. A Wicked costume can spark a discussion about perspective. Mario can teach patterns and problem-solving. A homemade superhero can become a creative-writing assignment. And Toy Story reminds us that imagination can turn just about anything into a character, including a spork.

Whether your family buys a complete costume, crafts one from scratch, or creates a Frankenstein-worthy combination of both, encourage kids to think about the characters they're becoming.

Why did they choose that character? What makes them special? What would they change? What new adventure could they have?

Suddenly, Halloween becomes art, storytelling, math, science, and creative thinking.

Plus candy. Lots of candy.

And if that's not Teachertainment, I don't know what is.

Education that entertains. Entertainment that educates.

Jake Perlman is the founder of Teachertainment, blending education, entertainment, and pop culture to turn learning into an unforgettable experience.