With a little paint and cardboard, a whimsical carousel horse costume can make all your child’s dreams come true! And for under $5, this costume is a win for parents too.

My daughter’s favorite ride at any amusement park or carnival is definitely the carousel. She LOVES them! The first time I ever took her on one was in May, just before her second birthday. It was the carousel at the Washington DC zoo when we were visiting Malissa.

The first expression on her face was amazing! As the carousel began to turn, she got a confused/concerned look. Not unhappy but there was a definite frown. Imagine a questioning frown with wide eyes and that’s the look. It was hilarious! But it only took her a second to decide it was awesome! She quickly began to smile, laugh and say “wooo!” We got some really cute videos of that ride. And by the end she was crying and kicking when I took her off. Only distracting her with gummy worms made her okay with leaving that ride.

Now, when she rides a carousel, the concern is gone. From the beginning, she is “woo”ing and laughing and smiling and waving. She wants to ride them over and over again. She runs to the carousel when we see one and can’t wait to choose her animal.

I distinctly remember as a child the carousel being one of the only rides I ever wanted to ride. I was such a scaredy cat! Big rollercoasters terrified me and so did most of the small ones. But I remember loving the carousel. It was just so non-scary. No one else was ever too interested in riding it with me though. Except my mom. My mom was definitely my amusement park buddy. She always sat out of the “scary” rides to stay with me. She never complained about it or tried to push me into riding the ride. Having that support from my mom is always something I will remember, cherish and try to emulate as a parent.

As I’ve gotten older and over some of my fears, I’ve still always loved the carousel. More now because of the aesthetics though. Aren’t they, like, the CUTEST ride!? No matter how many running-away/predator scenes they happen to make it into in the movies, I will always think they are adorable and completely non-threatening. They’re usually so ornate, with carvings and little scenes on the inner pillar. And all the animals are so dressed up! I wish more people put multi-colored saddles, ribbons and sashes on their horses!

Anyway, with Stella and mine’s combined love of the ride, I decided it would be the perfect Halloween costume for her! Actually, truth be told, I started brainstorming this costume last Halloween, before I even knew how she felt about the ride. I always thought it would make such an adorable costume. My plan was always to have this be her costume this year. Having Stella actually love carousel horses was just a bonus!

It took me a while to figure out a way to make this costume, I was brainstorming all kinds of ideas. Horse costumes usually aren’t very cute. Finally I decided to turn to my favorite crafting material, cardboard. And boy am I glad I did! Not only was this costume super easy to put together, it was incredibly forgiving AND it cost me less than $5. Even if you have none of the materials lying around for this costume, you’re looking at $10 tops. With costumes easily coming in at $40+, this one can be a lifesaver (at least a wallet-saver!).

The templates for the horse outlines are all included below. Feel free to be creative with the colors and decorations too. And don’t hesitate to make this costume for an adult! Its super easy to size up and carousel horses are NEVER too juvenile :)

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