Lots of handmade costumes (but no sewing machines) made “things under the sea” a creative and memorable family Halloween costume theme. If you are looking for a family Halloween costume idea, this Things Under the Sea is perfect because it is unique and easy to DIY or find store bought versions of each of the costumes. People loved this family costume theme!
My kids are 14, 11 and 7 and each year it gets harder and harder to find a theme that everyone can agree on. My daughter came up with the family costume idea of under the sea and then my son jokingly said, I could be a water bottle. We loved the clever twist and went all in.
Four of the five family Halloween costumes were handmade (I couldn’t quite pull off all five of us). Here are each person’s Under the Sea costumes.
Anglerfish Costume (Ezra, age 7)
This was one of the hardest and most rewarding costumes I have ever made. I found several versions of this costume online (this was the best), but none had tutorials, so I had to make it up. I will write a full tutorial, but the foundation of the costume was a black bike helmet and with a book light for the top light and touch lights for the eyes. The fish was constructed out of cardboard and the teeth were white foam.
Jellyfish Costume (Adeline, age 11)
I created this costume out of a large straw sunhat, layers of tulle and fabric. I used two types of material for the tentacles, which I hand stitched on. I loosely followed this tutorial, but simplified it a bit. I also added four strings of LED lights to light the costume for added fun and safety. I strung one strand through the base of the body to give it more light and dimension.
Water Bottle Costume (Elias, age 14)
This was another costume that has no tutorial online. I found a few photos online and was able to create a pretty simple costume using clear vinyl, super glue, shipping tape and some thin tubing. I cut holes for the arms and used a giant rubber band to synch the neck. A spray painted Rubbermaid was a perfect cap. I made the label on Canva and printed it on 11×17 paper at Staples.
Starfish Costume (Mom)
This was the easiest costume to make. I simply cut a large starfish shape out of a big box and covered it in orange textured fabric with hot glue. To give the costume some pop, I did a tulle ruffle around the edge.
Lobster Costume (Dad)
This was an Amazon find, but a good one. The costume is super well-made. It does run small though, so size up!
Our Under the Sea theme was not your usual family theme, which made it super fun for all of us. I especially loved making so many by hand. Pin this post!
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