The best costume on the block might be sitting in your recycling bin right now. Every build here starts with a plain shipping box, a box cutter and a hot glue gun, and ends as something nobody else at the party will be wearing. Continue swiping for six cardboard costumes that steal the show.

Fish Tank

Best for: kids and adults

Cut a big window in the front of the box, frame it with black tape and stretch plastic wrap across the opening to play the glass. Hot-glue dollar-store aquarium plants and toy fish around the inside edges so your face becomes the tank's star resident. A hand-lettered "Please don't tap the glass" sign gets a laugh at every door.

Snack Vending Machine

Best for: kids

Paint the box black, cut a window in the lower half and cover it with clear plastic, then glue rows of empty candy wrappers behind it so the shelves look fully stocked. A printed keypad and coin slot beside the window complete the look. Tape a real fun-size bag near the bottom and your trick-or-treater has a treat to hand out.

Haunted House

Best for: nighttime trick-or-treating

Paint the box black or dark gray and fold a triangle of poster board into a roof on top. Cut out windows and a door, then back them with orange paper or battery tea lights; flickering LEDs look spookier than a steady glow and are the only safe light source inside cardboard. Finish with fake cobwebs along the roofline and a few plastic bats or spiders.

Robot

Best for: little kids

The classic box costume needs only a head hole, two armholes and a coat of silver paint or foil tape. Bottle caps, jar lids and gear stickers become dials and buttons, and letting your kid design the control panel is half the fun.

Claw Machine

Best for: a pair of friends or a parent and child

One person plays the arcade machine and the other plays the prize trapped inside, so start with a box big enough for two. Paint it bright blue with red trim, cover the front window with clear plastic and hang a cardboard claw from the top. Pile stuffed animals around the prize's legs and strike a stuck-in-the-machine pose at every stop.

Human Stapler

Best for: office parties

It looks complicated, but it's just two long, narrow boxes tapered at one end, spray-painted glossy red and bolted together so the top swings open like the real thing. Silver duct tape along the hinge and edges stands in for metal hardware, and black clothes underneath make the red pop.