Millennials love the 90s, and those nostalgic vibes make perfect inspiration for Halloween. Transform your favorite throwback toys into fun, recognizable costumes — think Polly Pocket, Beanie Babies, a Magic 8 Ball, TROLLS, and even a slinky. These simple DIY ideas are great for parties, group costumes, or anyone who wants to lean into a retro look.
Below are step-by-step tutorials for some of our favorite 90s toy costumes. Each project uses easy-to-find supplies and straightforward techniques so you can recreate the look at home.
DIY Troll Costume
Supplies Needed
- Tan dress
- Large craft gem
- Temporary hem tape
- Temporary color hair spray
Step-by-Step Tutorial
- Tease and style the hair on top of your head so it stands up, then spray with temporary color hair spray in your preferred shade.
- Use temporary hem tape to attach a large gem to the front of the tan dress, positioned over the belly button to mimic the toy’s gem detail.
DIY Slinky Costume
Supplies Needed
- Pop-up laundry hamper
- Flexible vinyl hose (three pieces recommended)
- Spray paint in rainbow colors
- Ribbon for shoulder straps
- Hot glue gun
- Scissors
- Yellow dress to wear underneath
Step-by-Step Tutorial
- Remove the bottom of the pop-up hamper so you can wear it over your body.
- Stretch each vinyl hose and begin hot-gluing it to the outside of the hamper in small sections. Because the hamper is mesh, press the glue and hose together carefully — it’s easier to lay the mesh over the glue rather than using your fingers underneath.
- Continue wrapping and gluing the hoses around the hamper until the entire surface is covered. Imperfections make the slinky look more authentic, so don’t worry about perfection.
- Stand the wrapped hamper upright and spray-paint it in layers of rainbow colors. Overlap each color slightly and spray into the layers of hose so the colors blend rather than forming solid stripes. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly.
- Attach two ribbon straps to the inside top of the hamper with hot glue so the costume can be worn like a dress.
DIY Polly Pocket Costume
Supplies Needed
- Two large sheets of cardboard
- Pink, white, and gold paint
- Small and large paint brushes
- Pink ribbon
- Hot glue gun
- Scissors or box cutter
- Pink dress to wear underneath
Step-by-Step Tutorial
- Cut a large heart shape from one cardboard sheet sized to the wearer, then trace and cut the same heart from the second sheet.
- Paint both hearts pink and allow them to dry.
- Print or trace the Polly Pocket logo onto paper, then flip the paper and shade the back with pencil to create a transfer. Position the paper on the heart, retrace the logo lines to transfer the outline, and then paint the logo in gold.
- Attach pink ribbon straps to the sides of the heart with hot glue so it can be worn like a sandwich board.
DIY Beanie Baby Costume
A Beanie Baby costume can represent any animal — we created a classic tree frog, but you can adapt colors and details to match your favorite beanie.
Supplies Needed
- Green dress
- Two smooth foam balls for eyes
- Orange and black paint
- Headband
- Red poster board for the TY heart
- White paper for lettering
- Red ribbon
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun
- Glue stick
- Orange gloves (optional)
Step-by-Step Tutorial
- Paint the foam balls orange and add small black pupils. Once dry, glue them to a headband to create the beanie’s eyes.
- Cut a heart from red poster board, then create the “ty” letters on white paper and glue them to the heart.
- Poke a hole at the top of the heart and thread a red ribbon through so the tag can hang around your neck.
- Wear the heart tag, eye headband, and orange gloves with the green dress to complete the Beanie Baby look.
DIY Magic 8 Ball Costume
Supplies Needed
- 36″ balloon
- Plenty of newspaper
- Flour and water for paper mache paste
- Black, white, and blue paint
- Black ribbon
- Hot glue gun
- Scissors
- Black outfit to wear underneath
- Blue shoes (optional)
Step-by-Step Tutorial
- Mix equal parts flour and water to make a thick paper mache paste. Tear newspaper into long strips and inflate a 36″ balloon, placing it on a box to keep it stable.
- Dip each newspaper strip into the paste, squeeze off excess, and layer over the balloon. Cover the balloon with a single layer, let dry, and then add three more layers for strength — four layers total.
- When the paper mache is completely dry, deflate and remove the balloon, leaving a sturdy shell for the costume.
- Cut openings in the top and bottom large enough to get in and out; make the bottom hole slightly larger so you can walk comfortably.
- Paint the entire shell black and let it dry.
- Paint a white circle on one side, let dry, and paint a black number 8 over it.
- On the opposite side, paint a gray outline circle, fill it with a blue triangle, and after drying add a short Magic 8 Ball phrase or prediction.
Photos by Jeff Mindell
Looking for more throwback costumes?
- DIY Lite Brite Costume
- DIY Troop Beverly Hills Costume
- DIY Lisa Frank Costumes
- DIY Lisa Frank Costumes (Round 2)
Nostalgia is endless — there are so many classic characters and toys to bring back to life. Which costume will you try this season?
If you make one of these costumes, share it on Instagram with the hashtag #studiodiyincostume so it can be featured on the blog.