Playing board games as a fun, social and educational pass time is a dearly valued and long-held tradition in American culture. Scrabble, Mouse Trap or Trivial Pursuit – every family has their favourite! Here are some tips and inspiration to help you and your kids bring those board games to life this Halloween…
Let’s face it – Halloween is just as much about candy as it is about spooky stories and pumpkin carvings. What better way to prepare for a confectionary gorge than by celebrating the sweet-tooth’s favourite holiday with a Candyland costume? The popular board game features several fantastic characters with distinctive appearances, making them the perfect inspiration for Halloween costumes. Let your kids choose their favourite – Princess Frostine, Lord Licorice, Grandma Nutt or King Candy? If they can’t choose – pay tribute to the game with an outfit themed like the famously colourful board instead!
The Joker is getting a little old. Ever since Heath Ledger redefined the look of the classic Batman villain, DC comic fans have been dyeing their hair green and sporting purple suits for what has seemed like every Halloween since 2008 – but there are other cards from the deck that can provide original costume ideas. The Queen of Hearts, for example! Who can forget her iconic depiction in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland? This costume is especially great because you can feel royal in a crown and extravagant dress, whilst also having a lot of fun with the unique make-up. Check out this tutorial to learn how you can recreate the famous heart-lipstick and bright blue eye look.
If you do go with the Queen of Hearts costume, it’s worth convincing a friend to compliment your Halloween attire with the Queen’s natural companion – the king, of course. Decorate with blue, yellows and reds plus plenty of suit symbols so people are left in no doubt that you’re not just any king – you’re King of the Deck! It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s expressed their love for card games in an unconventional manner...
While this costume combo might be good for a couple or friends, sometimes you want to unite the whole gang in a Halloween theme collaboration. The best board game for that? It’s clearly Cluedo! Not only will you have fun dressing up in classical 1920s fashion – you can all play the part of your character and combine the costume idea with a with a spooky mystery dinner party…perfect for Halloween.
So far, we’ve left out two very iconic board game characters that, besides being famous around the world, would be a total blast to dress up as this Halloween! Both the Operation Man and Monopoly Man have become recognized as symbols of two best-selling board games. You Operation Man costume will be twice as hilarious if you can get a flashing red button for your nose, whilst the Monopoly Man costume will let you spend Halloween handing out ‘Get out of Jail Free’ cards.
Alright, so Twister isn’t exactly a table top game – but this list would not be complete without a mention of how stylishly wacky a Twister dress can look! There’s something so totally 60s about the big colourful dots, so why not groovify the outfit with a pair of platform boots too? If you like making your own dresses, then the Twister costume will make for a straightforward textile project that is sure to earn you praise throughout Halloween…
Have we missed any?