By Jocelyn Buhlman
While most of us Disney fans have dreamed of twirling in a princess dress or creeping in a villainous cape, those talented enough to craft, create, and sew are able to make those pixie-dusted dreams a reality. There’s no better showcase of the sheer talent that Disney costume crafters possess than Mousequerade—our costume contest highlighting all the wonderful and wacky costumes Disney fans create. Combine Mousequerade with Halloween (the other time of year when talented costume creators emerge to strut their stuff) and we have the perfect recipe for dazzling Disney delights! If you’re thread-y to show off your skills, you can enter our Halloween costume contest now through October 1. Not sure what Disney duds to don? We’ve rounded up the past winners of our costume contests to help give you the spark to create your own enchanting ensembles.
2013
Before there was Mousequerade, there was… Heroes and Villains à la Mode! This costume contest from 2013 featured five awards categories: best original design, best re-creation, best craftsmanship, best young fan, and best in show.
Best Original Design — Antagonista
Best Re-recreation: Merida
Best Craftsmanship: Prince Edward and Giselle
Best Young Fan: The Rocketeer
Best in Show: Queen Amidala
2015
In 2015, the costume contest transformed into the Mousequerade we know and love. Hosted by Disney’s Jim Babcock, the five-category contest was judged by luminaries including Dancing with the Stars winner Alfonso Ribeiro; Once Upon a Time costume designer Eduardo Castro; Global Entertainment Costume Design Lead for Disney Parks, Leigh Slaughter; and former Disney Channel star Zendaya! The five categories in which cosplayers competed were Heroes Unmasked; Once Upon a Costume; The Wonderful Worlds of Disney; Weird, Wild, and Goofy; and Best of Star Wars.
Heroes Unmasked: Spider-Man
Once Upon a Costume: Ursula
The Wonderful Worlds of Disney: Matterhorn Yeti
Weird, Wild, and Goofy: SuperDiamondDisney60TextMeAdliocious
Best of Star Wars: Chewbacca Beast
Best in Show: Matterhorn Yeti
2017
This year saw the debut of two of our current Mousequerade judges: Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the creator of the Her Universe clothing line; and Yvette Nicole Brown, host of The Big Fib on Disney+. Joining them was another judge with an eye for scary-good design: Descendants 2 costume designer (and Project Runway alum) Kara Saun! The five categories this year brought back some familiar categories along with some new categories that promised to inspire epic costumes: Once Upon a Costume, Worlds of Adventure, Heroes and Villains, Inspired by Disney, and Cast of Characters.
Once Upon a Costume: Sally
Worlds of Adventure: Groot
Heroes and Villains: Te Fiti and Te Ka
Inspired by Disney: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Cast of Characters: Mary Poppins, Bert the Chimney Sweep, and Mr. and Mrs. Banks
Best of the Best: Te Fiti and Te Ka
2019
The 2019 Mousequerade was our most recent display of costume delights, featuring the return of Eckstein and Brown as our faithful judges, along with newcomer Jennifer Leonard—owner and designer of clothing line Raw Threads. The categories remained the same as in 2017—and the costumes were once again beyond anything we’d ever imagined!
Once Upon a Costume: Lumiere
Worlds of Adventure: Princess Shuri
Heroes and Villains: Ursula
Inspired by Disney: The Grim Grinning Gown
Cast of Characters: Mad Princess Party
Best of the Best: The Grim Grinning Gown
Who will take home the Best in Show prize for this year’s Mousequerade? Maybe it’s you! Starting now through October 1, you can enter your costume themed to “All Things Disney” for a chance to win.
