Has World Book Day crept up on you once again and you’ve left it last minute to find a costume? Are the shops closed and online ordering just won’t reach you in time?  Here’s a guide to our top 8 characters that you can easily cobble together from stuff you can find lying around your house and ensure that there are no tantrums or wobbles this Thursday morning.

 

TinTin – the courageous Belgium reporter and adventurer couldn’t be easier.  All you need is a blue jumper, white shirt, brown trousers – oh and don’t forget the hair gel for the TinTin quiff! 

Angelina Ballerina – for all the budding dancers out there who have a ballet costume to hand.  All you need is a pink tutu and ballet shoes.  Cut out pink ears from cardboard and then tape them to a hairband.

Where’s Wally – a simple costume if you have a stripy jumper around the house. Accessorise with a bobble hat, black trousers and glasses.  (Stripy tops are very useful for the likes of Dennis the Menace too!)

Harry Potter or Hermione Granger – who doesn’t love a wizard that wears school uniform! Harry will also need a drawn on lightning scar, glasses and a wand.  With Hermione, some overnight plaits should create the crimped look she sports in the early Harry Potter movies!

Mr Greedy – the Mr Men series inspires a huge range of different costumes and MrGreedy is a very quick costume fix.  Simply stuff a huge pillow under a red or pink sweater and buckle it with a belt.  If you have some matching face paint use it!

Boy in a Dress – from David Walliams hugely successful first novel.  All you need is a dress, long football socks and boots and a football!

101 Dalmations – Colour black spots onto a white t-shirt and face paint a black nose to recreate this canine favourite.

Gangsta Granny – another from David Walliams. All you need is a black eye mask but if you don’t have one of those you could use face paint . Then dress your ‘granny’ in a cardi or blouse, black skirt, old slippers and wrinkly tights.  And don’t forget a swag bag and a dusting of talc for the grey-haired look.