As the temperatures drop and the leaves begin to turn red, yellow, and orange, a looming shadow lurks behind the newly barren trees. It’s Halloween – or spooky season, as some like to call it – and it’s creeping up on us fast. 

Some people have it all planned out. Their costume, their plans, their decorations… The potential for Halloween fun is endless, and hardcore Halloweeners get started well before October rolls around. For some of us, though, coming up with costume ideas is plain old hard. We keep telling ourselves we’re going to be something new this year, something more original than last year… And then boom, we’re a cat again. Or a mummy. Or a cowboy. The classics get recycled year after year after year.

While looking through boatloads of “couples” Halloween costume ideas (in this case, “couples” includes costumes you can do with your friends), I definitely found a few questionable concoctions. I did, however, also find a handful of amusing ideas that just might be useful:

1. The Wizard of Oz – a classic, but one that isn’t overused in the Halloween costume category. There’s a wide range of possibilities here: you have Dorothy, you have Lion or Tin Man or Scarecrow, you have the Wicked Witch of the West, and you even have the Wizard of Oz. Or, you could throw in a few winged monkeys, too. Cue the “I’m melting!

1. Barbie and Ken – Let’s be honest, this one will be everywhere this year – beware of an influx of people dressed in tight neon rollerblading gear. It’s not a bad costume, though, and pretty easy to put together. And you could definitely throw in Alan. You should throw in Alan.

3. Bob Ross and his tree – I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.

4. Taco Belle – A creative spin on one of America’s favorite fast food joints. You could have one person dressed as a taco and one person dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. 

5. Einstein and Oppenheimer – Another 2023 pop culture classic. Maybe a costume that requires a bit more thought and planning (and a mustache?), but definitely worth it, especially for anyone who absolutely loved Oppenheimer.

6. Chick magnet – All you need is a chick (the animal) and a magnet.

7. KFC and chicken – here’s another chicken costume, and one that incorporates a mustache as well. Again, a decent bit of effort may be needed to put this together, but nobody else will have your costume!

8. Classics – If you don’t like the ideas, you can always go with one of the classics. The Incredibles couple combo, or any Disney movie character set. Cowboys, or ghosts, or witches or zombies or monsters. A food combo like cookies and milk. The list goes on and on and on…

Take this list and spice it up. Choose what your heart says is right. And don’t procrastinate your decision for too long, or the Halloween ghosts might come and get you!