World Book Day isn’t just for the kids! Every year teachers and parents get dressed up to join children in celebrating their love for books and exploring their imagination through reading. From fairy tale classics to modern characters based on the most popular books, we have a full library of teachers World Book Day costume ideas to get you ready for the big day Strut to the front of the classroom and entertain the kids dressed as their favourite character!
WILLY WONKA
As the proud owner of a wild and wonderful chocolate factory, you’ll need a whimsical personality to pull off the bold Willy Wonka. He’s a storybook classic that kids of all ages will recognise, and you can choose Willy Wonka costumes based on both the original movie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake featuring Johnny Depp.
ANIMALS
You don’t necessarily have to dress up as a specific character this World Book Day, you can simply just transform into a furry friend. Animals appear in most fairy-tale stories and children’s books, and you can never have too many of them… As long as you’re not a wicked wolf or hungry hippo, everyone’s safe!
WHERE’S WALLY / WENDA
For a super easy teachers World Book Day costume that needs no introduction, become the world’s best player of Hide and Seek - Wally, or his female counterpart, Wenda. They’re the stars of the most famous children’s puzzle book! Kids from across the globe recognise Wally’s red and white striped top and funny bobble hat.
MARY POPPINS
For a classy teacher’s World Book Day costume idea that’ll let you embrace your posh British nature, everyone’s favourite nanny, Mary Poppins, is the way to go. Dress up in Mary’s prim and proper blue coat and pop on a hat and accessorise with her trusty magical umbrella. It’s a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious outfit idea that perfectly suits a teacher.
CRAYOLA CRAYON
Instead of becoming a book character for World Book Day, how about dressing as one of the top classroom utensils, a Crayola crayon? Crayon costumes are fun, easy to wear and very affordable, and it makes a cool alternative to the usual characters you’ll see on the day. Why not wear different coloured crayon costumes with the rest of your teacher team?
THE BIG BAD WOLF
Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? We absolutely love this menacing Big Bad Wolf costume, complete with a full-face mask. It shows the hungry wolf character dressed in Grandma’s night dress, ready to fool Little Red Riding Hood and have her for dinner. It’s a great character costume for World Book Day that other teachers won’t think of!
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
If a Big Bad Wolf isn’t your style and you prefer to be the cute and courageous Little Red Riding Hood, any outfit from our collection will transform you into the character from the tale. Wander through the forest picking flowers and watch out for a wolf disguised as Grandma! Our Red Riding Hood costumes have her distinguished red hooded cloak and traditional petticoat dress.
THE WIZARD OF OZ
Imagine the school hallway as the Yellow Brick Road and skip into class with your dog Toto under your arm. As a classic storybook and movie from the 1930’s, the Wizard of Oz has established itself as an all-time classic tale with some excellent characters. Dress as Dorothy, the Tin Man, Brave Lion or Wicked Witch of the West for a teacher’s World Book Day cast that your little Munchkins will adore.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Host your own classroom tea party and be the whimsical star of the show, Alice. Alice in Wonderland is a wacky fantasy story by Lewis Carrol that has been adapted into movies and plays in the past half-century. Dress up in Alice’s blue dress with white Apron to create the look from the animated Disney movie, then accessorise with a dazzling blonde wig or style or own hair to suit the character.
THE MAD HATTER
The elusive Mad Hatter is one of the most recognised characters from Alice and Wonderland and his grand, colourful costume will go down a treat with the kids. Transform yourself into the controller of time and do your best to hide from the evil Queen of Hearts! Mad Hatter costumes come in a variety of wild styles for both men and women.
CRUELLA DE VIL
Are you a teacher with an attitude or do you just love acting sassy? Cruella de Vil is your girl when it comes to dressing up and looking lavish. As the insane villain from the 101 Dalmatians story, Cruella loves nothing better than to turn adorable puppies into fur coats and rugs. Wear Cruella’s big white fur coat and accessorise with a cigarette and wig to perfect the look.
HARRY POTTER
JK Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ is one of the bestselling books of all time. Most children have read the stories and many adults are big fans! Enter the wizarding world of Harry Potter yourself by dressing as a student from Hogwarts. Choose from Harry himself, Hermione, Ron or the fantastic Professor Dumbledore. Fancy something a little more devious? Lord Voldemort is the way to go! There’s Harry Potter costumes for all the main characters.
MALEFICENT
As the mighty sorcerer from the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, you’ll rule the classroom and create all the drama your classroom needs! Maleficent is a great character to play for World Book Day if you want to embrace your villainous side. Everything from the long black robes and protruding horns of this costume is menacing and you’ll look exactly like Angelina Jolie’s character from the most recent movie adaptation of the book.
DISNEY PRINCESSES
Disney Princesses are a super popular World Book Day costume idea for little girls, but there’s no saying that the teacher can’t become a beautiful princess too! Choose a princess based on one of Disney’s iconic stories and watch the classroom marvel at your beautiful dress. Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle and The Little Mermaid are some of the classics, but there’s plenty more to choose from!
PETER PAN
Become the boy that never grows up, the grandeur Captain Hook, or cute little Tinkerbell as you dress up as a character from Disney’s Peter Pan story. It’s a fun and well-liked teachers World Book Day costume idea and there’s plenty of characters to choose from. Will you bring a sense of heroic adventure to the classroom or make your students walk the plank? Tick tock, tick tock…
ALADDIN AND PRINCESS JASMINE
The tale of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine was brought back to life in 2019 with the launch of a stunning live-action remake of the story. Be right on trend by dressing as Aladdin, the Prince of Thieves. The beautiful Princess Jasmine is the way to go for the ladies, whilst the hilarious blue Genie is a cool unisex costume. Slide into class on your magic carpet and serenade the students with a ‘Whole New World’!
HUMPTY DUMPTY
A step away from many of the fantasy tales and epic novel characters on our list, Humpty Dumpty is a nursery rhyme classic that adults and kids grew up reciting. Suit up in a big egg-shaped Humpty Dumpty costume and perch yourself at the front of the room to give your kids a chuckle. It’s a funny teachers World Book Day costume idea that’ll be a big hit! All you need is the outfit and some make-up.
GANDALF THE GREY
‘You shall not pass!’ Gandalf stands out as one of the coolest characters on our list and a firm favourite for male teachers that want to live out their love for the Lord of the Rings. Dress up in Gandalf’s long grey robes, pop on your wizard hat and accessorise with a big white beard. He’s one of the star heroes from the J.R. Tolkien ‘Lord of the Rings’ books and you’ll go down a storm with the fantasy book fans in class. Can't pull off Gandalf? Costumes are available for the other Lord of the Rings heroes too!
Now we’ve inspired you with teachers World Book Day costume ideas, get into character, decorate the classroom and get ready to welcome your students for a fun day of learning that they’ll never forget. It’s everyone’s favourite day of the year for dressing up and using your imagination! Check out the rest of ourWorld Book Day costumes for teachers here.
