Moo Deng, Raygun, & More Pop Culture Halloween Costume Ideas From 2024

Moo Deng would actually be the perfect costume for your own slippery bodied, rambunctious toddler. They’ve totally bitten your knee before, right? Even if they have their own costume already picked out, you should harness your inner sassy hippo and go as Moo Deng yourself. If your partner needs a costume, dress them up as your keeper (or someone recording you for TikTok).

Has there been a celebrity with a more meteoric rise to fame this year? Dressing as Chappell for Halloween would be so much fun if you have a knack for doing your own makeup and could recreate one of her looks. Her costumes are always equally as elaborate, but there are super helpful guides on Reddit breaking down some of her best known looks and how to recreate them. Add a red curly wig into the mix for good measure.

Remember the “immersive” Willy Wonka Experience in Glasgow that went viral back in February? Families showed up to be greeted by a mostly empty exhibit hall with, well, sparse decorations, and a few oompa loompas running a mystery experiment that looked not unlike a meth lab. Lucky for meme lovers, this costume seems to be exactly the same one the now viral oompa loompa actress wore. You’ll just need to perfect her world-weary expression.

The most meme-able Olympian, Rachel Gunn (aka Raygun) went absolutely viral for her breakdancing routine while competing for Australia this summer. And the Halloween costume industrial complex already has multiple dupes for her uniform (check Amazon and Walmart, for starters). You can strike this pose and instantly win best costume at every party this year.

Blue track suit, bronze medals, black framed glasses — it’s not all that hard to dress up as our nation’s new favorite Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik (that is, unless someone asks you to hop on a pommel horse).

If you’re avidly online, you might have already loved Ilona Maher thanks to her social media presence. If you just discovered her during the 2024 Olympics, welcome to the club. Trying to find a perfect replica rugby jersey might be tough, but with some medals, red lipstick, Maher’s signature braids, and a rugby ball in hand, you’ll get the message across about who you’re dressed as.

Stanleys were such an It Water Vessel that they spawned their own half-serious, half-satirical section of TikTok: #packmystanleywithme. So, dress as a cup, strap other random things you will not need to yourself, and go.

We all mourned over the loss of the great Maggie Smith, whose acting career was so much bigger than just playing Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter film franchise. That said, it’s one of her more recognizable characters in recent years, so chances are you’ll see quite a few out and about this Halloween. (This deluxe costume is extra special if you’re a diehard fan.)

Sabrina Carpenter has been everywhere this year with her catchy pop singles, and the line “that’s that me espresso” got a lot of attention. Become a me espresso by dressing in brown, popping on some espresso-themed accessories, and maybe a toy microphone or blonde wig to make the connection to Carpenter herself.

You will see a lot of couples dressed as T. Swift and her football-playing beau this Halloween. But, because they’ve made so many public appearances together now, you’ll have a wide variety of outfits to choose from. You could be Eras-tour top-hat Travis carrying Taylor, Chiefs fan Taylor cheering on Travis in uniform, or the two of them in their fun ‘fits at the U.S. Open. But if you’re more into TikTok stars than mega stars, might we suggest you go dressed as Pookie and Jett.

Let’s just get all our Kelce family costumes covered at once, shall we? ‘Twas all the way back in February when Jason Kelce, while celebrating his brother’s Super Bowl win, donned a red and yellow luchador mask and danced the night away in Vegas. Recreating his all-Chiefs-everything outfit from that night would be great, or you could keep it affordable and just be shirtless Jason Kelce. All you need are a beanie, jeans, and chest hair.

If you don’t know, now you know. Dressing up as the hawk tuah girl (government name: Hailey Welch), who went viral over the summer, could be a pretty budget-friendly costume. Straighten your hair, slip on a black dress with some cut outs, and a few gold necklaces. And then prepare to make that sound every time to explain yourself. Ya get me?

We as a society survived a lot of aesthetics and eras this year, but none gained more traction than the mob wife aesthetic. So, go all in with a mob wife costume like this one, or piece together your own. Think big fuzzy coat, red lips, all the gold jewelry you can find, and a don’t-mess-with-me attitude.

Dune: Part Two hit theaters in March 2024, and if you’re a sci-fi fan, why not dress up like your favorite otherwordly chosen one? Don’t forget to say goodbye to everyone with the line, “May thy knife chip and shatter.”

Speaking of movies with giant sand worms, the sequel to the original Beetlejuice is in theaters now. In it, Astrid Deetz (Lydia’s daughter) gets into some trouble in the after life, and Lydia will have to work with her least favorite ghost to save her daughter. And now, you can dress up just like Jenna Ortega’s character, though Wynona Ryder’s red wedding dress will always be iconic.

In December 2023, a little green puppet girl named Mona went viral on TikTok. For most of us, it was our first look at Nanalan, a Canadian kids’ show that follows 3-year-old puppet Mona, from the time her mom her drops her off at her Nana’s in the morning until pickup. Specifically, Nana’s singing about Mona became a popular meme format, but not in time for Halloween — until now. Grab your green body paint, a pink dress, beaded tiara, and star-tipped wand.