Adults should probably steer clear of dressed as Castro, too. Estudios Revolucion/Cuban Government/Mambo photo via Getty Images

The green fatigues and the huge cigar are big tip-offs that your kid is dressed like Fidel Castro, but you might want to think twice before choosing this costume. The cigar alone sends a negative message about smoking -- we won't even get into the subject of dictators, human rights and political upheaval. If you don't know who Castro is, crawl out from under the rock where you've been hiding and know that he is the former president of Cuba and was a mastermind in the Cuban revolution. He ruled with an iron fist and a hard line. He was (and still is) a very feared world leader.

But let's not put all the blame on Castro's shoulders. You should avoid other politically and culturally questionable choices, too. There are always lots of despots, terrorists and violent militants to choose from -- just don't. Osama bin Laden, Ivan the Terrible, Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Saddam Hussein are all pretty obvious characters that you may want to steer clear of. While they would most definitely make a statement, it's probably not a good one for a child (or anyone for that matter) to make. Prince Harry tried it with a Nazi costume several years ago. Needless to say, it did not go over well. He was slammed by critics and issued a public apology for his "bad choices."

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