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Peanuts costumes are easy to pull together for your family this Halloween
Lee Mendelson Film Productions
Easy Peanuts Costumes For The Whole Family, Because The Great Pumpkin Is Coming

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When I was a kid, the Peanuts were a favorite of mine. I was obsessed, and had a stuffed Snoopy and Woodstock I’d carry around with me everywhere — including in the toilet for a swim, unfortunately — and I still have them to this day. Which is exactly why I'm basically an expert at coming up with easy Peanuts costumes for the whole family. All of these pieces are pretty DIY, especially since most of the characters just wore regular clothes. In fact, you can probably find a lot of the pieces in your own closet. (And if you want a really easy outfit, just make their ghost costumes from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and don a sheet with holes in it.)

The original Peanuts cartoons started out as a comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, which began in 1950, according to the Schulz Museum’s website. And from there, the Peanuts exploded in popularity and became a well-loved cartoon on TV, as well as TV specials, including the famous It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charlie Brown’s All-Stars!, You’re In Love, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, and more. There were even full-length movies, and watching all of these Charlie Brown moments are a great way to get some costume ideas. Just pick your favorite characters for you and your entire family to get in the spirit. The Great Pumpkin is coming, after all, and you don't want to miss out on tricks or treats.

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1

Charlie Brown

Good grief. Sweet Charlie Brown never gives up, and is easily identified by his bright yellow shirt with the black zig-zag around it. For an adult costume, pick up a bright yellow shirt, black shorts, brown shoes, and maybe even a flesh-colored wig cap to get his signature baldness. A kid's yellow shirt black shorts, and brown/black shoes may already be in their closets. And all you have to do to "Charlie Brown-ify" the shirt is to use fabric paint to draw and fill in the zig zag. Don't forget his yellow socks.

3

Linus

In addition to Sally's love interest, Linus is Charlie Brown's best friend and the brother of one of Charlie Brown's frenemies, Lucy. Even though Linus is an avid believer of The Great Pumpkin, he's usually the voice of reason among all the Peanuts gang. I guess he gets his wisdom and confidence from his blue blanket he carries around. Sally must really love his red striped shirt, black shorts and black/brown kicks — depending on the movie — to not care that he loves his blanket more than her. Check out the kid version of the shirt, shorts, and shoes if Linus is their favorite character.

4

Lucy

Linus' sister Lucy is definitely Charlie Brown's frenemy. Sometimes she seems like she's trying to be helpful, especially when "The Doctor Is In," and she has her therapist booth set up, but she always ends up being a bit harsh and kind of a bully. She's at her meanest when she claims she will hold a football for Charlie Brown to kick, but without fail, she always moves it out of the way, causing him to fall on his back. And poor Charlie Brown falls for it every single time. Maybe he is mesmerized by her cute outfit of pony shoes and her cute blue dress? And who could forget that snazzy hairdo? The kid versions of the dress and shoes are just as adorable. Don't forget your "The Doctor Is In" sign.

7

Marcie

Marcie is Peppermint Patty's best friend and sidekick (and for some reason, she calls Peppermint Patty "Sir"). She's the polar opposite of Peppermint Patty as she loves school and reading, and hates sports. It's easy to see why they're friends though, since Marcie is always the voice of reason and understanding for Peppermint Patty, and they share the same sense of laid-back style. Marcie's iconic red t-shirt, black sneakers, jeans, and round glasses never go out of style, so it shouldn't be too hard to find kid versions of her top, bottoms, and sneakers for the costume. In some strips, Marcie is even wearing pony shoes and black shorts, so you be the judge of which version of cool Marcie you want to be. Don't forget the black wig.

8

Violet

Violet is Lucy's best friend, and is also friends with Peppermint Patty. She is probably the meanest bully to poor Charlie Brown though. Perhaps her iconic bun is tied too tight and it's making her grumpy? But she does look smart in her skater green dress and pony shoes. I just wish she'd be nicer to poor Charlie Brown. If you want to try a kid look, you'll need a kid-sized green dress and pony shoes. Violet's outfit was seen a lot more often in the beginning stages of the comics, but then she becomes more of a background character later on. Maybe because she was so mean?

10

Pigpen

I never really understood why poor Pigpen was always so dirty, but you could see him coming from a mile away with his dust cloud following him everywhere he went. His overalls and brown shirt hid some of the dirt, and his sneakers hid some mud. Your kid can get their overalls and shirt dirty this Halloween and still be in character. And this time, maybe it will be OK to jump in a few mud puddles to get their shoes dirty? Pigpen would have wanted it that way. Finish off the look with makeup powder or even coffee grounds dusted on your face, arms, legs and hands.

11

Snoopy

Snoopy is Charlie Brown's beagle and very best friend. He sleeps on top of his dog house instead of in it, and is the World War I Flying Ace fighting the Red Barron in his spare time when he's not Joe Cool. Snoopy's "outfit" doesn't change since it's his fur. But you can pull off Snoopy by sporting white pants, a white shirt, and maybe even some Snoopy sneakers or white sneakers. Grab some fabric paint and face paint to get his iconic black dot and his black nose. This set of black floppy ears and tail will really finish off the outfit. If your kid is too old for a white onesie, a kid's white shirt and white pants will do the trick. You can even throw in a Snoopy doll, red collar or red dog bowl to wear on your head like he does sometimes, making it even more obvious that you're Snoopy.

12

Woodstock

According to Charles Schultz, "Woodstock knows that he is very small and inconsequential indeed. It’s a problem we all have. The universe boggles us . . . Woodstock is a lighthearted expression of that idea." Woodstock is also Snoopy's best friend and co-pilot when Snoopy uses his ears as a helicopter. This headband with feathers is definitely Woodstock-inspired. A yellow shirt, pants, and shoes will complete the ensemble. If your kid wants to be Woodstock, it may be easier to find yellow pants, shoes and a shirt, since their clothing tends to be more colorful than adult clothing.

Additional props for any of these Peanuts costumes can include a little sad Christmas tree, a big pumpkin, or even a baseball bat and gloves for everyone. Who knows, you may want to wear your outfits to Thanksgiving dinner, but hopefully you'll eat more than buttered bread and popcorn. Oh, Charlie Brown, good grief. "Out of all the Charlie Browns, you're the Charlie Browniest."

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