Pirate Costume Gift Ideas for Girls and Boys
Present Suggestions for Kids Who Love to Dress Up and Play Pirates
Dec 8, 2008
Thanks to the popularity of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, a new generation of children is interested in pretending to be pirates. Parents don't have to invest in costumes from the official line of merchandise, however. Many brands offer fun pirate dress-up items, and even old clothes from around the house can be commandeered to make a great buccaneer's outfit.
Here, then, are some suggestions for pirate dress-up items and accessories:
Recommended Pieces of Pirate Clothing
Fill a young buccaneer's locker with:
- a black plastic or fabric tricorn hat with a white skull and crossbones and/or a big feather plume
- a tailored coat with gold buttons and wide velvet cuffs
- striped pants or a striped skirt
- tattered pants or a skirt with a ragged hem
- a peasant's blouse
- a tattered shirt with ragged cuffs
- a fancy white shirt with lace at the cuffs and collar
- colorful striped or brocade vests
- laced-up corset
- a wide belt with a big buckle
- knickers or knee britches
- dark shoes with big buckles
- big capes
- colorful sashes to tie around the waist
- colorful bandanas to tie around the head
- tall leather boots or boot covers
- leather gloves
Recommended Pirate Accessories
Complete a young scalawag's outfit with props such as:
- hoop earrings
- hook hand
- eye patches
- stuffed parrots
- a Jolly Roger flag
- a wooden treasure chest
- a velvet sack or loot bag full of gold coins or doubloons
- gems and other precious stones
- bead or pearl necklaces
- costume jewelry rings, bracelets, brooches, and pendants
- blacked-out or gold teeth
- wigs, mustaches, and beards
- treasure map
- scroll message in a glass bottle
- compass
- telescope
- plastic, fabric-covered foam, or wood sword, dagger, sabre, ax, shield, and cutlass
- plastic, fabric, or leather sword scabbard or sheath
- toy cannon with cannonballs
Recommended Manufacturers for Pirate Dress-Up Costumes and Accessories
- Small Miracles offers reasonably priced and nicely detailed pirate costume sets, including the Let's Pretend Caribbean Seas Pirate Girl set that is targeted specifically for girls. They also sell a Pirate Treasure Chest set that includes simple pirate costumes for two kids, as well as a treasure-seeking game.
- Creative Education of Canada's Great Pretenders line, which can be expensive but is always well-made, includes a gorgeous, thick, black pirate cape with gold trim, a nice fabric pirate hat, and a simple Pirate Costume Set with a bright red vest and hat.
- Sigikid's Pirate Costume is expensive and does not include pants, but it is also very detailed and made of 100% cotton.
- Wild Planet's line of pirate props includes the Life Scope (which is both a telescope and a flashlight), a Hook Fortune Finder (which is an actual working metal detector), and a Pirate Sword that makes different sounds when moved in different ways.
- Ryan's Room offers an All Decked Out Pirate Accessories set that includes a range of plastic pirate essentials such as a hook hand, a telescope, and a small flag.
- Melissa & Doug offer a Pirate Chest with a secret compartment that comes with simple accessories such as a bandana and a loot bag full of coins.
- Curiousity Kids offers a Pirate Magic Set full of sleight-of-hand and other magic tricks for a pirate magician to master and a Be a Pirate Set full of props and activity suggestions that lead children on various scavenger adventures.
Gift-givers can also check out such websites as Chasing Fireflies, Treehollow Toys, and Magic Cabin to find lovely handmade and/or imported pirate costume sets (for such themes as Pirate Girl, Pirate Scoundrel, and Pirate Captain), wooden weapons (such as shields and squiggly swords), or other pirate life accessories (such as a glove with a wooden hook or a fabric hat with a parrot).
Children who love pirates may also enjoy a pirate theme room and other pirate toys. Check out Pirate Room Furniture and Decor for Children; Pirate Playset, Figure, and Doll Gift Ideas; and Pirate Puzzle, Board, and Card Game Gift Ideas.
