Dexter's Laboratory Halloween Costume Guide (Dexter, Dee Dee & Mandark)
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A Dexter costume from Dexter's Laboratory needs: a white lab coat buttoned to the collar, purple rubber gloves, black boots, large round glasses and short spiky orange hair. Dexter is the boy genius with a secret lab behind his bookcase, and his design is a lab coat with purple and black accents that is easy to copy and hard to mistake.
This guide builds Dexter first, then adds Dee Dee, his ballet-obsessed sister in a pink leotard and tutu, and Mandark, his rival in the black-rimmed glasses and bowl cut, because Dexter's Laboratory is one of the best 90s group costumes there is. For the fastest version, buy a child's or adult's lab coat and add the gloves and glasses; everything else is detail.
At a glance
- Difficulty: Easy
- Rough budget: $35–$80 for Dexter; Dee Dee is similar
- Time to put on: 15 minutes
- What people recognise first: Lab coat + purple gloves + round glasses
What you need
- White lab coat — Fastest option. Dexter's is knee-length with a high collar and buttons to the neck; a standard lab coat worn fully buttoned works.
- Purple rubber or costume gloves — The detail that turns 'scientist' into 'Dexter'. Purple dish gloves are cheap and accurate.
- Black rubber boots or black boot covers — Dexter wears black boots with his coat. Short black wellies are closest.
- Large round glasses with thick black frames — Oversized and round. Clear or no lenses.
- Short spiky orange wig — Dexter's hair is a bright orange, swept up. Spray-in orange colour on your own short hair also works.
- Black turtleneck (under the coat) — Shows at the collar if the coat doesn't close fully.
- Pink leotard, tutu and ballet flats (Dee Dee) — Dee Dee is a pink leotard, pink tutu, pink tights and ballet flats, with blonde pigtails. Buy a pink ballet set and a blonde pigtail wig.
- Black-rimmed glasses, white shirt and black bowl-cut wig (Mandark) — Mandark wears a white shirt and black trousers under a lab coat, with thick black glasses and a black bowl cut. His laugh is the costume.
How to put it together
Dexter
- Put on the black turtleneck and black trousers, then the lab coat buttoned to the top.
- Pull on the black boots and the purple gloves.
- Fit the orange wig and the round glasses. Dexter is short; a slight stoop and an impatient frown finish the character.
- Voice: an unexplained Eastern European accent and total contempt for Dee Dee.
Dee Dee
- Pink leotard, pink tutu and pink tights, with pink ballet flats.
- Blonde wig in two high pigtails.
- Dee Dee is all elbows and pirouettes; touch everything in Dexter's lab. 'Ooh, what does this button do?'
Mandark
- White shirt, black trousers, lab coat, thick black glasses and the bowl-cut wig.
- Practise the laugh: 'Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha!'
About the character
Dexter's Laboratory was created by Genndy Tartakovsky and ran on Cartoon Network from 1996 to 2003. Dexter is a boy genius who hides an enormous laboratory behind his bedroom bookcase, keeps it secret from his parents, and fails to keep his older sister Dee Dee out of it. His rival Mandark runs a competing lab across the street.
The show's flat, graphic style and the lab-coat-and-gloves design made Dexter a Halloween regular for a generation, and the sibling dynamic is why it works so well as a pair or group costume. Tartakovsky went on to make Samurai Jack and the Hotel Transylvania films.
Frequently asked questions
What does Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory wear?
A white lab coat buttoned to the neck, purple gloves, black boots and large round black glasses, with short spiky orange hair. He is drawn very short with a large head.
What does Dee Dee wear?
A pink leotard with a pink tutu, pink tights and ballet flats, with long blonde hair in two high pigtails. She's tall and thin, so the costume works best on someone taller than the Dexter.
Can I make a Dexter costume from my own clothes?
Mostly. If you own black trousers and a dark top, you only need a lab coat, purple gloves, round glasses and either an orange wig or coloured hairspray. Black rubber boots are optional.
What's the best group costume from Dexter's Laboratory?
Dexter and Dee Dee as a pair, Mandark as a third, and Mom (yellow rubber gloves, apron) and Dad (sweater, moustache) for a family. Monkey, Dexter's lab monkey who is secretly a superhero, is a fun extra.
Further reading
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