The Most Nostalgic Celebrity Halloween Costumes Of 2026

Once a year, everyone — kids and adults alike — get to indulge their love of dressing up and eating enough candy to make a dentist cringe. Celebrities are no exception, and in 2026, we saw plenty of them showing off their costume style. Though there are many of Halloween costumes you wouldn't be caught dead in, these celebs brought their A-game. The holiday is usually associated with spooky creatures like ghosts, vampires, and bats, but some of the best looks this year were throwbacks to beloved TV shows and movies of the past. In other words, we shivered with delight rather than terror.

Perhaps remembering their own childhoods, some famous folks dressed as cartoon characters, late-night hosts, retro video game characters, and other nostalgic figures. On "Today," meteorologist Dylan Dreyer, seen above, looked just like Barbara Eden in "I Dream of Jeannie." We found some of the best looks for you to enjoy and reminisce as you eat your leftover candy for breakfast. (We won't judge).

From the town of Bedrock, they were a page right out of history and "The Flintstones" is still beloved both by those who watched the Hanna-Barbera cartoon in primetime and those who were introduced to it in reruns. 

Camila Mendes and Madelaine Petsch were the perfect pair as besties Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble, complete with bare feet and their signature hairdos and necklaces. (Fred must have been out walking Dino at the time.)

When you're a mom of two young children and money is no object, what do you do? You go all out for Halloween, of course! Paris Hilton and her family — husband Carter Rheum and their children, Phoenix and London — were right out of a storybook as Belle, the Beast, Lumiere, and Chip. 

Some followers chided Hilton for not letting London play the princess, but she quickly set them straight: "London said she wanted to dress up as Chip," she wrote on Instagram. "She said it was her favorite character in the movie."

Jumping from fairy tale to nightmare, Paris Hilton and her clan also posed as the creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky cast of "The Addams Family" from TV and movie fame. This time, there could be no argument about which character young London should play; she made a spot-on Wednesday to go along with Phoenix's Pugsley, Hilton's Morticia, and Rheum's Gomez. 

We're guessing Uncle Fester, Grandmama, Cousin Itt, and Lurch were off trick-or-treating and couldn't make the photo shoot.

Just like the popular "Super Mario Bros." character Princess Peach, Danica McKellar hasn't aged a bit over the years. The Great American Family network mainstay loves dressing up for Halloween so much, she couldn't decide which of three costumes to wear this year. She asked fans on Instagram to help her choose between the video game character or two other familiar figures: Spider-Woman and Princess Leia from "Star Wars." One follower opined: "They are all incredible. No wrong answers here."

The "Today" Show team never disappoints when it comes to Halloween, and some of the best looks of the holiday came from the morning show's stars. Angie Lassman turned out as Barney, the lovable (or, to some parents, annoying) purple dinosaur of "Barney & Friends." 

Al Roker also opted to play a kid-show character, but with a twist: He went as Gumby as portrayed by Eddie Murphy on "Saturday Night Live." Of course, Roker couldn't resist doing a perfect imitation of Murphy's grouchy rant: "I'm Gumby, dammit!"

In honor of NBC's 100th anniversary, some of the "Today" show's regulars chose to dress as famous figures from various eras in the network's history. Willie Geist was famed late-night host Johnny Carson in his recurring schtick as Carnac the Magnificent, while Jenna Bush Hager portrayed a character from a few decades later: Phoebe Buffay of "Friends." Savannah Guthrie was Rachel, hairdo and all. 

(Yes, Hager sang "Smelly Cat." Yes, you can watch it above. Yes, she should keep her day job.)

Yeah, baby! Former "Bachelor" star Jason Tartick, a bachelor no longer, arrived at Heidi Klum's bash with his fiancée, Kathryn Hurley. The couple were instantly recognizable as Austin Powers and his sidekick, Vanessa Kensington, from the '60s spy spoof "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery." In a funny bit of coincidence, the actor who played Vanessa is also a Hurley — Elizabeth Hurley, to be precise. Kathryn is an animal advocate who founded Wags & Walks Nashville, a dog rescue center.

No matter how many revivals of Wonder Woman they make on the big and small screen, nothing quite beats the one so many of us grew up with. Lynda Carter transformed herself into the iconic superhero perfectly, and actor Mariah Strongin ("And Just Like That") paid tribute to the '70s show at Heidi Klum's star-studded party. She even came equipped with Diana Prince's signature gold lasso, designed to force the truth out of anyone caught in it.

Another retro pair at Heidi Klum's party did a slight deviation from the expected. Model-actor Haley Kalil was a stunningly accurate Jessica Rabbit from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," right down to her exaggerated eyeshadow and spangly red gown. However, her unidentified companion wasn't dressed as the goofy Roger Rabbit; he seemingly twisted the theme by wearing the pink bunny pajamas from "A Christmas Story." Poor Ralphie was utterly embarrassed when his mom made him try them on, but Kalil's companion seemed quite content.

Proving that nostalgia can also be terrifying, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka arrived at Heidi Klum's annual Halloween bash dressed as Alexa and Alexie Grady, otherwise known as the twins from "The Shining." You'll recall that in the classic horror film, the girls appear to young Danny Torrance in the Overlook Hotel and ask him to play. Later, we learn that they're ghosts who haunt the possessed inn. 

The couple also got into the spirit with their own twins, 16-year-old Harper and Gideon. The dads and son dressed as classic vampires, while Harper, as Buffy, stood ready to strike.