Holidays

Halloween Costume Riddles: 30 Dress-Up Riddles with Answers

30 riddles Β· tap Hint or Answer to reveal

Half the fun of Halloween is guessing who is under the mask. These 30 Halloween costume riddles turn that into a game: each one describes a costume, a costume part or a bit of trick-or-treat history, and you have to work out what it is.

The easy riddles are classic costumes that little kids will spot quickly. The medium ones get into masks, wigs and a few puzzles, and the tricky section is all pun costumes, the kind that make people at a party stop, stare and then groan. Every riddle has a hint.

Easy Halloween Costume Riddles for Kids

I’m the easiest costume there is: an old white bedsheet with two holes cut out so you can see. What am I?

Hint
Wave your arms and say β€œBoo!”
Answer
A ghost

Wrap me round and round in long white strips (toilet paper works in a pinch) until only your eyes peek out. What costume am I?

Hint
In ancient Egypt, I’d be resting in a pyramid.
Answer
A mummy

I wear a patch over one eye, a striped shirt and a hat with a skull on it, and I might carry a toy parrot on my shoulder. What am I?

Hint
β€œArrr, where’s the treasure?”
Answer
A pirate

I wear a black cape with a tall, stiff collar and a pair of plastic fangs. I say β€œI vant to suck your… juice box!” What am I?

Hint
I sleep in a coffin and stay away from garlic.
Answer
A vampire

My costume has a cape, a mask and a big letter on the chest, and I stand with my fists on my hips like I’m ready to save the day. What am I?

Hint
I might pretend I can fly.
Answer
A superhero

Two pointy ears on a headband, whiskers drawn on my cheeks with an eyeliner pencil, and a long tail pinned to my pants. What am I?

Hint
Meow!
Answer
A cat

I’m made of cardboard boxes covered in kitchen foil, with bottle-cap buttons and a dryer hose for arms. What am I?

Hint
I walk stiffly and talk in a beep-boop voice.
Answer
A robot

I’m black pajamas with white bones painted on them, from my skull all the way down to my toes. What am I?

Hint
I rattle when I dance.
Answer
A skeleton

I wear a puffy white suit, a big round helmet and a flag patch on my arm, and I take giant slow steps on my trick-or-treat route. What am I?

Hint
My real-life job takes me into space.
Answer
An astronaut

I wear a red helmet, a heavy coat with yellow stripes that shine in the dark, and big boots, and I carry a toy hose. What am I?

Hint
My real-life truck has a ladder and a siren.
Answer
A firefighter

Medium Halloween Costume Riddles

I cover your face so nobody knows who you are. Superheroes wear me, and so do people at fancy masquerade balls. What am I?

Hint
I usually have two eye holes and an elastic band.
Answer
A mask

I’m hair you can take off. I might be green, rainbow, or long and curly, and at the end of the night I go back in the costume box. What am I?

Hint
I’m sometimes itchy, so wear a cap underneath me.
Answer
A wig

I can turn your cheeks into a tiger’s stripes or a butterfly’s wings, and at bedtime I wash off with soap and water. What am I?

Hint
An artist uses a brush or a sponge to put me on.
Answer
Face paint

I’m light and empty at the start of Halloween night, and heavy and full at the end. What am I?

Hint
You carry me from door to door.
Answer
A trick-or-treat bag

I wear straw sticking out of my sleeves, patched overalls and a floppy hat. In real life I stand in a cornfield all day. What am I?

Hint
The crows aren’t scared of me as much as the farmer hopes.
Answer
A scarecrow

My costume is ripped clothes and greenish face paint. I walk slowly with my arms stretched out and groan, β€œBraaaains!” What am I?

Hint
I’m a monster who is supposed to have come back from the dead.
Answer
A zombie

In Scotland and Ireland, children in costume once went door to door and had to tell a joke, sing a song or say a poem before they got a treat. What was this called?

Hint
The word comes from β€œdisguise”.
Answer
Guising

Ava, Ben and Cal dressed up as a dinosaur, a fairy and a chef. Ava’s costume has no wings. Cal’s costume came with a tall white hat. Who wore which costume?

Hint
Start with Cal.
Answer
Cal was the chef, so Ava (no wings) was the dinosaur and Ben was the fairy.

A costume shop sells masks for $4 and capes for $6. Lily buys three things and spends exactly $14. What did she buy?

Hint
Try each mix of three items.
Answer
Two masks and one cape ($4 + $4 + $6 = $14).

What do you call a kid in a dinosaur costume who fell asleep before the party?

Hint
Listen for the snoring.
Answer
A dino-snore

Tricky Pun Costume Riddles for Grown-Ups

She glued paper butterflies all over her clothes and spent the whole party chatting with everyone in the room. What was her costume?

Hint
It’s a phrase for a friendly person who loves parties.
Answer
A social butterfly

He wrote β€œGO, CEILING!” on his T-shirt and spent the night cheering at the roof with pompoms. What was his costume?

Hint
Look up. What spins up there in summer?
Answer
A ceiling fan

She dressed in a black-and-white spotted cow suit and wore a gold halo on a headband. What was her costume?

Hint
It’s something people say when they’re amazed.
Answer
Holy cow

He dressed as a big white egg with a yellow circle on his tummy and little red horns on his head. What was his costume?

Hint
You might eat me at a picnic, sprinkled with paprika.
Answer
A deviled egg

She pinned dozens of small, colorful candy rolls all over her pants. What was her costume?

Hint
It’s what you call a know-it-all.
Answer
Smarty pants

Two little brothers dressed in pink pig costumes and spent the party wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket. What was their costume?

Hint
It’s a party snack made of sausages wrapped in pastry.
Answer
Pigs in a blanket

She wore a shirt with a giant 3.14 on the front and pinned paper hearts around it. What was her costume?

Hint
Say the math symbol out loud and add a word for someone sweet.
Answer
A cutie pi

He dressed as a big round cookie and added thick glasses and a graduation cap. What was his costume?

Hint
It’s a compliment for someone clever.
Answer
A smart cookie

He dressed as a brown, lumpy vegetable and carried a sofa cushion and a TV remote all night. What was his costume?

Hint
It’s a name for someone who watches too much TV.
Answer
A couch potato

He wore a fuzzy dog costume with sunglasses and a little battery fan around his neck, and he kept saying how warm it was in there. What was his costume?

Hint
You might eat one in a bun at a ballgame.
Answer
A hot dog

Make It a Game

  • Guess-the-costume parade: at a Halloween party, read the medium and tricky riddles as each guest walks in, then ask the room to make up a pun riddle for that guest’s costume.
  • Costume charades: one player reads an easy riddle silently, then acts out the costume without words while the others guess.
  • Pun costume challenge: use the tricky riddles as a menu of last-minute costume ideas. Each one can be made from things already in the house.

Looking for more Halloween fun? Try our Halloween riddles, our witch riddles or our October riddles.