Is it OK to wear a dragon halloween costume?

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Is it offensive to dress up as a dragon?

It’s okay to dress up as a dragon, whether for Halloween or for work. Just please do so respectfully. Read below for some great dragon costume ideas.

The Modern Dragon

Hey there all you dragons, dragon-curiouses, dragon-adjacents, and everyone else!

At this time of year I often get asked about Halloween. Do dragons celebrate Halloween? Is it dangerous to let my kids go trick-or-treating at a dragon’s lair? Do dragons give out gold and precious jewels to trick-or treaters?

These are good questions. I will have to address them another time. Because today I am going to answer the age-old question: Is it okay to dress up as a dragon?

I’m just one dragon (a modern one), but if you ask me, the answer is YES!

The more positive depictions of dragons, the better. We have to normalize being an allegedly mythological winged lizard so that more people will come to accept us.

If you’re not a dragon and you’re dressing up as one, please just do so respectfully. I was driving in my neighborhood on Monday when I saw two human children dressed up as a dragon and a knight. They appeared to be play-sparring. It was cute.

But I hope they were friends. I want to believe they were friends. And I want to believe that the dragon and the knight they were pretending to be were friends and training partners. Because, you know. The history of dragon-knight relations is not exactly a great one.

Also, before you dress up as a dragon, please consider that wearing the scales of a dragon imposes special privileges but also special responsibilities.

This is because when you (or your young) are wearing a dragon costume, you are nothing less than an ambassador for all of dragonkind. How you behave, be it well or poorly, reflects on all dragons.

So please act responsibly, of course at all times for civility’s sake, but especially when being a dragon.

That’s this modern dragon‘s stand.

What are some great dragon costumes for kids?

Featured below are a couple dragon costumes you can make and a couple more you can buy. It all depends on what strikes your fancy!

Dragon cape tutorial from The Knight Craft Book

Capes are really cool. Who hasn’t seen a superhero movie and wanted one?! I know I want a cape.

Capes can WHOOSH around, much like dragon wings.

Capes can SHELTER those you want to protect, much like dragon wings.

And capes can FLAP, much like dragon wings!

Thanks to In The Playroom for sharing instructions on how to make your very own dragon cape.

Adding to the fun, the DIY instructions for constructing the dragon cape linked above are based on The Knight Craft Book by Laura Minter and Tia Williams (GMC 2016).

Dragon wings costume DIY tutorial

But maybe what you’re looking for is less of a cape and more of a full-body commitment. In that case, it gives me great pleasure to introduce this Swoodson Says “hoodie hack” dragon costume, the kind of DIY costume that turns an existing garment into something far, far greater.

Naturally, purple with iridescent scales is a fantastic way to go. And there’s also no reason you can’t customize this project to your favorite kind of dragon. And, by the way, if you do, won’t you please send photos?

The Swoodson Says instructions for making this awesome and cozy hoodie are easy to follow and customize. Why not give it a shot!?

A couple more fun dragon costume ideas

In addition to the DIY ideas listed above, if you’d like to make a quick purchase and have a fun dragon costume sent your way, well, you’re in luck.

Check out these fun dragon costumes you can buy off the rack:

• This baby dragon cape sold by Maisonette is not only adorable, but apparently comes from Canada, where I had no idea until today there were dragons.
• Like the Maisonette baby dragon cape but need one for a size 3 or size 4? You’re in luck!
• Need a chomping dragon head you can wear over your own human head? Never fear! Kiwico has got you covered. (It calls it a dinosaur head, which is quite a different thing altogether, but close enough.) But no, for the record, as I’ve explained, dragons are not dinosaurs and dinosaurs were not dragons.

Stay safe out there. The night is dark and full of terrors. But a dragon doesn’t have to be one of them.

Whatever your motives for dressing up as a dragon, please be safe. When I go out trick-or-treating, I always like to bring my frog along for protection.

And please send photos of your dragon costumes in action!

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