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Hardware Hump Day: The 8 Best LED Halloween Costume Ideas
Get inspired to DIY your costume with LEDs!
Friends. The air is getting crispier, and pumpkin-flavored foods are beginning to take over our office --- both strong signals that Halloween is around the corner. While everyone still has plenty of time to make their costumes, we thought we’d share our favorite DIY LED picks from across the internet to inspire you.
1. Unicorn
This past year has been all about the unicorn. From birthday party themes, to the undrinkable Frappuccino®, to my favorite emoji --- the unicorn is taking over. Join the fun with this awesome costume idea. Bonus points if you add addressable WS2812 LEDs with a rainbow effect.
2. Girl on Fire
There are a lot of reasons to dress up like fire on Halloween. Maybe your counterpart is a firefighter, or Smokey the Bear. Maybe you’re simply a recovering pyromaniac, and you just want to be fire. In any case, this tutu with LEDs has a fiery effect that I find very cool.
...I mean hot. If you are too lazy to make your own (YES, I AM JUDGING YOU), then luckily you can purchase this one. But honestly, does it even count if you don’t make it?
3. Seahorse
Ahhh, the seahorse. This adorable costume features some extremely impressive fabrication with a sprinkling of LEDs to add some extra flair. This costume is perfect for all the marine lovers out there. I’d love to see this with some LilyPad LEDs connected to the LilyTiny for some extra twinkling.
4. Iron Man Helmet
This helmet does not look homemade even a little bit. Big ups to samohtep for sharing the 3D print files as well as step-by-step instructions online. This DIY costume is guaranteed to garner some attention and make an impression. Plus, it’s a great example of how to use digital fabrication in your projects. A+.
5. Jellyfish
I love these costumes so much. Look at how cute they are! What I love most is that the LEDs are inspired by the way jellyfish illuminate in the water. It is my personal belief that LEDs make everything better, but it’s extra cool when they are used to represent a real idea.
6. Lightsaber
What costume list is complete without a Star Wars item? Certainly not this one. This project seems quite labor intensive, so I wouldn't recommend it for the novice maker. It’s extremely well-fabricated. Color me impressed.
7. LED Flower Crown
Have you always wanted to be a fairy-like woodland creature? Then this LED crown is for you! Adding flowers to deer antlers may seem like a strange combination --- but hey, it’s Halloween. Let your freak flag fly!
8. Rave/Festival Attendee
For some of you this might be less of a costume and more just something to wear to a show next weekend, but for the crowd-averse folks (me) it can be super fun to pretend it’s a music festival on Halloween and enjoy the festival fashion without using a porta-potty. I know because "music festival attendee" was my costume in 2011, and it was a huge hit (with me). This vest is also available to purchase if you run out of time, but it looks pretty easy to DIY, and making your own is always more fun. I’d probably use the LilyPad Pixel Board to accomplish this look. Honestly everything on this site would be a strong addition to your festival costume, so browse around and get inspired!
We hope you enjoy these costumes as much as we do! You be the costume judge; let us know which one is your favorite in the comments below.
Interested in learning more about LEDs?
See our LED page for everything you need to know to start using these components in your project.
