Halloween Costume Ideas: Barbie, Carmy, Wednesday, Oh My!

Calling all pop culture-obsessed guys and ‌ghoulies‌! If, like us, the intersection of pop culture and Halloween is one of your favorite things, you've come to the right place because we've got you covered with some of the best pop culture costume ideas from recent months.

From ‌Barbie‌ to Taylor Swift, the pop culture tea has been piping hot this past year. With this in mind, we've scoured social media to round up pop culture Halloween costume inspo featuring beloved recent TV shows, movies, music and more. Grab your pals or your partner (yes, we have some fun couples costume ideas in the mix!), get ready for a little DIY and relive some of pop culture's most memorable moments this Halloween.

She's Barbie, he's just Ken...err, Oppenheimer. "Barbenheimer" was one of the biggest cultural phenomenons of the year, combining two polar-opposite movies that led to memes galore. We love TikToker @thats.so.cosplay's layered Barbenheimer costumes—because why should you choose between ‌Barbie‌ and ‌Oppenheimer‌ when you can have both?

To capture the theme, have each member of your group dress up as a different version of Ken or Barbie—Margot Robbie's Barbie pink cowgirl ensemble is an obvious choice, though we're partial to "Weird Barbie"—merged with a character from ‌Oppenheimer‌. Grab those blonde wigs and prepare to layer brown tweeds and Barbie pinks for a two-in-one group costume special! Bonus points if you and your partner show up as Barbie and Ken and then switch to J. Robert and Kitty Oppenheimer halfway through the Halloween party.

Everyone's favorite killer resort show returned for season two on HBO in late 2022, and we've been ‌dying‌ to share some costume ideas with you ever since. Featured in TikToker @juliannesmovies' idea for a ‌White Lotus‌ group costume are characters Harper, Ethan, Tanya, Portia, Valentina, Bert, Daphne, Albie (white socks and all!) and Jack. Round up your friends and decide who has the most Portia energy (and the best white sunglasses) and who could pull off the most Jennifer Coolidge-worthy Tanya.

Celebrate this year's Bridgerton spinoff with a Queen Charlotte costume like the one @ourshieldmaiden wears. You might need some sewing skills to complete such a gorgeous and intricate outfit, but it's worth the effort! For full effect, convince a few friends to dress up as members of your royal court and host a whimsical Halloween ball.

Swifties, this one's for you! We've all seen the incredible and creative outfits that people have put together to attend Taylor Swift's Eras Tour‌.‌ Why not let Taylor inform your Halloween inspo too? We love this TikTok from @natangbick highlighting a group of fans dressed up as each era—the ‌Red‌ and ‌1989‌ double costume, complete with a cut-in-half T-shirt, is especially impressive! Of course, don't forget to add plenty of glitter, sequins and friendship bracelets to your completed costume for full Eras Tour vibes this Halloween.

A spinoff of ‌The Addams Family‌, ‌Wednesday‌ follows Wednesday Addams (portrayed by Jenna Ortega) and her friends as they try to survive at their magical boarding school. The ‌Wednesday‌ dance was instantly iconic, and you'll want to bring its energy to October 31 with a ‌Wednesday‌-inspired group Halloween costume. TikTokers @xoteam show us how it's done, dressing up as as Wednesday Addams, Enid Sinclair and Wednesday's mom, Morticia Addams. If you're all about being Wednesday, grab a pair of black tights, throw on a long-sleeve black dress, put your hair in braids and practice your deadpan glare.

TikTok creator @hondawang shows just how easy it is to dress up like Carmy from Hulu's ‌The Bear‌, which dropped its second season in 2023. To recreate it yourself, you literally need nothing more than an apron and a kitchen knife—plastic water container optional!

‌Haunted Mansion‌ is such a fun Halloween flick, and the mysterious Madame Leota, with her blue hair and crystal ball, is a definite show-stealer. If you're feeling creative this Halloween, get inspired by Instagrammer @keikolynn's incredible Madame Leota costume. You'll need a plastic sphere or fishbowl (make sure to include plenty of air holes!), blue makeup, a foam ring to serve as the "table," an enchanting tablecloth and—of course—a blue wig. If you're feeling extra adventurous, add mini lights or faux candles to your getup like @keikolynn did.

Mamma mia, it's a Super Mario Bros. group costume! With the arrival of ‌The Super Mario Bros. Movie,‌ Mario and pals like Luigi, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong and Bowser became top of mind for many of us again. We love TikToker @kurttocci's costume ideas for ‌The Super Mario Bros. Movie‌ and think they could be adapted into a great Halloween group costume. Put on those white gloves and fake mustache and race your way through an amazing Halloween. Just don't forget the banana peels!

Group costumes can also mean family costumes! Take a cue from TikToker @craving_raven, who DIYed matching ‌Little Mermaid‌ costumes for herself and her young niece. While these particular homemade costumes were made for opening night of the hit movie, they'd work perfectly for Halloween too—just recruit a few other family members or friends to play Ursula, Prince Eric and Sebastian!

Aliens have never experienced a pop culture resurgence quite like this. In February 2023, the White House gave press briefings about unidentified objects in the sky, and the world became abuzz with jokes and memes about our potential future alien overlords. There are a lot of different ways to dress up as aliens at Halloween—you can go for the classic green look, take inspiration from ‌Toy Story‌ or even go the horror route and become the ‌Alien‌ alien. But we love this simple, spacey sequin look from TikToker @alliesummerx.

Prince Harry's book ‌Spare‌ exploded on the scene in early 2023, bringing with it the revelation of scandal and secrets about the royal family. We also saw the coronation of King Charles, the first such event in over 70 years. Feed off the royal family fever by using them as inspiration for your Halloween costumes. We love TikToker @justwalls' Meghan Markle and Prince Harry couples costume idea, and you could easily expand this to a larger group by including William and Kate, King Charles, the late Queen Elizabeth and, of course, her beloved corgis. If you wanted an excuse to wear a tiara on Halloween, here's your opportunity!

Oh, you. Another fun costume idea comes from Netflix's gory and undeniably addictive series ‌You‌. Season four dropped in two parts in 2023, bringing with it the drama of Joe Goldberg and his tumultuous love life, and we think it provides the perfect Halloween costume inspiration. TikToker @stephanie_calise shows off costume ideas inspired by Joe Goldberg and Love Quinn, everyone's favorite couple (couple of serial killers, that is). You could have a lot of fun with these getups, expanding them to include further love interests and victims from the series. What's more, you'll have a surefire reason to pull out the fake blood!

We know, we know—‌Top Gun: Maverick‌ technically came out last year, but we're still pretty darn obsessed. TikToker @marrelva shows us how to capture Tom Cruise's look with items many of us already have at home, including a simple white button-down and a bomber jacket. This is a fantastic and easy option for all you last-minute costume planners out there!

Novel-turned-television series ‌Daisy Jones & The Six‌ follows the rise and fall of a band in the 1970s, thought to be loosely based on Fleetwood Mac. Get in the '70s spirit with these chic costume ideas shared by @hungryhipsters on TikTok. @hungryhipsters has ideas for beloved characters Camila, Daisy, Billy, Teddy, Karen, Graham and Simone. Grab some bell-bottom denim jeans, a white billowy dress or a sequin jumpsuit and rock out in this ‌Daisy Jones‌ group Halloween costume!

From one pop culture lover to another, we hope you've drawn inspiration from our roundup of topical Halloween costume ideas. Pop culture is ever-evolving, and references don't always last, so take advantage of the trends while they're here!