Browse through all of the Wizard of Oz character costumes and cosplay guides. Victor Fleming’s 1939 MGM classic, based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, follows Dorothy Gale down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City. Our store-bought and homemade ideas let you dress as Dorothy in her blue gingham dress and ruby slippers, the Scarecrow stuffed with straw, the Wicked Witch of the West in her pointed hat and green face, or the Ozzy Osbourne mash-up. Whether you want an easy Halloween outfit or a whole group, every kit is broken down piece by piece — dress, wig, slippers, hat and props — with a link to buy on the title pages.
Dorothy Gale is the easiest and most recognisable Oz costume: a blue-and-white gingham dress over a white blouse, a brown pigtail wig, and the ruby slippers everyone remembers. Add light blue cotton socks and a basket with a little Toto to finish the Kansas farm-girl look, and you are ready to click your heels and follow the Yellow Brick Road. Every piece is linked in the guide below, so a solo Dorothy or a whole quartet of travellers can be kitted out in a single shopping pass.
The Wicked Witch of the West is the villain of the piece, and the look is all about green skin and black layers. Start with light green face and body paint, then build up a black frill-neck top, a long high-waisted skirt cinched with a corset belt and a hooded cloak. Finish with a pointed witch hat, a long curly wig, a straw broom and a drawstring pouch for the hourglass — everything is listed in the guide below, bought as separates, so no sewing is needed, just green paint and black layers.
The Wizard of Oz is a gift for group costumes: four travellers setting off down the Yellow Brick Road, plus a green-faced villain to chase them. Start with the character-defining piece — a blue gingham dress and ruby slippers for Dorothy, a straw-stuffed shirt and burlap head for the Scarecrow, a pointed hat and light green face paint for the Wicked Witch — then layer on the wig, socks and props. Everything is listed in the guides below, so you can buy a complete outfit in one pass or build it from your own wardrobe. Matching the whole quartet is one of the easiest group costume ideas there is.
Planning a Wizard of Oz costume? These are the questions readers ask most about putting the look together, from the four travellers to the Wicked Witch, with every answer pointing straight at the kit list for that guide.
You can dress as any of the film’s leads with a guide on this page: Dorothy Gale, the Scarecrow, the Wicked Witch of the West, or a Wizard of Ozzy Osbourne mash-up. Each has its own character page with a full list of items.
A Dorothy costume needs a blue-and-white gingham dress with a white blouse, a brown pigtail wig, ruby slippers and light blue cotton socks. Add a basket with a little Toto and the Kansas farm-girl look is complete — it is the easiest and most recognisable Oz costume to pull together.
To make a Scarecrow costume, start with a green or brown shirt and trousers and stuff straw at the cuffs, collar and waist, then add a burlap-sack face or a scarecrow hat. The loose, stuffed silhouette is what sells the character, so it works well over your own clothes with no sewing.
To dress as the Wicked Witch of the West, cover your face and body in light green paint, then layer black: a frill-neck top, a long high-waisted skirt, a hooded cloak, a corset belt and a pointed witch hat. Finish with a long curly wig, a straw broom and a drawstring pouch.
The Wizard of Ozzy Osbourne is a mash-up costume that dresses the Prince of Darkness as the Wizard of Oz: a green tailcoat and top hat, long dark hair, round purple-tinted glasses, a cross necklace and black boots. It is a fun, funny pick for a rock-music fan at a Halloween party.
Yes — every Wizard of Oz costume here can be bought as separates and worn with no sewing at all. The dress, wig, slippers, hat, face paint and props each come from the linked listings, so you simply wear them as they arrive.
Yes — The Wizard of Oz is one of the best group costume themes because the four travellers are instantly recognisable together. Dress a group as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, or split into Dorothy and the Wicked Witch for an easy Halloween duo.
Dorothy’s dress is blue-and-white gingham — a light blue check — over a white blouse, worn with white socks and ruby-red slippers. The gingham is the single detail that makes a Dorothy costume read instantly, so match the check before anything else.
Ruby slippers are the one prop that defines Dorothy, and they are easy to find as a ready-made costume shoe or to make by covering a plain pair with red glitter and sealer. The Dorothy guide below links to buy a pair directly, alongside the dress, wig and basket.
The Wizard of Oz is the 1939 MGM musical fantasy film directed by Victor Fleming, adapted from L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It follows Dorothy Gale, a Kansas farm girl swept up by a tornado and dropped into the magical Land of Oz, where she travels the Yellow Brick Road to ask the Wizard for a way home. She is joined by a Scarecrow who wants a brain, a Tin Man who wants a heart and a Cowardly Lion who wants courage — while the Wicked Witch of the West hunts the ruby slippers. Starring Judy Garland, the Technicolor film won two Academy Awards and became one of the most-watched movies ever made.
CW is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about CW →
