The definitive guide to This Is Us-inspired Halloween costumes

Halloween is only a week away. Here’s how you can dress up as the Pearson family and friends for some (hopefully!) tear-free trick-or-treating.

It’s that time of year again, the weekend and/or weekday night when you dress up in pop culture-related costumes that only a few people understand because really, without context, it’s all a little niche and you’re kind of just in normal clothes but whatever. Yes, that’s right, Halloween.

For theThis Is Us faithful out there, Halloween is an excellent time to show off your fandom and also make immediate best friends with anyone who gets your costume.

These function as individual costumes or group costumes. For the latter, you can certainly go as the Big Three or the Pearson clan — couples may choose to go as Jack and Rebecca — but you can also mix it up and go as like, Kevin at all three ages.

Now, a friendly reminder. One of the approximate thousand reasons people love This Is Us is the range of experiences and identities the writers weave into the story. Don’t abuse that. In other words: No blackface. No fat suits.

Jack

The key to any good Jack costume is going to be facial hair. If it’s not within your powers to grow and shape a good goatee or mustache in the next week, that’s what adhesive beards are for.

So, pick which era Jack you want to be and adopt facial hair accordingly. (And slick back his long head (?) hair or leave it loose, again depending on the decade.) Now, how to dress for Jack?

Obviously, Jack’s most iconic look is a Steeler’s terrible towel and what the Lord gave him. You can achieve that with a yellow hand towel, nude Speedo and a metric ton of confidence. If you’re looking for something a little more…comprehensive, we recommend a plaid shirt, jeans, and either a denim jacket or windbreaker — again, depending on the era.

Rebecca

Rebecca is a wildly easy Halloween costume and one that’s easily adapted to whatever kind of party or occasion you are attending. A glamorous Saturday night event? Whip out a full-length sequin number (look to your resale stores and charity shops if that’s not already in your closet). Something a little more casual? Perhaps you rock a Young Rebecca tea dress or something resembling that blue/purple plaid number over a t-shirt, with a pillow to signify pregnant-with-triplets. Have your heart set on wearing pants? Rebecca in a Steelers jersey.

Present Day Rebecca is, of course, also an option and that costume is all about the haircut and glasses. (But please do not spend six hours in a makeup chair.) As for attire, Rebecca is a well-off white woman of a certain age, so anything Eileen Fisher-esque will do.

Kevin

Teen Kevin is easy, but not especially distinct. Go as a football player, basically. Maybe add a crutch and some brother-related angst for good measure.

As for adult Kevin? Also easy. Start with a v-neck and/or henley shirt. Wear a chain necklace, but tucked into the tee. Pair with a leather or otherwise cool and trendy jacket. (Truly, the move here is white v and leather jacket.) And jeans. Carry around a rolled up script and gesticulate wildly with it. Carry around a pill canister, if you really want to get dark.

Whatever you do, do not wear the beanie from “The Big Three” that made him look like a cancer patient.

Kate

Kate is a very trendy lady so your closet, specifically your jewelry collection, best be prepared for this. Kate tends to rock the black-on-black look, beloved by most women, but she usually has on some kind of strong and interestingly-patterned sweater or light cover-up. And then, there’s her jewelry game. Kate has a deep collection of necklaces and has, more than once, pulled off hoop earrings and an up-do. She also, let’s not forget, once wore an amazing leopard print coat you could reference.

If you’re more interested in evoking a certain and especially memorable Kate moment, you may opt for workout attire with a zip-up hoodie while carrying around drumsticks.

Randall

Bring out the well-tailored suits. But be warned: If your suit is not well-tailored, then please consider another costume or, instead, Casual Randall. You will not disrespect noted perfectionist Randall Pearson with a poor-fitting suit. In addition to the suit, which can be navy but really should be grey, you can wear a khaki trench coat but you should also definitely wear square-framed glasses and an eager, enthusiastic smile. (You can also do a khaki overcoat with a maroon scarf. Randall is a well-dressed man.)

Casual Randall, like his father and 90 percent of the male population, wears a lot of plaid button-ups, but he also, most notably, loves his good puffer vest.

Young Randall should wear a button-up too, which is cuter and especially characterizing because he’s a child. Also a sweater vest. Maybe a tie too.

The best Randall costume, however, is Thanksgiving Dad Randall, which involves a sky blue button-up and an apron and bottomless enthusiasm.

Best of the Rest

Miguel

A kind face. An eager-to-please attitude. Carry around a tray of pigs-in-a-blanket.

Toby

A bold-patterned jacket or button-up shirt and a borderline controlling attitude toward the loved ones in your life.

Beth

Killer hair. Killer clothes. Killer communication skills. Killer but much-needed truth bombs.

William

A faded cardigan. A cane. A fedora, but not a douchey fedora. One hundred good and amazing stories.

Pilgrim Rick

Wear a pilgrim hat. Tell goofy stories. Serve cheese dogs and saltines.

A This Is Us Fan

Comfy clothes and a box of tissues.

Next: Every season 1 episode ranked by how many tears we cried

This Is Us Halloween costumes, like many TV-inspired costumes, inevitably face the obstacle of mostly involving clothes you might wear on any given day not dedicated to dressing up. Meaning, if you don’t also already physically resemble the character, you’ll be facing an uphill battle on the recognition front. Still, plenty of the This Is Us characters have recognizable, trademark looks and your fellow fans will be able to spot a Rebecca or a Randall in a crowd.

Share your This Is Us costumes with us on Twitter (@thisisuscrying) or Facebook because we would love to see.