AI-generated picture to show the idea. Yours will look handmade.

The Traffic Cone

A traffic cone has been named the easiest Halloween costume of the year, and a homemade one is tougher, cheaper and funnier than the shop version. Poster board rolled into a tall cone with a neck hole, a reflective white stripe in tape and a 'Roadworks ahead' sign in your hand. About $10 and 40 minutes.

TIME: 40 min
COST: about $10
SKILL: Easy

What you need

Two sheets of orange poster board
White tape or white paper for the reflective bands
A stapler and tape
Rope for shoulder straps
A scrap of cardboard and marker for the sign
A black base layer to wear underneath

How to make it

1
Tape the two sheets of poster board together side by side. Pin a string to one end and draw a big arc, then cut out a fan shape.
2
Roll the fan into a cone, overlap the edges and staple or tape the seam. The top should be wide enough for your head.
3
Cut a neck hole at the narrow end and test it over your shoulders.
4
Add two white bands round the cone with tape or paper to make it look reflective.
5
Attach rope shoulder straps inside so it hangs at the right height.
6
Make a small 'Roadworks ahead' sign from card and hold it in one hand.

Make it better

Wear black underneath so only the cone shows.
Stand in doorways and let people walk round you.
If the cone is too tall, trim the bottom.

Questions

Is a traffic cone really the easiest costume?

It is one of them. The shop version is a hat, and ours is a full cone that makes more of an impression.

How do I keep the cone from collapsing?

Use a double layer of poster board and staple the seam in several places. A rope ring round the middle helps.

Can it be a group costume?

Yes. Five of you in a line with a 'Lane closed' sign is a roadworks.

Wear it in front of your own haunted CCTV

Upload four photos of your house and Cursed Cam turns them into a night-time security monitor where something is very wrong. Put it on the TV by the door.

Make my monitor See how it works