Robin Hood and Maid Marian Costumes for Kids and Adults

A Robin Hood costume is a green tunic, a hood, and a bow; a Maid Marian costume is a long belted gown with a circlet or veil. Our Boys Robin Hood Costume dresses the outlaw for ages 4 to 14, and our adult packs cover Marian, a female Robin, and the Sheriff.

Table of Contents

What makes a costume read as Robin Hood or Maid Marian?

Robin Hood reads from his green and his hood, Maid Marian from a long belted gown and covered hair, and both looks come from medieval sources. In A Gest of Robyn Hode, first printed around 1500, the king buys green cloth from Robin to disguise himself and his knights as outlaws: "Whan they were clothed in Lyncolne grene" (A Gest of Robyn Hode, stanza 422). For Marian, the V&A notes that "for almost the entire Middle Ages adult women would not show their hair at all in public": women from lower classes "generally wore hoods or wimples", and a common fashion of the 13th and 14th centuries plaited the hair into a net, topped with "a circlet or linen fillet around the head and temples" (V&A). Both wore belts: "Girdles, or belts, were worn by both men and women in the Medieval period" (V&A collections).

Marian in green with a bow works too: Thomas Love Peacock's 1822 novel Maid Marian gives her "a dress of forest green, with a small quiver by her side and a bow and arrow in her hand" (University of Rochester Robin Hood Project), so a girl or woman can go as either character.

Is Robin Hood a good World Book Day costume?

Robin Hood is a strong World Book Day costume because he has been a children's book hero for well over a century. Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood was published in 1883 (University of Delaware Library), and Roger Lancelyn Green's Robin Hood retelling is still in print as a Puffin Classic (Penguin). World Book Day 2027 falls on 4 March (World Book Day); in 2025 the charity handed out over 23.5 million book tokens through schools, magazines, and partnerships (World Book Day).

On a school morning it is tunic on, belt round, hood up, and a copy of the Pyle or Green book in the bag so the teacher sees the source. Our kids' World Book Day costume guide covers the rest of the bookshelf, and teachers will find outfits in our World Book Day costumes for teachers and adults.

Boys Robin Hood Costume

Four pieces: a green top with cuff and hem detail, a hooded cape, a belt, and boot covers that slip over your child's own shoes, so try them over the actual school shoes the night before. The Boys Robin Hood Costume comes in four sizes, S for ages 4 to 6 up to XL for ages 12 to 14, in 100% polyester. The bow in the photo is not in the pack; the product page suggests adding a toy bow, arrows, or a quiver.

Kids Robin Hood Costume

Our Kids Robin Hood Costume is the archer version, listed for boys and girls: a forest green tunic, a cape, a belt, a crossbody strap, and arm guards, in sizes S to XL for ages 4 to 14. The stretch fabric goes over a long-sleeve top for an outdoor parade on a cold March morning.

Girls Medieval Princess Costume, as Maid Marian

For Marian's gown, the Girls Medieval Princess Costume has a pink velvet-look gown with gold embroidery and bell sleeves, a belt, and a matching crown. It runs from 3 to 4 years up to 12 to 14, the widest age range here, so a younger sister can be Marian next to an older Robin. The velour has no stretch, so measure against the size guide first.

Other fairytale and storybook characters sit in our storybook costumes for World Book Day, and the full period range is under kids' historical costumes.

What does Maid Marian wear?

Maid Marian wears a long gown with her hair covered by a veil or topped with a circlet, the look later retellings gave her as a noblewoman, Munday's Lady Matilda Fitzwater among them. She came late to the legend: her name goes back to the shepherdess of French pastourelle songs, "often spelt Marion", and she "does not appear in the late medieval yeoman ballads"; the Kingston play-game records of 1509 to 1510 are "the first to record Marian's presence" (University of Rochester Robin Hood Project). Those Kingston records date from the first year of Henry VIII's reign, so a Tudor gown is as fair a Marian as a medieval one.

Maid Marian is not far behind Robin: for every ten searches for a Robin Hood costume that showed our UK site, about seven were for Maid Marian, and a third of those spelt her Marion (our own Search Console data, 26 April to 24 October 2026).

Women's Tudor Lady Royal Costume

Our grown-up Maid Marian is the Women's Tudor Lady Royal Costume: a deep blue gown with a gold lace design and a matching veiled headpiece, so her hair is covered the period way. It is sized by UK dress size, Small (4 to 6) up to XX-Large (20 to 22), and the listing suggests a petticoat underneath for a fuller skirt. Pair it with our Long Brown Wig, one size for most adults, to show long hair under the veil. For a second gown, see our Women's Red Renaissance Queen Costume.

Who else turns up at a Robin Hood panto?

The Sheriff of Nottingham is the villain to dress as, and panto season is when Robin Hood takes the stage. Babes in the Wood, "originally based on an old English ballad from 1595", was "first staged in 1793 as an opera" at the Haymarket Theatre, and "In 1867 the character of Robin Hood was introduced to the story" (V&A). Panto has been "a Christmas tradition since the 19th Century", when theatres across the country opened theirs on Boxing Day (University of Birmingham), so a costume bought for a December panto is ready again for World Book Day in March. This winter the Mayflower in Southampton runs Robin Hood from 12 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, with the Merry Men up against "the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham" (Mayflower Theatre).

The Sheriff is a real office: Nottingham's sheriffs were appointed after a charter of King Henry VI approved on 28 June 1449 (Nottingham City Council), and the city still names a Sheriff for each year of office, now a ceremonial role (Nottingham City Council). In the early ballads, "the sheriff is always identified with Nottingham" (University of Rochester Robin Hood Project).

Men's Sheriff of Nottingham Costume

Our Men's Sheriff of Nottingham Costume is a black tunic with a belt and long black gloves, in Medium, Large, and XL, sized by chest and height; black trousers and boots come from your own wardrobe. Add our Black Velour Hooded Cape, one size for most adults, for a villain who sweeps into the room.

How do couples and groups dress as Robin Hood characters?

Couples go as Robin and Marian, and groups add the Merry Men and the Sheriff. The Gest names Little John, "Scarlok" (Will Scarlet), and "Much, the miller's son" in Robin's band (A Gest of Robyn Hode), and the name Friar Tuck first appears in royal writs of 1417 and 1429 (University of Rochester Robin Hood Project). Dress the outlaws in green and brown, Marian in a gown, and one brave guest in the Sheriff's black; our medieval fancy dress guide for banquets and themed parties covers the kings, queens, and knights for the rest of the table.

Women's Forest Hero Costume

The Women's Forest Hero Costume is Peacock's Marian in forest green, or a female Robin Hood: a jagged-hem green dress with leaf-style layers, a matching hat with a feather, a corset-style belt, a buckle belt, and a toy dagger, in sizes S to XL. For an archer, add our Gold Mini Cupid Bow and Arrow Set, a lightweight moulded prop whose heart-tipped arrow suits a love story.

For a man who wants the classic outlaw, our men's Robin Hood costume is the traditional outlaw, and our adult historical costumes hold more period looks for the rest of the band.

What is in each Robin Hood and Maid Marian pack?

Five of the six packs below include a belt, and the Tudor Lady Royal brings a veiled headpiece instead. The Women's Forest Hero is the only one with a prop, a toy dagger, and none comes with a bow, shoes, or a wig.

What size should you order, and how do you wash it?

Kids' Robin Hood and Maid Marian costumes are sized by age and the adult ones by clothing size, or by chest and height for the Sheriff, with a size guide on each product page. Age 4 to 6 takes an S on both kids' Robin Hood packs, 7 to 9 an M, 10 to 12 an L, and 12 to 14 an XL. All of our kids' products are safety tested by accredited labs. On the adult side, the Tudor Lady Royal is sized by UK dress size, and the Sheriff listing says to size up if you fall between two. Every costume goes through over 30 measurement checks.

Every costume here takes a cold hand wash and an air dry, away from direct heat; none of these packs goes in the washing machine. The Boys Robin Hood listing asks you to wash it apart from other clothes, to avoid colour transfer. Use a damp cloth on the Gold Mini Cupid Bow and Arrow Set, which is spot clean only.

Frequently asked questions