Four simple cues make a penguin costume easy to read: a black body, a white belly, a beak, and orange feet. Our three penguin costumes do most of that work for you: the women's hooded penguin dress (S to XL), the Kids Penguin Costume for ages 4 to 14, and a three-piece toddler tabard for 6 months to 4 years. We do not make a men's version, so further down we show how grown-ups build one.
Kids lead the waddle. Between April 22 and October 17, 2026, most of the penguin costumes bought on our US website were kids' styles, counted by units. For other creatures, start with our animal costumes range; our best Halloween costumes guide covers everything else.
Table of Contents
- What are the four parts of a penguin costume?
- What is the women's penguin costume?
- Which penguin costume fits kids ages 4 to 14?
- Which penguin costume suits a baby or toddler?
- Is there a penguin costume for men?
- Which kind of penguin should you be?
- How do you dress a family as penguins?
- What size should you order, and how do you clean a penguin costume?
- Frequently asked questions
What are the four parts of a penguin costume?
Four cues do the work in a penguin costume: a black back, a white front, a beak, and bright feet. The black-and-white split is real penguin design: the Aquarium of the Pacific describes "the typical black back and white breast and stomach of penguins in general" (Aquarium of the Pacific, Magellanic penguin). Orange feet are costume shorthand more than biology, though: African penguins have black and gray webbed feet (Aquarium of the Pacific, African penguin).
- Black body: a hood, a dress, a suit, or black clothes you already own.
- White belly: one big oval or panel down the front. The bigger it is, the faster people read "penguin".
- Beak: orange or yellow, on the hood or the face.
- Feet: orange booties or shoe covers, or orange socks over shoes for a quick fix.
- Free extras: flipper arms held stiff at your sides and a short, side-to-side waddle.
What is the women's penguin costume?
The women's penguin costume is our hooded penguin dress: a black-and-white dress with a plush belly panel and an attached penguin-beak hood. That puts the black body, the white belly, and the beak in one dress.
The hooded penguin dress
You get the dress with its beak hood and belly panel, plus gloves and boot covers. It is 100% polyester in standard sizes Small to X-Large. Our styling tip: opaque tights and ankle boots under the boot covers, which also keeps you warm on an outdoor night.
Orange tights or socks add bright penguin feet. The dress also earns a second outing at a winter or holiday party, and our Christmas costumes range carries more cold-weather looks.
Which penguin costume fits kids ages 4 to 14?
Our Kids Penguin Costume fits ages 4 to 14 across four sizes, with penguin-feet shoe covers in the bag.
The all-in-one penguin suit
The Kids Penguin Costume pairs an all-in-one penguin suit with penguin-feet shoe covers. It is 100% polyester, made for boys and girls, and sized Small (4-6 years), Medium (7-9), Large (10-12), or X-Large (12-14).
Black leggings and a long-sleeved top underneath keep a trick-or-treater warm. If your child switches animals at the last minute, our kids animal costumes and our best animal costumes for kids guide are the backup plan.
Which penguin costume suits a baby or toddler?
A soft tabard suits a baby or toddler, because its loose tunic shape and separate booties leave them free to crawl or toddle. Our black-and-white penguin tabard, made from soft plush, works that way.
The three-piece toddler tabard
Three pieces of soft plush: a padded black-and-white body tabard, a separate character hood with its own penguin face, and matching orange booties. Sizes are 6-12 months, 1-2 years, and 3-4 years. Tabard first, then hood and booties, ideally before anyone gets wriggly.
All of our kids' products are safety tested by accredited labs. The smallest trick-or-treaters get more looks in our toddler Halloween costume guide.
Is there a penguin costume for men?
No, we do not make a men's penguin costume right now, so men build the look from the same checklist. Handily, a penguin already looks dressed for a black-tie night, so a black jacket and a white shirt get you halfway.
- Black body: a black jacket or hoodie, black pants, and black shoes.
- White belly: a white shirt or a white T-shirt, with the jacket left open so the white runs down the front.
- Beak and feet: an orange beanie or cap, orange gloves, or orange socks pulled over your shoes.
- The finishing touch: a black bow tie, which turns "guy in black and white" into "penguin in a tux".
The bow tie that makes it a penguin
Our Black Satin Bow Tie is pre-tied, about 5 inches long and 2.5 inches tall, on an adjustable neckband with a hook closure. One size fits most adults and some teens, ages 14 and up.
For a whole costume out of one bag instead, browse our men's costumes range or our best animal costumes for adults guide.
Which kind of penguin should you be?
Pick the species by the one marking you want to copy. There are 18 species of penguin by the Australian Antarctic Division's count, five of them in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Division).
| Penguin | Signature marking | How to copy it |
|---|---|---|
| King | Bright orange ear patches that run in a thin strip to the upper chest (Australian Antarctic Division) | Orange felt or orange face paint on each side of the neck |
| Adélie | A white ring around each eye (Australian Antarctic Division) | A circle of white face paint around each eye |
| Gentoo | A bright red-orange bill and white patches above the eyes (Australian Antarctic Division) | An orange beak plus a white band of felt across the top of the hood |
| Rockhopper | A yellow crest of feathers (Calgary Zoo) | Yellow feathers or yellow pipe cleaners fanned out over each eyebrow |
| Little blue | The smallest penguin, with slate-blue to near-black feathers on its head and back (Aquarium of the Pacific) | Swap the black layers for navy or dark blue |
| African | A narrow black band across the chest and a small pink patch above each eye (Aquarium of the Pacific) | Black ribbon across the white belly and a dot of pink face paint above each eye |
Test any face paint on a small patch of skin at least a day or two ahead, and use colors the FDA has approved for that use (FDA, Halloween safety tips).
How do you dress a family as penguins?
Dress a family as penguins by matching the four checklist items across different costumes, so every size reads as one colony. Between them, our three penguin costumes run from 6 months to adult XL.
- The colony: the hooded dress for one parent, the black-and-white build with a bow tie for the other, the all-in-one suit for anyone aged 4 to 14, and the tabard for the baby.
- The huddle: emperor penguin dads balance the egg on their feet while the moms head off on a hunting trip of about two months (National Geographic), so whoever carries the baby has the most accurate costume in the room. For the group photo, stand close: on very cold days, as many as 10 emperors pack into every square meter of a huddle (Australian Antarctic Division).
- A bigger crew: penguins sit happily beside other cold-weather or sea creatures, and our group and family costumes and group Halloween costume ideas are where to find them.
What size should you order, and how do you clean a penguin costume?
Order kids' sizes by age and adult sizes by clothing size, then clean by hand; none of it goes in the washing machine. Each product page carries its size details or links our size guide, so check it against your child's age or your usual clothing size first. As a brand, we run over 500,000 quality checks a year.
- Women's hooded penguin dress: Small to X-Large. Hand wash the dress, gloves, and boot covers separately in cool water, then lay each piece flat to dry.
- Kids Penguin Costume: 4-6 years to 12-14 years; between sizes, go up one. Hand wash in cool water, reshape while damp, and let it dry flat.
- Black-and-white penguin tabard: 6-12 months to 3-4 years. Hand wash the tabard, hood, and booties in cool water and lay them flat to dry.
- Black Satin Bow Tie: one size for most adults and some teens. Spot clean it.
Frequently asked questions
What do you wear for a penguin costume?
You wear black with a white front, then add a beak and orange feet. Our hooded penguin dress and our Kids Penguin Costume each carry the black body, white belly, and beak in one piece, and the kids suit adds penguin-feet shoe covers too.
Is there an adult penguin costume for men?
We do not make a men's penguin costume right now. Build one from a black jacket, a white shirt, orange socks over your shoes, and our pre-tied Black Satin Bow Tie, which fits most adults and some teens.
What penguin costume fits a toddler or a 4T?
Our black-and-white penguin tabard comes in 6-12 months, 1-2 years, and 3-4 years, and the Kids Penguin Costume starts at Small (4-6 years). For a child in 4T clothes, compare the 3-4 years tabard with Kids Small on the size guides before you order.
How do you make penguin feet for a costume?
The quickest way is orange socks or orange tights pulled over black shoes. To skip the DIY, the Kids Penguin Costume includes penguin-feet shoe covers, and the toddler tabard comes with orange booties.
Can a whole family dress as penguins?
Yes. Our three penguin costumes run from 6 months to adult XL between them, and adults without a matching size can build the look from black, white, and orange clothes with a bow tie.
How do you wash a penguin costume?
Hand wash it gently in cool water, then air dry it flat away from direct heat. For the women's dress, wash the gloves and boot covers separately from the dress, and spot clean the bow tie.
