Toronto is full of characters, so why not take one of them and make it your last-minute Halloween costume?
Last-minute Halloween costumes are an anxiety-inducing task that everyone faces at some point in their lives, whether it’s been a busy month at work, you can’t come up with anything, or you just let time pass you by.
It’s okay; we’ve all been there. There’s no need to stress about it; sometimes the easiest costumes are the ones that have everybody at the Halloween party asking themselves, ‘How did I not think of that?’
To honour our city, the people, and things that make it so uniquely Toronto, I’ve put together a small list of Toronto icons to give you some inspiration in these final hours before the ghouls come out to play, to make you the star of the party this weekend.
Here are 10 last-minute Toronto-themed Halloween costumes to sport this weekend.
Slushy Noobz
If you’re looking for a duo costume, look no further.
Two of the internet’s biggest stars right now reside right here in Toronto. Hamzah Al-Emad and Martin Andrijasevic, the two creators who make up Slushy Noobz, post their comedic, gaming, adventure, and mukbang videos, many of which highlight the beauty of Toronto.
From exploring the PATH, a boxing match, passing out slushies outside of TMU, or one of my personal favourites — their trip to Robot Seafood Boil, there are an endless number of options.
Don a white button-up, squeeze into a white hoodie together, slap on black latex gloves, carry around a plastic bag filled with fake seafood toys, smear some lipstick on your face and clothes to look like sauce, and you look like two guys sharing a king crab on the beach.
Olivia Chow at Citypoolwarrior’s Pride rave
For anyone who keeps up with Toronto meme pages, you’d know that @citypoolwarrior dominates the scene.
Over the last year, her relationship with Oliva Chow has grown and blossomed into a beautiful friendship of mutual support.
One moment in particular had the internet going crazy: Mayor Olivia Chow’s team confirming her attendance at Citypoolwarrior x Standard Time’s pride rave: “EVERYONE GET MORE BISEXUAL NOW!!!!!”
Mayor Chow was seen dancing on tables, speaking words of love into a microphone, and all around just having a good time.
A white tank, chunky silver necklace, star-studded black vest, and her iconic bob are all you need.
The “I HATE RUBBER BOOTS” guy
This is a costume that’s been done before, but in my opinion, not nearly enough.
If you have ever been lucky enough to witness him in the flesh, the “I HATE RUBBER BOOTS” man is an iconic Toronto character who has been roaming the streets with his shirt touting his famous slogan while ironically wearing a pair of rubber boots at the same time.
Get a shirt printed in under an hour at almost any T-shirt print shop in the city, slip into a pair of rubber boots, and start new boot goofing.
The Kensington Market Garden Car
The Garden Car has called Kensington Market its home since 2007, when advocacy group “Streets are for People” started the project.
Everyone from Toronto knows what it is, and so do people who aren’t from the city, it seems, as it’s become an incredibly popular tourist attraction.
Layer some funky and bright neon green and blue clothing and head to your local dollar store for fake foliage. Tack on an array of leafy greens and a few florals. Take it one step further by using a wheel of some sort — that WII controller that you begged your mom to buy you when you were 10 will do the trick perfectly.
Drive around the party all night and let everyone take a photo with you!
Plushh, the Toronto accent girl
Oh, 2023, a year of many memes and many laughs: one of the most iconic of which was our local Toronto gal, Plushh.
The Toronto influencer went viral for her appearance on a podcast in early August of 2023. While criticizing another YouTuber for allegedly leaving his “moms in the hood” after he came into some money, we received the iconic monologue that most Toronto city dwellers can still quote in their sleep.
This one is probably in your closet already: a black crop top, black leggings, two pigtail braids, the largest eyelashes you can find, and a microphone will pair wonderfully with the memorized dialogue.
You’ll have people “sick to their stomachs, fam” with this one.
Drake’s ‘Strong Women, Stronger Drinks’ party
$500k, luxury cars, and Birkin bags. A girl can only dream.
Drake spent his third annual “Strong Women, Stronger Drinks” event this year showering Toronto women invited with over-the-top gifts at Casa Loma, launching the internet into an uproar, with one half wondering where their invite was, the other wondering why Drake couldn’t have donated the money to women’s shelters across the city.
We’ll probably never get the answer to either of those questions from Drake himself, but what he has given us is another Halloween costume of the eternally memeable rapper.
Ditch Drake sitting on the CN Tower for his 2016 album Views, and replace it with a large and in-charge fur coat, sunnies, wads of fake cash, car keys, and as many bags as you can carry. You are not just Drake; you’re Champagnepapi.
Pee Pee Poo Poo Man
Samuel Opoku, better known as the Pee Pee Poo Poo Man, carried out a series of concerning attacks at the University of Toronto and York University campuses. The crime? He famously launched liquefied feces at five separate victims, earning him the moniker Pee Pee Poo Poo Man.
Grab a (preferably empty) bucket and yellow hard hat — it’s that simple. But the city begs you: history does not need to be repeated.
IKEA monkey in a shearling coat
On December 9th, 2012, there was a glitch in the matrix, and some may say it’s all due to Darwin’s fateful escape that day.
Darwin, better known as the IKEA monkey, escaped his cage as an illegal house pet in a local IKEA parking lot, became a famous Toronto Icon, and found a new home at the Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary in Ontario all in the same day, all while rocking the most fabulous sherling coat. A big day for a little guy.
Make some homemade monkey ears and put on your most stylish coat, and you’ve become Darwin.
@dzd_lisa/Instagram
Sareem Rahma, SubwayTakes Toronto
Before anyone says, “But he’s not from Toronto!”, I am well aware, but hear me out.
This isn’t just any Halloween costume; it’s immersive and a great way to start a conversation.
Sareem Rahma brought his popular internet show “SubwayTakes” to Toronto earlier this month. Originally filmed in New York with MetroCards to hold the mic, he’s replaced it with a PRESTO card for the ‘6ix-based installment of the series.
Find a suit at Value Village, rock a pair of shades all night, carry around your PRESTO card, and ask people their Toronto hot takes. Not only is it an easy costume, but you’ll be making new friends all night.
Uncle Crawfy, the uplifting TTC driver
Many of us find the TTC a nice place to sit and think — if we are lucky enough to get on one where no chaos is actively erupting — and if you’re lucky enough, you might find yourself thinking on Uncle Crawfy‘s train on Line 2.
Through a series of uplifting messages and a few as simple as “I hope you have a good day,” Uncle Crawfy has turned people’s bad days into good ones that just had a few bad moments. After going viral in early August, Uncle Crawfy has turned his message of positivity into a movement.
Do your best to recreate a TTC driver’s outfit, slap on a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and go around the party spreading words of wisdom and positive messages.
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