7 last-minute Halloween costumes for the office

Monica Burton | March 11, 2017

Haven’t figured out what to wear for your office’s annual Halloween party yet? And it’s tomorrow? Don’t fret! Here are seven costumes you can throw together at the last minute with stuff you’re likely to have lying around the office, making these selections the perfect office Halloween costumes.

Now, the only think you’ll have to think about is taking it easy on the candy corn. (We can’t help you there.)

Post-it Man

You are probably familiar with the cover of the 1999 movie Office Space. When considering an office-appropriate Halloween costume (or office-themed Halloween costume) this might be the first place your mind goes. But rather than throwing on some suspenders, a tie, and glasses to go as Lumbergh, or simply placing a stapler at your desk as Milton, make a statement by covering yourself in Post-it notes (plus a tie) as in the movie’s poster—it’s time consuming, but you likely have everything you need right in the supply closet. Plus, there’s the opportunity to make it interactive as your coworkers add their own Post-it notes with messages to the costume (if there are any left when you’re through with them).

Rubik’s Cube or Tetris

Refrain from recycling your office’s cardboard boxes for these costumes. Find a cube-shaped box big enough to fit your entire torso, and use markers or colored paper to make it resemble a Rubik’s Cube, either solved or unsolved. Cut a large hole at the top for your head and two holes on the sides for your arms while leaving one side of the box completely open for your legs.

For a Tetris costume, you’ll need to enlist some coworkers. Take cardboard, cube-shaped boxes of the same size (1.5′ x 1.5′ boxes are ideal) and, as with the Rubik’s Cube, use paper or markers to make the boxes either blue, green, orange, yellow, red, or purple. Use tape (preferably black tape) to connect the boxes to form Tetris shapes. Cut holes in the appropriate places and you’re ready to pose for group photos for the company blog.

From Jason Riedy

Magic 8 ball, Twister, Operation

It’s easy to whip up a costume representative of your favorite board game the morning of your office Halloween party.

For the Magic 8 Ball: Dress entirely in black. Print out the Magic 8 Ball’s traditional answers on blue paper with white lettering and cut them into triangles. On a white sheet of paper, print a large 8. Cut this into a circle. Pin the 8 to your back and the a triangle to your front. Or, use velcro to attach the answers and more easily switch them around based on your mood or the questions your co-workers are sure to ask., i.e. “Can I expect that report on Monday?” Magic 8 Ball answer: Outlook not so good.

From OneAmerica

For Twister: Wear white and cut out circles from green, yellow, blue, and red paper. Arrange the colors in vertical rows as they appear on the board.

For Operation: Draw and then cut out the pieces of the game (funny bone, water on the knee, etc.) using red and white paper. With velcro, tape, or safety pins, attach the pieces to your clothes in the proper locations. Finally, if you have them, finish off the costume with some tongs and a red nose.

Stick Figure

Simply dress in a solid color and tape the outline of stick figure to your clothes. The effect works best if you have tape that is reflective or glows in the dark.