【1980 Archives】

2020 has been frightening enough980 Archives but Halloween is still on the calendar regardless. Given that we're in need of some festivities, though, it's completely understandable to want to dress up — and now that you're stuck at home with your partner, what better way than with a couples costume?

Whether you're partying with your friends over Zoom or having a house rager with a bag of candy and some booze, here are the best couples costumes for this wild year.

1. Absentee ballot and ballot box

CARD ID: 517602

With Halloween just days before Election Day, it's top of mind — so you may take a cue from How I Met Your Mother and just address the elephant in the room head-on. While Ted dressed as a hanging chad as a nod to the 2000 election, you and your partner can update it to be appropriate for 2020: An absentee ballot and ballot box.

2. Tiger King

CARD ID: 517610

It may seem like eons ago, but Tiger King made a huge splash this year, so it's a topical costume choice. There are a few ways you can go with this one. One partner can dress up as Joe Exotic and the other as a tiger, for example. Or, one of you can don a flower crown, ride your bicycle and proclaim to be Carole Baskin. You've got options!

3. Marianne and Connell from Normal People

CARD ID: 517614

Another huge quarantine watch, Normal People is a simple costume to pull off — and because you're not attending parties this year, you don't have to constantly tell everyone who you're supposed to be and why your costume is actually brilliant. Just dress like, uhh, [insert Irish accent] normal people.

4. Emily and a baguette (or another French item) from Emily in Paris

CARD ID: 517616

Emily in Paris just dropped, but it's already garnered massive buzz online. Like Tiger King, there are a few avenues you can take with this couples costume. One partner can go all-out and dress like an American-woman-pretending-to-be-French, or you can be lax and just don a red beret. The other can be a baguette or, if you're feeling especially DIY, make an Eiffel Tower costume.

5. Mike Pence and the fly

CARD ID: 517628

Pivoting back to politics to offer one of the only shreds of joy this election cycle as a potential costume: Mike Pence and the fly that sat on his head for two minutes during the vice presidential debate. The moment sparked many a meme, so why not a costume? Have one partner dress in a suit and white wig, and the other as an actual fly.

6. Charli D'Amelio and Dunkin'

CARD ID: 517635

In September Dunkin' launched "The Charli," the TikTok star's signature drink, and it makes for a simple but cute couples costume. It seems like Dunkin's official Halloween costumes have sold out, but that doesn't mean you can't make the combo work. One of you can put on some Charli D'Amelio merch while the other wears (off-brand, if necessary) Dunkin' merch — a match made in sponcon heaven.

7. Cake and knife

CARD ID: 517639

Remember: In 2020, everything is cake. This means you have one of two options: Someone can actually dress up as cake or dress in everyday clothes (as, presumably, they're already cake). The other partner will be a knife. If you run out of time to buy a costume, they can even just hold a knife throughout the evening — but this is a costume, so don't test whether your partner is actually cake (they're not).

8. The "Dreams" TikTok

CARD ID: 517662

Nathan Apodaca, known on TikTok as @420doggface208, started a movement when he skated along, mouthing Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" while sipping Ocean Spray cranberry juice. A simple rendition of the costume is one partner wears a gray hoodie and drinks some cranberry juice, while the other can be a member of Fleetwood Mac. Wear a lace boho dress and bolero hat, for example, and suddenly you're Stevie Nicks. If you want to go all out, Apodaca has an actual Doggface Halloween costume (just add longboard and Ocean Spray) on his merch site.

9. Stadium cutouts

CARD ID: 517873

One bizarre if not hilarious result of the pandemic has been that sports teams are filling up their empty stadiums with fan cutouts. If you and your partner love a certain team, simply rock their merch — and freeze for photos/videos — all night long. Or, if you want to make a project out of it, you can glue team memorabilia on a foam board and cut out a hole to stick your head through for a real cutout effect.

10. Doomscrolling

CARD ID: 517894

Admit it: You've doomscrolled (or doomswiped!) at least once this year. Now you can recreate the horror in the form of a Halloween costume. One partner will go as Twitter (or another social media app that you can't find yourself tapping out on) and the other will go as someone who hasn't slept in weeks. Perhaps the latter is already happening, but put some black eyeshadow underneath the eyes for the full look. Maybe this couples costume encapsulates 2020 the most.