The Rainbow Fish Costume
Shine bright with colorful scales and a touch of silver sparkle.
Based on Marcus Pfister's beloved children's book, The Rainbow Fish is a classic costume choice for teachers, kids, and book lovers. The signature look features a vibrant blue base covered in colorful, overlapping scales, complete with a few glittering silver scales. It is a cheerful, highly recognizable outfit that is incredibly easy to customize or make at home.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- ~45 min
- Budget
- $15–40
Try it on
See yourself as The Rainbow Fish
One clear photo of yourself; we render you in this costume — face untouched, full body, about 20 seconds.
One render, $1. No account needed — if it fails you're not charged. Pricing.
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Want a different costume on this photo, or a whole group in costume? Open the Try-On Studio.
What you need for a The Rainbow Fish costume
Short on time? Buy it ready-made
Spirit Halloween sells the complete The Rainbow Fish costume — one box instead of 5 pieces.
Blue long-sleeve shirt
A solid royal blue or aqua long-sleeve cotton t-shirt or bodysuit to act as the fish body.
DIY: Use any plain blue t-shirt or sweatshirt you already own.
Assorted felt sheets
Felt sheets in shades of royal blue, light blue, green, pink, and purple for the scales.
DIY: Cut scales out of colorful construction paper or scrap fabric.
Holographic silver fabric
A small sheet of shiny silver glitter or holographic fabric to create the signature shiny scales.
DIY: Use aluminum foil glued onto cardboard or silver glitter cardstock.
Blue leggings or tutu
Matching royal blue leggings, pants, or a fluffy blue tulle tutu skirt.
DIY: Wear any comfortable blue pants or jeans.
Blue plastic headband
A simple plastic headband to decorate with leftover felt or tulle to look like a fin.
DIY: Skip the headband and use blue hair clips or temporary hair chalk.
Rather not assemble it? See ready-made The Rainbow Fish costumes at Spirit Halloween ↗
How to put it together
- 1
Cut out scale shapes (semi-circles or U-shapes) about 3 inches wide from the blue, green, pink, and purple felt sheets.
- 2
Cut one or two special scales of the same size from the shiny silver holographic fabric.
- 3
Lay the blue shirt flat and arrange the felt scales in overlapping rows starting from the bottom hem, mixing the colors.
- 4
Secure the scales to the front of the shirt using fabric glue, hot glue, or safety pins.
- 5
Place the shiny silver scale prominently near the center of the chest so it stands out.
- 6
Glue a few small pieces of blue and green tulle or felt to the headband to create a simple top fin.
- 7
Put on the blue leggings or tutu, slip on the decorated scale shirt, and add the headband.
Makeup & hair
Use blue, green, or silver face paint to draw simple scale patterns on the cheeks. Keep hair pulled back in a high ponytail decorated with blue hair ties or temporary blue hair glitter.
The Rainbow Fish for couples, groups, kids & more
- couples
- Pair up with someone dressed as the Wise Octopus or a little blue fish.
- group
- Have one person dress as the Rainbow Fish and others dress as plain blue fish waiting to receive a shiny scale.
- kids
- Perfect for school dress-up days using a comfortable blue sweat suit as the base with felt scales glued on.
- Plus size
- Use a comfortable royal blue tunic or oversized t-shirt as the base for layering the felt scales.
- pet
- A blue dog vest decorated with lightweight felt scales glued along the back.
Tips
- If making this for a child, use hook-and-loop adhesive dots for the silver scale so they can actually 'share' a scale with friends.
- Fabric glue needs at least 24 hours to dry completely, so assemble the shirt a day before you plan to wear it.
- Wear comfortable blue sneakers or flats to match the aquatic theme while staying comfortable all day.
The Rainbow Fish costume FAQ
- How do you make the scales removable?
- Attach hook-and-loop adhesive dots (Velcro) to the back of the silver scales and the shirt so they can be peeled off and shared.
- What is the easiest base outfit for this costume?
- A solid royal blue long-sleeve t-shirt paired with matching blue leggings or a blue tutu.
- Can I make this costume without sewing?
- Yes, this is a completely no-sew project if you use hot glue, fabric glue, or safety pins to attach the felt scales.
Did you know? Published in 1992, Marcus Pfister's 'The Rainbow Fish' became an instant bestseller famous for its eye-catching, shiny holographic foil scales.