Amongst the abundance of saccharine animal costumes overflowing from party store shelves, there’s a select group of pet owners who have taken matters into their own hands. These innovative animal lovers have looked to literature, art, and history for costumes to create for their four-legged critters for All Hallows’ Eve, with results that are not only adorable, but inspiring. We’ve rounded up the best highbrow pet costumes you’ll see this Halloween, with appearances by doggy Romeo and Juliet, a headless Marie Antoinette, and even Andy Warhol.
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Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter
One wouldn’t expect Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous adulteress to inspire a pet’s Halloween costume, but lo and behold, it has. Featuring garb that pays homage to Hester Prynne, the pooch pictured above dons a period ensemble marked by that dreaded indicator of sin: the scarlet letter “A.”
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Yuri Zhivago and Larissa Feodorovna Guishar from Dr. Zhivago
Showcasing two characters from Boris Pasternak’s lauded 20th-century novel, this Halloween costume can easily be recreated by wrapping your pet in a scarf and placing faux-fur hats atop of their heads, making it appropriate not only for October 31st, but for the chilly fall weather.
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Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol is a riveting, albeit mysterious figure in Pop Art — and pop culture — history. He’s also an instantly recognizable icon who makes a killer disguise for a pet Halloween party.
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Amelia Earhart
There are so many reasons why Amelia Earhart costumes should be all the rage this Halloween. She was at the forefront of American aviation, was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross medal, was a best-selling novelist, and has remained a tragic hero since her disappearance at the age of 39. What better way to celebrate the life of this extraordinary woman than by dressing your beloved female pet up in a knitted aviator hat?
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Romeo and Juliet
If you have multiple pets and are on the hunt for a unique Halloween costume of literary origin, then Shakespeare’s tragic, star-crossed lovers could be a viable option for your four-legged loved ones this fall.
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One of the Three Musketeers
Alexandre Dumas’s Enlightenment-era swashbucklers have lived on in pop culture ever since their first appearance in print, in 1844, and their duds make one fancy Halloween getup for cats and dogs.
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Jackie O
The epitome of style and grace, Ms. O will forever be immortalized not only as a First Lady, but as a fashion icon. And if you’re handy with sewing machine, her famous Chanel ensembles can be re-imagined in pint-size form for any Vogue-ready pet.
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Scarlett O’Hara
This extravagant Gone With The Wind-inspired costume perfectly recreates Scarlett O’Hara’s emerald-hued dress, which she fashioned out of drapes. A word of warning, though: If the pooch in the picture below is any indication, the elaborate gown doesn’t appear to be an enjoyable option for pets.
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Breakfast at Tiffany’s
While many people will honor Truman Capote’s masterpiece by capturing the iconic film style of Holly Golightly, one innovative pet owner strayed off the beaten path by putting a literal spin on the classic 1958 novella.
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Marie Antoinette
Featuring the gruesome demise of the Queens of Versailles, this guillotined Marie Antoinette costume — complete with a sky-high platinum wig, frou-frou pink dress, and a bloodied neck — puts a frightening spin on the traditional Halloween getup.
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Groucho Marx
If you desire a pet costume that embodies the art of comedy this All Hallows’ Eve, then look no further than a Groucho Marx disguise. The beloved master of wit has an iconic look — all you need is a pair of trick mustache and nose glasses!— which is as hilarious as it is adorable.
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Tom Sawyer
A costume inspired by Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer not only honors the literary gods, but could be a great concept getup for pet and caretaker by adding Huckleberry Finn to the mix.
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Davy Crockett
For those of us who adore American history, placing a faux-racoon hat-topped Davy Crockett guise on your pet is the perfect way to honor the famous frontier folk hero, Texas Revolution soldier, and politician.
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The Headless Horseman from The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow
On the market for a bone-chilling pet costume steeped in American literature? This Headless Horseman ensemble is perfectly spooky and channels Washington Irving’s classic Sleepy Hollow-set horror story, adding a dose of culture to your pet’s frightening, Halloween-appropriate costume.
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Sherlock Holmes
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective jumped off the pages of the Scottish author’s novels and short stories, and landed in Hollywood — where Holmes has been featured in a myriad of films and television series over the decades. By dressing up your pooch as the wise crime-solver, you’ll be paying homage to Doyle’s timeless work, and, yeah, your pet will look super-cute, too.