DIY Halloween: Bringing Bikini Bottom to Life with SpongeBob, Squidward, and Patrick!

Halloween is a perfect time to get creative, and this year, I decided to dive under the sea with DIY costumes inspired by everyone’s favorite Bikini Bottom residents! From SpongeBob’s infectious grin to Squidward’s iconic frown, this trio of costumes was so much fun to put together, and my boys absolutely loved dressing up as these beloved characters. Here’s a peek at how I made each one:

SpongeBob SquarePants

Creating SpongeBob’s iconic look was easier than you might think! I started with a yellow sweatshirt and added felt circles for his sponge holes. For his face, I used felt for his eyes, mouth, and nose to capture his cheerful expression. Brown pants completed the look, and of course, where I added his black buckles, no SpongeBob costume is complete without his red tie, white bottom up & his pal Gary.

Gary was made with felt and I stuffed him with paper to give his body some volume.

What you’ll need:

• Yellow hoodie or sweatshirt Found on Amazon:https://a.co/d/c4Q8Ks0

• Brown pants

• Felt (yellow, blue, white, red, black, pink, navy,and grey)

• Fabric glue or a hot glue gun

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  Squidward

  For Squidward, I used a teal tracksuit as the base and added a brown shirt on top for his uniform look. The highlight was crafting his headpiece. I used paper mache over a balloon to shape Squidward's head, then painted it teal with his signature discontented expression. This was a bit of a challenge, but it turned out great and totally captured Squidward’s character!

  
  

  What you’ll need:

  • Teal hoodie and sweatpants

  • Brown button-up shirt

  • Paper mache materials

  • Teal paint and black paint for facial details

    
    

    Brown Shirt: TTS From Amazon:https://a.co/d/h3RQMsj

    Teal Hoodie & Sweatpants: TTS From Amazon:https://a.co/d/fwXroOa

    

    Patrick

    For Patrick, I went with a simple pink tracksuit as the base. I added a green tutu adorned with purple flower shapes to mimic his swim trunks. The headpiece was a pink party hat with Patrick’s goofy grin made from felt, giving the costume a fun finishing touch. This one was a huge hit!

    
    

    What you’ll need:

    • Pink hoodie and sweatpants

    • Green tutu

    • Purple felt for the flower details

    • Pink party hat for the headpiece

    • Black and white felt

    • Black marker for the face

      
      

      Pink Sweatpants Suit: From Amazon https://a.co/d/jfxsvG9 TTS

      Green Tutu: From Amazon https://a.co/d/fORPeOn TTS

      
  
  

  Added Fun: DIY Chum Buckets!

  To complete the SpongeBob vibe, I made DIY “Chum Buckets” for the kids to carry around! These were super simple and affordable to make. I started with dollar store buckets, spray-painted them green, and glued on wood letters to spell out “Chum Bucket.” I even added a little felt door for that authentic touch. They were the perfect accessory for trick-or-treating and got so many laughs!

  
  

  What you’ll need:

  

  • Dollar store buckets

  • Green spray paint

  • Wood letters

  • Felt for the door

  • Glue (fabric glue or hot glue)

  These “Chum Buckets” were a hit and added that extra bit of fun to the whole costume set!

  These DIY SpongeBob-themed costumes were a blast to make, and they really brought some fun, nostalgic energy to Halloween this year. Plus, they were comfortable and practical, which is always a win for kids who want to run around and play. If you're thinking about DIY costumes next year, give these a try—they’re sure to make a splash!