Batman Villain Halloween Costumes: Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Riddler and Penguin

The villains from the Batman TV series and movies are known for being colorful and flamboyant. They make the perfect costumes for Halloween if you're looking to get people's attention. They also make excellent group and couples costumes. Whether you're going out alone, teaming up with another Batman villain or stepping out with Batman himself, you're sure to enjoy one of these outrageous costumes. Here are some ideas for Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Riddler and Penguin costumes from the Batman TV series and movies.

Harley Quinn Batman Villain Halloween Costume

You can make a Harley Quinn Halloween costume from Spandex or Lycra fabric using a long-sleeved unitard sewing pattern. There is also an inexpensive Harley Quinn costume pattern available on Etsy.com. You could also cut up and resew two Lycra or Spandex unitards, one in red and the other in black, to make this Batman villain costume. The completed Harley Quinn costume should be red on the top left, black on the top right, black on the bottom left and red on the bottom right, with a division slightly above waist level. Sew three black diamond-shaped pieces of fabric each onto the lower left arm and upper and lower right leg of the Harley Quinn costume. Also sew three red diamonds onto the upper right arm and the upper and lower left leg. Wear a red sock or slipper on your left foot and a black sock or slipper on your right. Also get a red glove for your right hand and a black glove for your left hand.

Also buy or sew a 6-pointed white jester collar for your Harley Quinn costume. Ideally, there should be a small white pom pom at the end of each point of the jester collar. Also find or make a red and black jester hat with two points. The Harley Quinn jester hat should be black on the left and red on the right and should preferably have a cowl attached. Paint your face white, put on bright red lipstick and wear a self-adhesive black mask to make your Harley Quinn costume complete.

Poison Ivy Batman Villain Halloween Costume

To make a Poison Ivy Halloween costume, get a full length light green unitard. Use spray-on fabric paint in a slightly darker green to darken the legs of the unitard. Spray the paint on the hip area and the ends of the sleeves to create a gradient effect which blends into the lighter green of the Poison Ivy unitard. Find a thick, stretchy knit fabric belt to augment this Batman villain costume. Attach a leaf-shaped buckle or pin to the center of the belt. Find two dark green vinyl gloves and paint the tips red. Also get two dark green thigh-high high-heeled vinyl boots like the ones Poison Ivy wears in the movie Batman and Robin. Spray paint the upper part of the boots light green. Trim the upper edge to look like leaves or add leaf extensions to the tops of the boots.

Find a long red wig and curl it lightly with sponge rollers. Cut some red hair from the red wig and twist it into two cones around a small object such as a paper or plastic cup. Attach these two hair cones to the top of the Poison Ivy wig. Take some of the leaves from your silk foliage and remove the stems. Cut them off at the top and spray them with copper colored spray paint. Allow them to dry completely. To create Poison Ivy's distinctive makeup, apply your foundation and powder, then attach the leaves to the skin directly above your eyebrow using spirit gum. Apply copper colored makeup to your eyes and add blush and lipstick in earth tones to finish your Poison Ivy costume.

The Penguin Batman Villain Halloween Costume

To make Burgess Meredith's Penguin costume from the 60s TV series, get a black tuxedo, a white button down shirt, black shoes, white shoe covers, white gloves and a purple top hat and bow tie. If you can't find the purple top hat, cover a black top hat with purple fabric. Cut the white shirt at the bottom edge to have about six concave curves. Apply fabric rip stop to the edge of the cut. Then attach four white buttons in two columns to the bottom of the Penguin shirt, two on each side. Then find a long black cigarette holder and a monocle to put in your eye. When you put on the Penguin Halloween costume, wear the shirt out so the curves at the end are visible. Carry a black umbrella to finish this Penguin costume.

To create a Penguin costume like Danny DeVito's in Batman Returns, get a pair of pinstriped pants, a long black coat, a purple satin vest, a white button down shirt with a wing collar. Add accessories such as a black Ascot cravat with white polka dots, black vinyl gloves, a black top hat and black shoes. Paint your face white and put dark makeup around your eyes. Wear pointed costume teeth. To add extra effect to this Batman villain costume, get a large black umbrella and add a long extension with a curved handle to the end of the shaft. Wear a bald cap with a long curly wig attached to make the Penguin costume complete.

The Riddler Batman Villain Halloween Costume

To make a Riddler costume like Frank Gorshin's in the 60s Batman TV series, you will need a green leotard and tights. Stuff the leotard and tights with some clean crumpled plastic bags. Use black fabric paint to draw a huge question mark on the chest of the leotard. Then draw some smaller question marks down the outside of each of the legs of the tights. You could also apply black iron-on question mark appliques to the tights or create the question marks using a stencil and black fabric spray paint. Find a pale purple cloth mask, cummerbund and gloves and a pair of black loafers to make this Batman villain Halloween costume complete.

Another Frank Gorshin Riddler costume idea is to wear a dark green shirt and bowler hat with a light green jacket and tie. Paint or iron on dark green question marks all over the jacket. Either wear dark green pants or get some light green pants to match the Riddler jacket and apply question mark appliques to those as well.

To create a Jim Carrey Riddler costume from Batman Forever, get a light green full length unitard. Also find some question mark appliques in several sizes. Iron them onto the unitard in a random pattern. If you prefer, use black fabric paint and stencils to create the question marks. Get a slender light green cloth mask like the Riddler's or make one yourself from green fabric. Also get a short straight red wig or red hair color spray. Style the hair upward into a crew cut hairstyle.

For a Joker costume from the Batman movie The Dark Knight, read Scary Homemade Halloween Costume Ideas for Adults. For Batman Halloween costumes, read Ideas for Batman Halloween Costumes and Accessories.