You can make a good Pokémon costume from what is already in the house: old clothes, a cardboard box, some paper and tape. Almost every Pokémon is easier to copy than it looks, because the Pokédex describes each one with a few strong details. Pick those and ignore the rest. This page uses the shapes, colours and heights in the pokee.si data, and it does not recommend anything to buy.
Seven easy looks
The last column is taken from each Pokémon's appearance notes. Start with one colour for the body and add two details.
| Pokémon | Pokédex colour label | Height | Category | What to copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pikachu | Yellow | 0.4 m | Mouse Pokémon | Yellow, with two brown stripes on its back, black-tipped ears and a lightning-bolt tail. |
| Jigglypuff | Pink | 0.5 m | Balloon Pokémon | Pink and round, with pointed ears that are black on the inside, big blue eyes and a curled tuft of fur. |
| Snorlax | Black | 2.1 m | Sleeping Pokémon | Dark blue-green, with a cream face, belly and feet, small pointed ears and two teeth poking up from the lower jaw. |
| Gengar | Purple | 1.5 m | Shadow Pokémon | Dark purple and round, with red eyes, pointed ears, a wide grin and spikes down its back. |
| Magikarp | Red | 0.9 m | Fish Pokémon | Reddish-orange scales, white fins, pink lips and a stiff three-peaked yellow fin on its back. |
| Squirtle | Blue | 0.5 m | Tiny Turtle Pokémon | Light blue, with a brown shell, a pale yellow underside and a curled tail. |
| Psyduck | Yellow | 0.8 m | Duck Pokémon | Yellow, with a wide cream beak, three strands of black hair and webbed feet. |
Check the colour label against the notes. Snorlax is labelled "black" in the Pokédex colour data, but its description says dark blue-green with a cream belly. The notes are the better guide for a costume.
Size does not matter
The heights, from smallest to biggest, are Pikachu 0.4 m, Jigglypuff 0.5 m, Squirtle 0.5 m, Psyduck 0.8 m, Magikarp 0.9 m, Gengar 1.5 m, Snorlax 2.1 m. Snorlax is 5.25 times as tall as Pikachu. Nobody will measure. For a Snorlax, a cream-coloured oval on the front of a dark top does most of the work.
The costume Pokémon
Mimikyu is the easiest idea on this page, because it is already a costume. The notes say its costume is an old rag with a crude crayon Pikachu face and a wooden stick for a tail. Pokémon Database also says Mimikyu is pretending to be Pikachu. The Pokémon itself is only 0.2 m tall, and the costume makes it look bigger. For a child, use a short cape or poncho with the face drawn on the front, not a cloth over the head. That keeps the eyes clear.
Group costumes
The Eevee family
Eevee and its evolutions make a ready-made group of 9. Their colour labels use 8 different colours. Vaporeon and Glaceon (blue) share one, so give them different details.
| Pokémon | Type | Colour label |
|---|---|---|
| Eevee | Normal | Brown |
| Vaporeon | Water | Blue |
| Jolteon | Electric | Yellow |
| Flareon | Fire | Red |
| Espeon | Psychic | Purple |
| Umbreon | Dark | Black |
| Leafeon | Grass | Green |
| Glaceon | Ice | Blue |
| Sylveon | Fairy | Pink |
The Kanto starters
Three children can be the classic trio. Fire beats Grass, Grass beats Water and Water beats Fire, so it also makes a game.
| Pokémon | Type | Colour label | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulbasaur | Grass/Poison | Green | 0.7 m |
| Charmander | Fire | Red | 0.6 m |
| Squirtle | Water | Blue | 0.5 m |
For Charmander, make the flame on its tail from orange paper or fabric.
A rainbow of Minior
Minior has 7 core colours: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. Seven friends make a rainbow, each in a round shell with one coloured circle in the middle.
A yellow squad
In the data, 30 Electric Pokémon are labelled yellow. The first eight in Pokédex order are Pikachu, Raichu, Electabuzz, Jolteon, Zapdos, Pichu, Ampharos, Elekid. More colour ideas are on the Pokémon by colour page.
Safety basics
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission publishes Halloween safety tips. The points below come from its release of 18 October 2022. It is written for the United States, so check your own country's advice as well. For costumes it says:
- Choose one that fits, and avoid long or baggy costumes that can cause trips and falls.
- Keep loose, flowing costumes away from open flames. Polyester or nylon is a better choice than sheer cotton or rayon, but any fabric can burn.
- If there is a mask, make sure the eye and nose openings let the child see clearly and breathe easily. The commission says make-up may be a safer choice than a mask.
- Add reflective tape or pick a bright costume, and carry a torch or glow stick so the child can be seen in low light.
Two things we would add ourselves: keep tails and props soft, and tie hats and scarves so they cannot slip over the eyes. We are not safety experts. Treat this as a starting point and use your own judgement.
Where to next
For more spooky ideas, see Halloween Pokémon for kids. If a party is coming up instead, Pokémon birthday party ideas has games that need nothing bought either.