Looking for a fun DIY Elliott and ET costume for Halloween? My daughter is a huge fan of ’80s movies, so it was no surprise when she showed me an Elliott and ET costume on Pinterest and asked if we could make our own.
This ended up being one of those costumes that looks much more complicated than it really is. We pulled it together with a basket, some old bike handlebars, a stuffed animal, a baby blanket, and plenty of improvising.
What I Used for Our DIY Elliott & ET Costume
- basket
- old bike handlebars
- fishing line
- stuffed animal
- printed E.T. face
- bubble wrap or other lightweight filler
- baby blanket
- wide red exercise band or strap
- red hoodie
How I Put the Costume Together
My wonderful brother-in-law happened to have some very old handlebars that looked just like a version from that era. I have seen others use pipes etc. to build their own if you don’t have access to some.
I connected the handlebars to a basket by sewing them together with fishing wire. It is thin plastic, not actual wire, so it was pretty easy to hand-sew. I’m not a seamstress at all as you can see in the picture.
The white yarn is from my first plan, but I changed to the more invisible wire and was too lazy to remove the yarn and resew that section. Luckily, you can’t see that area anyway once the costume is on.
I created an ET doll by printing off a picture of his head from the internet and attaching it to the back of a penguin doll’s head. This was easily done with yarn taped to the ET picture and wrapped around the penguin’s face.
The basket I used had paper confetti in it, which mixed with some bubble wrap, secured ET in the basket. I then covered the penguin’s body with a baby blanket.
I tied a wide red exercise band to the basket so she wouldn’t have to hold it all night. We adjusted it so the basket sat comfortably in front of her with the strap resting across her shoulders.
She loved it! I bought her a red hoodie from Old Navy, which was the only thing I had to buy for the costume, and she could keep wearing it long after Halloween.
Years later, my son wore the same costume to a Halloween party and was a hit too. Apparently some things—like classic ’80s movies—really do hold up across generations.
Are you usually a costume maker or costume buyer? I tend to be a little of both!
This post is part of the Candace Creates archive — a collection of creative projects from the early days of this blog. Creativity has always been part of my healing journey, and it still is. But over the years, this space has grown into something deeper.
Today, Body Mind Soul Essentials is about helping women reconnect with God, rediscover who they are, and rebuild their days with peace and purpose — body, mind, and soul. If that resonates with you, I’d love for you to look around. There’s a lot more here for you.
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That is so cute!
We are closer to 5 or 6 churches than we are to the nearest town, so we’ll probably do one or more of those. Our youngest is the only one showing interest in trick-or-treating this year. She loves wolves and face painting, so we’ll probably dress her in all white or gray and paint a wolf face on.
Have a great week, Candace! :O) P.S. I think your daughter should share her haul this Friday with you for that fabulous costume! 😉
A wolf would be adorable, LuAnn! My daughter doesn’t trick or treat anymore. This costume is for a party. She is almost 21. I know she looks so young. I’m wondering when my son is going to give it up. He’s 12 and still loves it, so I think I have a while. And he always shares his goodies with me :).
That is BRILLIANT!!!! What a creative and adorable costume!!! Your daughter is precious!! She needs to win a costume prize for the idea! 🙂
Thanks so much, Chris! I think it is one of my favorite costumes ever of hers, and she has had some good ones over the years :).
Hi there we are doing A E.T. movie theme night and got your idea unbelievable we are doing a photo time before the movie with your idea
Sounds like it will fit perfectly into your evening, Danny. My son is wearing the costume this year :). Let me know if you have any questions!
Fantastic costume!!You’re just so clever. I never would have thought of such an angle for an Elliot/ET costume!!
Your dd is so cute too! I know she is older and a young adult..but she still looks adorable here.
I love when I get the gift of one of your posts in my inbox!! Love it
God bless and enjoy Halloween!!
~Chris
Hi Chris! Thanks so much, my friend. I’m so glad it came together and she loves it. The ET in his basket has been sitting on our couch since I made it. It makes me laugh every time I come downstairs and see him staring at me :). Blessings to you and I hope you have a wonderful Halloween!
oh just too fun, Candace! lots of creativity goin’ on over at your house!
impressive!
8-}
Thank you, Linda! It was a fun costume to make, except the sewing part. I’m not much of a seamstress and so it took a while. I also had to try a couple of my kids’ stuffed animals before I found the perfect one. I’m hoping it all holds together through her Halloween party :).
This is too cute. I couldn’t even tell it was a printed picture of ET, it looks like a real toy. I’m sure your daughter will get a lot of compliments. You did a great job.
Thanks, Sonya! He turned out surprisingly realistic. It’s almost a little creepy seeing him on my couch every morning. I probably need to move him to my daughter’s room :).
What a fun costume–great idea! 🙂
Thank you, Nancy! I must admit I got the general idea from a picture on Pinterest my daughter showed me. I actually like this one better than the original picture, which is always a nice surprise :).
Love it!
Thanks, Sandy! Always great to see you my friend :)!
This is the coolest costume ever! I had my Mom buy me a basket like the one on Elliot’s bike when I was a little girl so that I could pretend to drive ET around.
That is hilarious, Jen! You definitely need to make one of these for yourself with your old basket and doll :). I had a bunch of ET stuffed animals that would have been perfect for this. They are, of course, long gone! I saw one at an antique fair recently for $65, but that was way too much for a costume accessory.