How to use this guide
Pick any character below. “Inspired by” is enough — you must still run activities, supervise swim, and stay safe. Skip full masks during high-activity blocks.
- Closet tier
Solid-color clothes you already own plus one prop.
- Quick-buy tier ($10–20)
Printable mask, ears headband, face paint, or foam prop.
- Any character works
Pick what fits you. Gender-neutral “inspired by” beats screen-accurate.
Arnie & Barney
Tiny unlikely heroes — antennae, meadow greens, maximum bumbling.
Two counselors as Arnie and Barney carrying one giant “water drop” balloon between them.
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Arnie (ant) | Red or brown shirt, black pants | Pipe-cleaner antennae, “Arnie” name tag |
| Barney (ant) | Blue or green shirt | Antennae, toolkit belt (pencil pouch) |
| Superhero mosquito | All gray with cape | Tiny mask, buzzing sound optional |
| Ant platoon leader | Khaki vest | Whistle, map scroll |
| Meadow defender | Green outfit, flower accents | Watering can, “Save the meadow” sign |
Bluey: The Movie
Bright colors, ears, and gentle parent energy.
Magic Xylophone prop — ding to “freeze” campers (playfully).
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Bluey | Blue shirt | Ears headband, tail (stuffed blue sock) |
| Bingo | Blue and orange outfit | Smaller ears, “Bingo!” name tag |
| Bandit (Dad) | Blue heeler colors | Ears, “DAD” mug, pretend nap on a bench |
| Chilli (Mum) | Red and orange accents | Calm-parent energy |
| Uncle Stripe | Blue shirt with stripe pattern | Stripe pattern tape on shirt |
Hexed
Teen witch energy — cloaks, spellbooks, and found-family vibes.
Mother-daughter duo: matching capes, one holds a talking spellbook (notebook with face).
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Billie Doe | Teen casual with witch twist — dark jacket, boots | Wand (stick + star), spellbook notebook |
| Alice (Mom) | Smart casual, cozy layers | Protective amulet (key on chain), flashlight |
| Witch apprentice | Purple or black cloak | Pointed hat, potion bottles (labeled water) |
| Talking spellbook | Brown robe or vest | Large book prop with drawn eyes, quill pen |
| Hexe realm traveler | Cloak with glowing accents | Face paint sigils, lantern |
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Viking riders and dragons — paper helmets and tails welcome.
Whole cabin team = Dragon Riders with matching paper Viking helmets.
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Hiccup | Green tunic or shirt, brown vest | Toy prosthetic leg (cardboard), Toothless shoulder patch |
| Astrid | Braids, fur-style vest | Foam axe, blue war-paint stripe |
| Stoick | Fake beard, fur cape | Horned helmet (pool noodle + foil) |
| Valka | White or gray drape | Dragon-scale cheek paint, staff |
| Toothless | All black outfit | Cardboard tail fin, green eyes (face paint or goggles) |
Man of Tomorrow
Classic hero looks — cape and emblem, camp-safe.
Generic “Hero of Tomorrow”: cape + emblem, no weapons.
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Clark Kent | Glasses, button-down shirt | Superman tee underneath for the reveal |
| Superman | Blue shirt, red cape (towel), yellow belt | S logo (duct tape or felt) |
| Lois Lane | Reporter look | Press pass lanyard, notepad, “Daily Planet” badge |
| Lex Luthor | Business suit | Bald cap or slicked hair, “LexCorp” name tag |
Minecraft
Pixel blocks and mob colors — cardboard cube heads shine here.
Easiest group look: cardboard block heads with printed pixel faces.
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Steve | Blue shirt, purple pants | Pixel beard (squares with tape) |
| Alex | Green shirt | Orange hair wig or hat, pixel styling |
| Creeper | Green shirt | Black pixel face on cardboard square head |
| Enderman | All black | Purple eyes (face paint), painted block box |
| Villager | Brown robe | Big nose prop, “Hmmm” sign |
Minions & Monsters
1920s Hollywood yellow — overalls, goggles, and one cute monster.
Counselor trio as James, Ed, and Henry: matching overalls, different goggle styles.
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Minion (any) | Blue overalls, yellow shirt | Swim goggles or welding goggles, black gloves |
| Goomi | Green outfit | Short tentacle headband (pipe cleaners), big eyes face paint |
| 1920s Hollywood star | Vintage suit or flapper dress | Clapperboard, feather boa, old-timey microphone |
| Monster movie director | Khaki vest, beret | Megaphone, spellbook (notebook with stars) |
| Irene (movie monster) | Purple or dark robe | Extra googly eyes on a headband, cardboard claws |
Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom
Farm Halloween chaos — wool, pumpkins, and mad-scientist energy.
Farmer “lost in the woods” bit — counselor with overalls wandering the dining hall.
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Shaun | White or cream fuzzy top | Sheep ears headband, black face paint nose |
| The Farmer | Green overalls, plaid shirt | Tractor cap, pitchfork (foam) |
| Bitzer (dog) | White shirt, black ears | Whistle on lanyard, clipboard |
| Mad Scientist Shaun | White lab coat over woolly shirt | Crazy wig, pumpkin prop, beakers (water bottles) |
| The Beast | Shaggy brown fleece or faux fur | Glow-in-the-dark eyes, branch antlers |
Shrek 5
Fairytale chaos — green, ears, and one good swamp joke.
One counselor holds a “GET OUT OF MY SWAMP” sign at the meal line.
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Shrek | Green shirt | Ogre ears headband, “BEST OGRE” sign |
| Fiona | Green dress + tiara (warrior Fiona: add sword prop) | Tiara, optional foam sword |
| Donkey | Gray or brown outfit | Donkey ears, silly voice optional |
| Puss in Boots | Boots + belt + hat | Foam sword, drawn-on mustache |
| Dragon | Red and black outfit | Scale face paint, poster-board wings |
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
Any Spider works — hoodie color + mask is enough.
Low-effort option: different colored hoodie + printable spider mask each.
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Miles Morales | Red hoodie over black tee | Spider mask (printable), red sneakers |
| Gwen Stacy | White hoodie, pink accents | Spider mask with pink webbing |
| Peter B. Parker | Sloppy suit — mismatched tie, spider emblem on chest | Optional “dad bod” pillow under shirt |
| Spider-Punk | Denim vest, spiked look | Mohawk wig or gel, pipe-cleaner spikes |
| Spider-Ham | Pink shirt with spider logo | Pig nose |
Tad and the Magic Lamp
Archaeologist adventure — khaki, bandages, and one very good dog.
Someone plays Jeff the dog; someone else holds a parrot cutout for Belzoni.
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Tad Stones | Khaki shirt and pants, explorer hat | Rope coil, fake idol or “magic lamp” teapot |
| Sara Lavrof | Red tank top, jeans, ponytail | Clipboard, round glasses (optional) |
| The Mummy | White strips or gauze over clothes | Pharaoh collar (gold paper), silly disguise hat optional |
| Jeff (dog) | Brown shirt | Dog ears, wagging tail (sock), name tag “Jeff” |
| Belzoni (parrot) | Green and yellow outfit | Cardboard parrot on shoulder, poker cards prop |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2
Green shirts + colored masks = instant turtle squad.
All counselors in green shirts with different mask colors.
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Leonardo | Green shirt, blue bandana mask | Foam katanas |
| Raphael | Green shirt, red bandana mask | Optional attitude |
| Michelangelo | Green shirt, orange bandana mask | Pizza prop |
| Donatello | Green shirt, purple bandana mask | Bo staff (pool noodle) |
| Splinter | Brown robe | Gray beard, walking stick |
| April O'Neil | Yellow jumpsuit or jacket | Microphone prop |
The Angry Birds Movie 3
Bold bird colors — round belly, angry eyebrows, done.
Slingshot photo op: counselor holds pool-noodle slingshot, campers “launch” beside them.
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Red shirt, round pillow under shirt optional | Thick angry eyebrows (face paint), bird beak (paper cone) |
| Chuck | Yellow shirt | Speed lines on arms (tape), triangular beak |
| Bomb | Black or gray shirt | Fuse headband (brown curl), round belly |
| Silver | Gray or silver shirt | Aviator goggles, paper wings |
| Hal / Bubbles | Green or teal shirt | Long beak or bubble wand prop |
The Cat in the Hat
Red-and-white chaos — tall hat required.
Balance a red cup tower at lunch (then clean up like the Cat would).
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| The Cat in the Hat | Black suit or shirt, white bib front | Tall red-and-white striped hat (paper), red bow tie |
| Thing One / Thing Two | Red jumpsuit or red shirt and blue pants | Blue cotton-ball wig, “THING 1” or “THING 2” circle badge |
| Gabby | Everyday kid clothes, moving-day vibe | Labeled moving box, nervous name tag |
| Fish | Yellow or orange shirt | Fishbowl cutout on headband (open top — not a real bowl) |
| I.I.I.I. agent | Lab coat or blazer | Clipboard, “Institute for Imagination” badge |
The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender
Bending colors — orange monk robes or your nation’s palette.
Whole cabin = Team Avatar: each counselor picks a different nation color.
| Character | Costume | Props |
|---|---|---|
| Aang | Orange monk-style robe or shirt | Blue arrow temporary tattoo (forehead), glider (cardboard) |
| Katara | Blue wrap, parka-style jacket, or blue dress | Water pouch, moon necklace (paper pendant) |
| Toph | Green outfit | Green headband, “I see with my feet” sign optional |
| Sokka | Warrior blue, boomerang on belt | Foam boomerang, drawn-on mustache optional |
| Zuko | Red and black outfit | Small scar line (face paint), “Honor” notebook |