IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Why so serious? Bobbie Thomas shows off 8 funny and punny Halloween costumes

Every year TODAY style editor and Bobbie.com's Bobbie Thomas whips up a batch of out-of-the-box Halloween ideas to help inspire a haunted holiday. From witty to whimsical, here are her suggestions for 2014.Pop culture clans For a twist on "Orange is the New Black" — the breakout, binge-worthy TV show — try a fun and easy, all-female group costume. Gather up your girls and step out in fashion
Get more newsLiveon

Every year TODAY style editor and Bobbie.com's Bobbie Thomas whips up a batch of out-of-the-box Halloween ideas to help inspire a haunted holiday. From witty to whimsical, here are her suggestions for 2014.

Pop culture clans 

For a twist on "Orange is the New Black" — the breakout, binge-worthy TV show — try a fun and easy, all-female group costume. Gather up your girls and step out in fashion-forward outfits in shades of orange — think sassy jumpsuits, harem pants, miniskirts and wigs. If it's not already in your closet, check out American Apparel, known for their rainbow of colors, or ASOS for an assortment of on-trend items. For the icing on the cake, you can mock up your own faux fashion magazine cover stating that "orange is" in fact "the new black."

fantasy football
Today

A great plan to tackle with a group of friends or the whole family is some fantasy football fun. This team idea is a mash-up of dressing like magical, mythical creatures (wizards, fairies and unicorns to name a few), and then adding some football jerseys, knee pads, etc. to create a play on words. You can find wizard capes, tutus, wings and more whimsical accessories at Party City, and JCPenney offers an assortment of sports jerseys. 

Dynamic duos

Whether you've witnessed the Discovery Channel's TV cult hit "Naked and Afraid"or not, everyone will surely crack a smile for this kooky concept. Brave trick-or-treaters can slip into flesh-toned body suits, sling on a burlap cross-body bag, and print out a few sheets of squares in assorted nude colors (like this one) to create the illusion of pixels over private parts. Finish the "Naked and Afraid" look by painting on some fearful, scared-looking eyebrows, add a little brown eye shadow or bronzer "dirt," and then prepare to stop traffic all night long.

someecards
Today

If you've been on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or the Internet any time within the last year, you may be familiar with the phenomenon known as SomeeCards. These witty, digital postcards feature snarky phrases and Victorian-style, black-and-white illustrations that often go viral. To turn the meme into a real-life look, suit up in black-and-white attire and white-face paint. You can find basic art supplies such as foam board and poster paint at Michaels Crafts to help create your backdrop with your favorite or custom funny phrase. Just be sure to leave room for you and a friend to step up an act out. 

Family-friendly fun

suit up
Today

Two costumes that mom and dad can don straight from the office: suits. Bundle your little one in a cute and cozy wolf costume (think gray fleece pajamas and fuzzy ears with a mask or face paint), and pair with a power suit for a punny "Wolf of Wall Street." Have mom wear a button-down blouse or skirt suit to take the little monkeys trick-or-treating and you have Monkey Business. I found a great monkey costume at SpiritHalloween.com, but you can also get crafty and DIY a headband for ears and use your own face paint and brown or tan clothes.

snowglobe costume
Today

For artistically inclined families, try taking on a snow globe costume, like Brooklyn's Joel Potischman made for his kids, Nina and Coby. Joel kindly let us borrow his masterpiece and let us in on some of this construction secrets: use sheets of acetate to create a clear dome big enough so your child fits. Use rings of painted foam as the globe's base. Embellish with Hawaiian accents like a plastic palm tree and strings of cotton balls on fishing wire to create the illusion of falling snow. Some last words of advice: get started now. While the costume looks great, it's not necessarily a quick one!

Kiddie costumes

humpty dumpty costume
Today

Even if your bun is still in the oven, he or she can experience their very first Halloween by helping you be the infamous egg Humpty Dumpty. Thanks to a growing belly, half the work is already done for you with this costume: just trace the little egg's frightened face onto the stomach portion of a white shirt (Destination Maternity has good options). Then turn a cardboard box into a brick wall that can sit on your hips. You can attach string to create a suspender-type apparatus so you don't have to hang on to the box all night — it can float in front of you instead.

Everyone knows the Disney movie "Frozen" is this year's smash hit, but rather than purchasing a character costume from a store, your brood can literally look frozen. Girls can be stone angels, draped in gray fabric with wings cut from cardboard. Boys can be plastic army guys with clothes coated in shiny green paint. Attach green cardboard platforms to his shoes to mimic the look of the classic, static toy. You can find all the supplies for these costumes, like non-toxic paint, board and fabric at most craft stores.

hosts
Today

Our resident style editor and author of "The Power of Style," Bobbie Thomas shares the buzz about beauty, fashion, and more here on TODAY and at Bobbie.com. Consider her your go-to girlfriend, style MacGuyver, and Wikipedia for women who you've seen in her underwear. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.