30 COVID-inspired kids' Halloween costume ideas for the year 2020

ZOOM CALL KID: Marciel Sanders has challenged herself and her little boy to create 31 days of different 2020-themed costumes. This one may be the cleverest and most horrifying of the bunch (for those parents still suffering PTSD from home learning Zoom call supervision, that is).

2020 DUMPSTER FIRE: This year in a nutshell? Dumpster fire, according to Marciel Sanders. Enough said.

SANITISER BABY: Dress your baby up as 2020’s ultimate must-have: sanitising wipes. Photographed with empty loo rolls for good measure, presumably in homage to the toilet roll shortages that plagued parts of the world when the lockdowns began. Ah, memories.

SMILING SKELETON: Who knew that face masks could also double up as the ultimate costume prop? This skeleton has chosen to mask his pumpkin pal up as well, just to be on the safe side.

TIGER KING: Remember when the whole world went crazy over a Netflix documentary about a flamboyant and criminally inclined big-cat collector in America? Lockdown certainly has a lot to answer for... The Tiger King can be a whole family theme if you put your mind to it, as @Happygreylucky did, depicting Joe Exotic and his bitter rival Carole Baskin, alongside two cute little tiger cubs.

COVID BUSTERS: Forget Ghost Busters – 2020 has introduced us to whole new crew of baddie-busting heroes, namely hand sanitiser, tissues, and medical front-liners wearing face masks.

CUTE COVID: It was inevitable that some gallows-humoured parent would have the bright idea of dressing up their child as coronavirus itself. But @CostumesbyNori has done a pretty good job – who knew a virus could look cute?

PANDEMIC PEEPS: The 2020 version of Good Vs Evil - coronavirus versus face masks and sanitiser. This is the sort of theme that the whole family can get involved with.

SOCIALLY DISTANCED BARBIE: Want people to stay 2 metres away from your child? Put them in a box with built-in acrylic shield in the front.

PANDEMIC PUMPKIN: The face mask comes into its own in this costume, with two matching Halloween grins.

FACE-COVER CAT: Lots of kids are wearing cat-themed novelty face masks with whiskers already, so it couldn’t be easier to pop on a pair of cat ears for the ultimate witch’s familiar costume.

COMEDY COVER: There’s really no end to the comedy potential of your child’s face mask when you’ve got a marker pen handy – is this guy a vampire or Willy Wonker? You decide…

PANDEMIC PIRATE: Yes it’s another face mask themed outfit, but the beauty of this one? No washing off sticky black face paint at the end of the day – hurrah!

IT ALL STARTED WITH A BAT: These furry winged creatures have been much maligned for the zoonotic origin of the current pandemic, although scientists are keen to point out that you can’t blame bats, since the spread of diseases from animals to humans is much more about humans encroaching on their domain than the other way around. And when the bat looks as cute as this little one, how could you stay angry?

OR WAS IT A PANGOLIN? Pangolins have also been linked with the current coronavirus, although the science is inconclusive on exactly how Sars-CoV-2 leapt from animals to humans. What is for certain however is that 2020 has put the endangered pangolin on the map – prior to this year many were unaware of the plight of this heavily trafficked animal, which looks like a scaly anteater, but is actually more closely related to wolves and cats. And it makes for a pretty creative Halloween costume too.

FOODIE FUN: Lockdown led to a lot more cooking for most of us, and nothing makes for an easy, yet impressive costume like using the nearest items to embellish, whether that be a bowl and a recipe book, such as this sweet spaghetti baby from @cindy_made2style, or sticking a biscuit-shaped cushion on your pet, like this cute cookie monster and his canine partner in crime from @brooke_mantz.

RETRO REELERS: Another Pandemic habit? Binge watching old movies. As your little ones are unlikely to be film connoisseurs just yet you're completely within your rights to take inspiration from your favourite movie instead, like @alittlejandk did with this amazing Top Gun costume, or this Wayne's World tribute from @lauraiz.

TELLY TUBBIES: Failing that, embrace your lockdown Netflix binges with an homage to the best programmes of the year. Both @kcstauffer (left) and @lauraiz (right) took notes from Stranger Things fever with some perfectly realised recreations of Eleven.

SNACK ATTACK: Pay homage to your lockdown binges with recreations of your favourite foods. From condiments to Cup Noodles, these little babies are rocking onesies that look good enough to eat.

WIZARDY WONDERS: Sometimes we all just need a bit of escapism - bring a touch of magic to the proceedings with some adorable Harry Potter-themed outfits, like @jchavkin (left) and @onedopemama (right).

PREMATURE AGEING: If you feel like 2020 has aged you beyond your years, you’re certainly not alone. Has your little one still not taken their first steps unaided yet? No problem, simply incorporate a walking frame into the ensemble, such as these sweet not-quite-so-old grandmas did, from @stephaniehoeinteriors (right) and @summermarien (left).