VH1 was on to something when they first created I Love the ’80s. As far as pop culture goes, this may have been *the* best decade yet. Who can forget iconic toys like My Little Pony, TV shows like Punky Brewster and computer games like Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? Channeling the ’80s this Halloween is a surefire way to rock that childhood nostalgia in style. Scroll on for some of our all-time faves.
1. DIY Lisa Frank Costume: Our Lisa Frank obsession will *never* end. This easy-peasy DIY will give you plenty of time to trade rainbow kitten stickers with your besties. Bonus points if you go all out with a group costume of your fave colorful creatures. (via Studio DIY)
2. Care Bears: The best part of this costume is that you can customize it to your favorite Care Bear, and more importantly, your favorite color! (via Fancy Made/Pinterest)
3. Jem: The ’80s were definitely defined by crazy makeup and hair. All you’ll need to recreate this cartoon favorite is a bright pink wig and some fun makeup. (via Brit + Co)
4. My Little Pony: This is the ultimate ’80s DIY costume. Grab your girlfriends, a TON of tulle and make your costumes for Surf Rider, Buttons, Gutsy and the rest of the gang. (via @anadowsley)
5. Glamour Shot: As much as you would like to erase the memory of the school photo, embrace it this year for Halloween. (via @jennycollier)
6. Marge Simpson: Marge’s beehive hair is ubiquitous, but she looks va-va-voom with her hair down. (via Brit + Co)
7. Rubik’s Cube: With this costume, you’ll be sure to make new friends while people try to “solve” you! (via ECA Review)
8. Ducktales: Be ahead of the trend before this cartoon’s 2017 reboot. Plus, who doesn’t love wearing a giant duck head as part of a costume? Woo hoo! (via Instructables)
9. Goblin King from Labyrinth: Is dressing up as David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King costume inception? You’ll have to try to find out. A crystal ball is most definitely required. (via @freethemusic)
10. Troop Beverly Hills: This here is the original #SquadGoals. You and your friends might even have your old Girl Scout uniforms to repurpose for Halloween. (via @aasoren)
11. 80’s Madonna: Dressing as the Material Girl never gets old. Case in point? Audrina Patridge’s 2007 Halloween costume. (via Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
12. Duckie from Pretty in Pink: Before rockabilly was a thing, Andie’s best friend’s style made us a little tender. (via @whatadollboutique)
13. Punky Brewster: You know a show is a classic when the original star still dresses up in character years later. The best part? You probably already have most of this stuff in your closet. (via @moonfrye)
14. Mario: Power up this year with everyone’s favorite ’80s video game character. All you’ll need are some suspenders and a hat to get the look. (via @maspappas)
15. Princess Peach and Toad: Are you a new mama? Throw it back with everyone’s favorite Super Mario Kart characters. (via Brit + Co)
16. Gameboy: If you want to make the Gameboy into a group costume, you can grab your friends and give them the ideas for our Mario, Princess Peach and Toad costumes above. (via @starkids_in_the_tardis)
17. Guns N’ Roses: Don’t be just any hair band from the ’80s. Be *the* hair band from the ’80s with your BFFs. (via @marinaroll)
18. Indiana Jones: Whip your costume into shape with this famous fictional adventurer. (via the_prez/Deviant Art)
19. Marty McFly from Back to the Future: This is a costume you probably have the makings of in your closet. It’s all about the layers with Marty. Make it a BFF costume with a silly Doc getup. (via Brit + Co)
20. Saved By the Bell: The gang’s all here! Well, minus Lisa of course. Don’t worry, last year’s 10-minute Halloween hair hacks will give you some inspiration. (via E! Entertainment)
21. Lisa from Weird Science: The Breakfast Club and Say Anything get all the notoriety as far as John Hughes films go, but what girl didn’t want to be Lisa when she grew up? (via Hasslein Blog)
22. Red Fraggle: Bring back all the feels from your favorite TV show with a red dress and a crazy yarn wig. (via Brit + Co)
23. The Secretary of the Underworld from Beetlejuice: Head to the thrift store for an old prom dress, grab green body paint and show that you’re a diehard ’80s kid with this costume. (via Hasslein Blog)
24. Boy George: Do you really want to haunt your parties this year? (via @luffkrisbenton)
25. Maverick and Goose: Channel the ultimate BFFs of the ’80s with this badass costume. (via @cadeandcocosmom)
26. Dynasty: If it’s cold where you live, this is the fanciest way to stay warm on Halloween. Plus it’s a great excuse to wear that faux-fur coat. (via @tillytakespictures)
27. The Twins from The Shining: Click over to check out how you and your twin can both DIY your way to the spookiest costume ever. (via Brit + Co)
28. The Cast of Working Girl: Tess McGill was the #GIRLBOSS of the ’80s. Make it a group costume for an awesome throwback. (via @taylorcoffmaniac)
29. Jane Fonda: Feel the burn, ladies! (via PopSugar)
30. Sloane Peterson from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: Ferris isn’t the only one crushing on Sloane. She’s our cool-girl-next-door crush. (via @allison_perez)
31. Young Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen: You’ve got it with this costume, dude. (via Brit + Co)
Have you ever done an ’80s costume for Halloween? Let us know who or what you dressed up as in the comments!
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Cassandra Pisone
Cassandra is a San Francisco-based marketer by day and blogger by night (and weekend!). You can usually find her running, surfing, hiking, eating or at the yoga studio when she's not working - or planning her next adventure.
