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The most unconventional Halloween costumes, as dreamed up by kids

Well, aren't you just the cutest little... um... shopping bag?
A grocery bag? OK, a grocery bag! Kids come up with the most interesting costume ideas.
A grocery bag? OK, a grocery bag! Kids come up with the most interesting costume ideas.Courtesy Jennifer Korinchak

Forget dragons and witches, kids these days want to be vacuum cleaners and wind chimes for Halloween.

Galyn Bernard, co-founder of children's clothing company Primary, said it's all about imagination. The company shared its list of most unusual costume requests with TODAY Parents.

"I think that kids are fascinated by everyday items in a way that maybe we, as adults, just are so much less so. And so I think part of it is just, 'This thing over here is a cool machine that I see all the time and I wonder what it would be like to be one,'" Bernard said. "I think it is that curiosity and imagination that drives all of this."

Bernard, a mother of twin girls, said that her company's costume division, Primary Costumes, receives 1,000 special requests a year, and half of them are for unconventional costumes like water heaters, wind chimes and sand dunes. The company even has a "costume concierge" who will sketch kids' ideas and help them bring them to life.

Special requests for sand dunes and other unconventional costumes at Primary Costumes are becoming more popular.
Special requests for sand dunes and other unconventional costumes at Primary Costumes are becoming more popular.Nguyen Le/ Primary Costumes

"Ghosts and witches and things always will show up," Bernard said. But, she said, a growing number of requests are for unique costumes.

Primary Costumes has a "costume concierge" team that helps bring kids' unconventional costume ideas, like vacuum cleaners, to life.
Primary Costumes has a "costume concierge" team that helps bring kids' unconventional costume ideas, like vacuum cleaners, to life. Nguyen Le/ Primary Costumes

In addition to vacuum cleaners and sand dunes, here's a list of other unique costume requests from Primary's fans on Instagram and Facebook:

  1. “Red onion”
  2. “Puppy mermaid….😑🤯”
  3. “A flamingo that is also a phone 😳”
  4. “My daughter wanted to be a yarn ball when she was 2. It was amazing.”
  5. “Snoopy’s shoulder”
  6. “An EAR LOBE. I kid you not. 😂”
  7. “Krispy Kreme. Not the actual donut, he wanted to be Krispy Kreme. We compromised on him being a Krispy Kreme worker.”
  8. “Half mermaid half cat! Mercat!”
  9. “Watermelon mouthwash.”
  10. “My daughter asked to be Lady Gaga with the meat dress. 🤦🏻‍♀️”
  11. “Frog-human”
  12. “My vegan toddler wants to be a hotdog 😂”
  13. “Banana robot!”
  14. “My son wants to be a leaf blower for Halloween. Not a person using a leaf blower, but the actual leaf blower.”
  15. “This year. My son wants to be a rainbow pumpkin with a smiling face and he wants to hold a rainbow pumpkin with a frowning face that lights up…”
  16. “My son wanted to be a bottle of Bragg liquid aminos.”
  17. “My 3 year old asked to be an Amazon Alexa.”
  18. “One year, my boy was a broccoli with a cape because ‘broccoli is a super food!’"
  19. “A flu shot—the scariest thing she could think of.”
  20. “The green chair from Toy Story. Confused? Me too. Chairyl Burnett has one scene in the closet at the beginning.”
Experts anticipate shortages in Halloween costumes this year, so DIY is a good option to still get into the festivities.
Experts anticipate shortages in Halloween costumes this year, so DIY is a good option to still get into the festivities. Courtesy Jennifer Korinchak

If you can figure out a way to make a unique Halloween costume out of clothes that they'll wear more than once, even better.

Bernard's twin daughters, now 12, were Hershey bars one Halloween, candy corn another year.

"One year they were Hershey bars, which was just PJ's top and bottom," Bernard said. "They were in those PJ's all year because they're just cute, super comfy PJs top and bottom. They love sugar and so one year they were also candy corns. It was literally a white T-shirt and a cute skirt and orange puffer jackets, and they worse those orange puffer jackets all the time."

Bernard said Halloween costumes usually ride the waves of pop culture and cartoon favorites; but don't be surprised if you see a refrigerator walking down the street.

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