Show Us Your Costumes!

November 1, 2010 10:09 AM

I believe it is time for the Annual, Delightful and Amazing Halloween Costume Thread.

Well, more or less annual, anyway. Apparently we skipped Halloween in 03, 05 and 06. In 02 we talked about movies and in 01 all we did was complain about candy.

posted by mygothlaundry to MetaFilter-Related at 10:09 AM (113 comments total)

I started out as a plain old ladybug. Thanks to the knowledge imparted by Metafilter, I ended up as a Christine O'Donnell in 2007 ladybug.
posted by amro at 10:20 AM on November 1, 2010 [4 favorites]

I was a turkey vulture. I had the top half of a huge 80's ballgown on, and a roadkill corsage.

Of course, cleanup was a real nightmare.
posted by hermitosis at 10:25 AM on November 1, 2010 [18 favorites]

I'm looking forward to seeing how Uniformitarianism Now! pulled off a "sexy Stephen Gammell illustration."
posted by Rhaomi at 10:27 AM on November 1, 2010

I was Space Jesus, complete with detailed iconography.

I also made a goatse.cx mask that another partygoer helpfully modeled.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:27 AM on November 1, 2010 [4 favorites]

This year I did a PVC Queen of Hearts. I made everything except the corset, bolero and gloves. Rabbit's from a gift shop over easter.
posted by Jilder at 10:27 AM on November 1, 2010 [7 favorites]

hermitosis - nice!

I was a Giants fan. Not really a costume since I am, in fact, a Giants fan, but there you go.
posted by rtha at 10:28 AM on November 1, 2010

The lady and I were Margot and Richie Tenenbaum. Our host was a very creepy guy from Brazil (not Brazil).
posted by dam1975 at 10:31 AM on November 1, 2010 [4 favorites]

I was a completely cheesy robot which was fun but given that it was hard to see, hear, move or sit and damn near impossible to pee, I don't think I'm ever wearing a box again.
posted by mygothlaundry at 10:32 AM on November 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

I was a completely cheesy robot

I like the Life spinner! I went as a snow clown and the mister was Mr. Peanut. I also made a favorite-pandering pumpkin.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:50 AM on November 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

I was a terrifying(-ly angular) T-Rex, but the hands-down best costume was our friend Alex, who came as Darth Vader and didn't remove her mask or speak (other than a recorded Darth Vader breathing noise, if that counts) until the very end of the night. She stayed in character so well, no one had any idea who was behind the mask until the moment she took it off. There was also a very good Richard Nixon head-in-a-jar (Futurama-style), a pair that came as an economist and a black swan, and a Hamid Karzai handing out Iranian money.
posted by troika at 10:53 AM on November 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

Continuing the proud tradition of dressing up my real life band as a fantasy band.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:22 AM on November 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

I wasn't planning on it making a costume, but I got carried away at my pumpkin carving party. (This has nothing to do with my many-year-old user icon.)

(On Halloween itself I dressed up as a pirate from a puzzle hunt I ran 2 years ago to run a sequel puzzle hunt. I think probably about 6 people figured out who I was supposed to be.)
posted by aubilenon at 11:26 AM on November 1, 2010 [4 favorites]

I dressed up as a suburban homeowner. I lit a fire in the fireplace, and put a jack o' lantern out by the front door, and gave candy (a type I have no desire for) to anyone who knocked on my door. And towards the end of the night, after I had given all of the nasty sweets away, I turned off the porch light, blew out the candle in the jack o' lantern, and turned off all the lights in the house, and prayed to the gods that my house would not get tp'ed.
posted by crunchland at 11:28 AM on November 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

mygothlaundry: I was a completely cheesy robot which was fun but given that it was hard to see, hear, move or sit and damn near impossible to pee, I don't think I'm ever wearing a box again.

Being a box robot takes dedication and patience, or forgetting what a pain in the ass it was last time you tried it.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:35 AM on November 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

I was Daria. I wish I had gotten a picture of my friend who was wearing a chic vintage dress with a piece of clear plexiglas on a headband- she was Peggy Olson hitting the glass ceiling.
posted by Thin Lizzy at 11:48 AM on November 1, 2010 [5 favorites]

Every year I draw a skull on my face with an eyeliner pencil.
posted by fake at 11:48 AM on November 1, 2010 [92 favorites]

Every year I draw a skull on my face with an eyeliner pencil.

Don't ever stop doing this. Or taking pictures of it.
posted by hermitosis at 11:59 AM on November 1, 2010 [6 favorites]

Your costume is way better than mine, fake.
posted by crunchland at 12:00 PM on November 1, 2010

I was Joan Holloway and Mr. Arkham was Dr. Orpheus. We were "costumes you need basic cable to understand."

(Nearly everyone thought I was Jackie Kennedy. Sigh.)
posted by JoanArkham at 12:02 PM on November 1, 2010

Don't ever stop doing this. Or taking pictures of it.

:) I won't. I do have pictures from 2008, and 2006. (you can see it improving a bit, I think).
posted by fake at 12:03 PM on November 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

I had to clean up after my kid.
posted by bondcliff at 12:09 PM on November 1, 2010 [14 favorites]

Mrs. dolface and I were chefs, and baby dolface was a lobster in a pot
posted by dolface at 12:11 PM on November 1, 2010 [30 favorites]

I went as Hetty the Hoover! My boyfriend (not pictured) was Henry the Hoover.
posted by citands at 12:17 PM on November 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

My favorite costume ever: Darth Vader. Pink. In a leotard with a tiara and a tutu. Waggling a beribboned Death Star wand at sycophants who didn't properly address Lord Vader.
posted by arnicae at 12:20 PM on November 1, 2010 [6 favorites]

I was a plague doctor (I tried tying an onion to my belt, just for fun, but it wouldn't stay). To all future elaborate mask wearers: remember that you cannot drink or wear your glasses while wearing a mask.

The husband was a millionaire, aka: "I bought a tux and I'm going to get my money's worth, dammit."
posted by giraffe at 12:25 PM on November 1, 2010 [3 favorites]

Bondcliff, you're a fun dad.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 12:27 PM on November 1, 2010

hermitosis - that's....that's *horrifying*, in the best-slash-worst-slash-best again way. Dude.
posted by ersatzkat at 12:35 PM on November 1, 2010

I've never been turned on by a skull before, but hey, new day, new surprises. Rockin' costume, fake.
posted by iamkimiam at 12:37 PM on November 1, 2010 [7 favorites]

We had a stupid amount of fun at West Hollywood's Carnaval. I was Carl Fredricksen and my GF was a nurse from Silent Hill. I got a lot of "aww, I loved Up!" and she got a lot of "OMG, That's disgusting!" We both got a lot of people wanting pics with us. I call it a success.
posted by FlamingBore at 12:40 PM on November 1, 2010 [3 favorites]

I was the Wicked Witch of the East. Not seen: My stripey black and white tights and sparkly red shoes right before Dorothy stole them.
posted by piratebowling at 12:41 PM on November 1, 2010

I was Miss Cleo, though you can't see my accent in the pics. I did win first prize in a costume contest, though. Again, not so much because of the (lame) costume, but because I basically did non-stop improv tarot readings all night.

IOW, you really had to be there.
posted by Eideteker at 12:52 PM on November 1, 2010 [6 favorites]

God damn my link was borked. I blame the iPhone.

Here is the picture of my band on Halloween eve playing a gig dressed as Devo. They have some of the funnest songs to cover and the crowd went crazy. Best part of the night was the super drunk Jazzercise team (dressed a-la early 80's Jane Fonda) doing aerobics in front of the stage.

Halloween night spent tickling my 18 month on the floor, watching the Giants cream the Rangers (complete with George, Barbara, George W, and Laura wearing pouty faces behind the on-deck circle), and handing out candy.

Best Halloween ever.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 12:54 PM on November 1, 2010 [3 favorites]

I was a bad unicorn. More gore would have been preferable, but it was at a house party and I couldn't walk around dripping blood all night.
posted by stefanie at 1:09 PM on November 1, 2010 [10 favorites]

I was a guy celebrating his anniversary.

Later, I switched some things out and went as the guy who doesn't know how to use a stainless steel frying pan who filled the house with smoke but still managed to turn out some edible burgers.

Dressing up as Anniversary Guy gives a lot of latitude with mistake like that.
posted by quin at 1:13 PM on November 1, 2010

As a mystified-by-Halloween Brit, I wore my usual uniform of jeans and T-shirt. But not wishing to be a party-pooper I have to say I saw two things on reddit today that I thought were very cool.

1. If you're going to do "Horror Halloween", be quirky and original.

2. If you're going to do "Sexy Halloween", do it right.
posted by Decani at 1:21 PM on November 1, 2010 [10 favorites]

I was a pirate. Though more of the Gilbert and Sullivan variety than the authentic high seas sort. My wife helped me with it so it had a big puffy shirt. She was a lady pirate. I wanted to have fun with it, maybe dress as a big file transfer download status bar. She wouldn't have any of it. She said no one would get it.
posted by Toekneesan at 1:24 PM on November 1, 2010

I went as a Scottish Fairy that wants to start a punk band (i.e., one of the Good Fairies of New York from the book by Mark Millar). I needed flowers in my hair and a miniature fiddle, though.
posted by sarahnade at 1:29 PM on November 1, 2010

I went as sexy Captain Kirk.
posted by ND¢ at 1:30 PM on November 1, 2010

I made this mask for a Day of the Dead Ball that we attended. The mask took about 8 hours total and I think my wife got more comments about her makeup, applied 45 minutes before we left. Not that I'm sore.

But wait 'til next year, sweetheart.
posted by itstheclamsname at 1:32 PM on November 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

Mine sucked because I just wore what I always wear plus grease paint. My daughter got two costumes this year.
posted by nola at 1:41 PM on November 1, 2010

bondcliff: "I had to clean up after my kid."

HEY! I saw you on Make. This kicks ass!

yes this is an example of the Long Fail
posted by I am the Walrus at 1:43 PM on November 1, 2010

I went to a party as Skeletor this year, and by some bizarre coincidence there was a He-Man there too. My wife did the Paper Bag Princess thing, which was a great costume but unfortunatley doesn't allow you to sit down without ripping it.

On the walk home down Granville St, we encountered a huge crowd of easily 500 people, 25% of them dressed as peanut-butter-jelly-time bananas with boomboxes, having an impromptu dance party parade in the rain. That was probably the first time since moving here almost 5 years ago I truly thought to myself "this place can be pretty fun after all." Halloween rules.
posted by Hoopo at 1:47 PM on November 1, 2010

1. If you're going to do "Horror Halloween", be quirky and original.

That picture is not safe for people who'd like to sleep again.
posted by gladly at 1:50 PM on November 1, 2010

Hey, nola, both links under "two costumes" are private pages and won't allow viewing. FYI, under the assumption that this wasn't intended as a "ha-ha, you can't see them!" trick...

I went as Little Red Riding Hood. (The "I kill my own wolves" variety, not the "oh no, mercy me, where is the woodsman to save me?" variety.)
posted by Lexica at 1:59 PM on November 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

I was the 10th Doctor, but didn't get a picture. :(
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:05 PM on November 1, 2010

I've had fun the last couple years working my costume around whatever my daughter wanted to be. This year, she had to be a T Rex, so I went as John Hammond. The costume wasn't anything special, but I did print up some business cards.
posted by ewagoner at 2:14 PM on November 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

A friend and I went on the annual Boston Halloween Bike Ride. She has a tandem. We dressed it up as an X-Wing. I (pilot) was Luke and she (stoker) was R2D2.
posted by backseatpilot at 2:17 PM on November 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

As suggested in my AskMe thread, I was a Dios de los Muertos Catrina.
posted by cabingirl at 2:18 PM on November 1, 2010

I was Martha Stewart, and I kept insisting to children that I grew the packets of Halloween-themed Silly Bandz at my Silly Bandz orchard in Bedford, Maine and made the candy from scraps of vintage candy I found at flea markets.
posted by padraigin at 2:29 PM on November 1, 2010 [5 favorites]

I dressed up for the first time in a LONG time. I went as Howard Moon, while a friend and his girlfriend went as Vince Noir and Naboo respectively. While not many people seemed familiar with The Mighty Boosh and its characters, those who did recognize us loved it. I made some rocking patches for our jackets too, which really turned out nicely. Also, no pictures really, but it was a good time.

The bar we were at was having a "David Bowie Night" and the house band went to town. My friend Matt was playing drums dressed as Labyrinth David Bowie. It made for a good reintroduction to dressing up, after a long time of just NOT being into it.
posted by Richat at 3:04 PM on November 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

Would that be Howard Moon, jazz maverick, coming atcha like a hawk, like a kestrel, chickchoowow? Shame no pix!
posted by Admiral Haddock at 3:24 PM on November 1, 2010

I've never been turned on by a skull before, but hey, new day, new surprises. Rockin' costume, fake.

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new death for me.... yeah, it's a new dawn, it's a new day...

thanks!
posted by fake at 3:27 PM on November 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

No pics...no, I was too busy seeing boundaries and eating boundaries. Then, of course, washing them down with a steaming hot cup of rules.
posted by Richat at 3:40 PM on November 1, 2010

I was Jareth, the Goblin King.
posted by Help, I can't stop talking! at 3:40 PM on November 1, 2010 [11 favorites]

Nice package!
posted by Admiral Haddock at 3:43 PM on November 1, 2010 [10 favorites]

I'm English so went out with a half hearted gothy fairy, definitely need to experience an American Halloween, excellent costumes everyone (especially yours fake!)
posted by ellieBOA at 3:54 PM on November 1, 2010

My husband went as a sexy witch, but he won't let me link to a photo. There were fishnets, a corset, and hairy hairy arms.
posted by lollusc at 4:00 PM on November 1, 2010

I went as an unnamed horror. Kind of a jack-a-lope / were-deer / manitou kind of thing. Made the mask from discarded animal parts and plaster. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
Pics: Pic 1, Pic 2, Pic 3.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 4:01 PM on November 1, 2010 [3 favorites]

I was a hormonal middle aged woman going through the change.

Ain't much scarier than that.

(My husband and I spent the evening watching Dog the Bounty Hunter reruns on Netflix while our adult daughter passed out candy. He and I decided we really do need to dress up as Dog and his wife some year. Wish I'd thought of it earlier!)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 4:21 PM on November 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

My daughter was a princess. My son was Jedi (note the light saber made from plumbing supplies). Mrs. Plinth was the Cheshire cat. I was a Star Fleet Science Officer - an EVIL Star Fleet Science Officer.

A few notes: Mrs. Plinth did all the costumes except mine and the light saber. She's awesome. Not yours. My son routinely tries to use the force on us. I shouldn't be too surprised that I've had to say, "Stuart, we don't use the force at the dinner table." and "Stuart, don't use the force on your sister."

This year was fabulous trick or treating - the kids are at the front edge of the Halloween sweet spot. They enjoy the activity and are amazed that people give them candy and the greed hasn't set in.

Then again, when I gave Stuart the light saber (I mean, it has a grip and a D-ring for a belt hook and holds a glow stick), he reaction was "Cool! Where's the button."
posted by plinth at 4:27 PM on November 1, 2010

St. Alia of the Bunnies: "(My husband and I spent the evening watching Dog the Bounty Hunter reruns on Netflix while our adult daughter passed out candy. He and I decided we really do need to dress up as Dog and his wife some year. Wish I'd thought of it earlier!)"

Brandon Blatcher as Dog the Bounty Hunter... I love it!
posted by gman at 4:27 PM on November 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

Tesseractive and I went out as Fry and Leela from Futurama. (I'm Fry, she's Leela - with bonus ukulele!) I made a Nibbler hand puppet to nom on people, too (you could wiggle his eye-stalk with your middle finger).
posted by The demon that lives in the air at 4:34 PM on November 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

Don't get me wrong, dogmatic. I completely agree with you, but at least this crap ends tomorrow...

Right Matt?

posted by fooljay at 3:49 AM on November 1, 2001 [+] [!]



Luckily, Halloweeen comes but once a year.
posted by crunchland at 7:53 AM on November 1, 2001 [+] [!]


IMO, thats when the Halloween worm turned.

I have to clean my screen now.
posted by clavdivs at 4:38 PM on November 1, 2010

Holy shit, fake looks just like Jared Leto.

But seriously, swell skull!
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:38 PM on November 1, 2010

I want to give huge props to all the parents who dressed up with their kids. That's awesome. I don't think my parents have ever dressed in any costumes, ever. (They don't do whimsy.)
posted by JoanArkham at 4:47 PM on November 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

You didn't know Jared Leto was a Mefite?
posted by amro at 4:48 PM on November 1, 2010

I was Joan from Mad Men. You know, but with a far less impressive chest.
posted by katillathehun at 4:59 PM on November 1, 2010 [3 favorites]

stratastar and I jumped the shark this year.
posted by emilyd22222 at 5:01 PM on November 1, 2010 [10 favorites]

Inspired by this AskMe, I was a drinking bird!
posted by pemberkins at 5:05 PM on November 1, 2010 [3 favorites]

I was the cookie monster. And I bought three packs of chips ahoy!. And I ate them in peoples faces.
posted by pwally at 5:17 PM on November 1, 2010 [3 favorites]

I was James Joyce.
posted by Bromius at 5:19 PM on November 1, 2010 [9 favorites]

I was Alice in Wonderland. (Sewed the whole thing myself!)
posted by web-goddess at 5:34 PM on November 1, 2010 [3 favorites]

This December, when Krampus comes to hand out punishment and drag naughty children down to Hell... remember this picture.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 6:08 PM on November 1, 2010

I bought a mock straitjacket and went as an escaped lunatic to the party at Miracle of Science in Cambridge, MA. All the bar staff were wearing Dharma Initiative coveralls. But the guy with the most topical costume (IMO) dressed up as Crazy Joaquin Phoenix.

backseatpilot, at some point we saw a bunch of costumed people go past on Mass Ave on bicycles. Were you in that group?
posted by A dead Quaker at 6:16 PM on November 1, 2010

I was a frustrated, writer with writer's block for Halloween. I even stayed in to be reclusive and angsty. It took some doing but it's probably the most authentic costume I've ever worn. The hardest part was growing a beard. Yeah, I'm copping out but if I did end up going out I would have pulled it off.
posted by loquacious at 6:23 PM on November 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

St. Alia of the Bunnies: "(My husband and I spent the evening watching Dog the Bounty Hunter reruns on Netflix while our adult daughter passed out candy. He and I decided we really do need to dress up as Dog and his wife some year. Wish I'd thought of it earlier!)"

Brandon Blatcher as Dog the Bounty Hunter... I love it!


Ralph. Ralph! RALPH! RALPH!!!!!



Ralph!
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 6:37 PM on November 1, 2010 [3 favorites]

I went as a Lichtenstein girl. Some people guessed correctly. Others thought I was Ronald McDonald's broad. With the measles.
posted by black rainbows at 6:58 PM on November 1, 2010 [44 favorites]

Great first comment and costume, black rainbows.
posted by fake at 7:32 PM on November 1, 2010

Holy shit fake, your skull is incredible
posted by radioamy at 8:02 PM on November 1, 2010

I didn't have time to get my intended costume together, so I went with the advice a college friend gave me for a fallback idea -- shirt and long skirt, then pile on all your jewelry and a bunch of scaves. Presto -- gypsy.

I did, though, splurge on a wig that will let me be Death from the SANDMAN comics sometime in the future, though. (It'd also probably be a hell of a lot warmer.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:34 PM on November 1, 2010

Thank you, fake. I've been lurking for years, registered for three, and couldn't help but climb through the window of commenting opportunity afforded in this thread. It's a pretty big day for me, yo.

Your dome is a masterpiece.
posted by black rainbows at 8:37 PM on November 1, 2010

I don't have a costume to share, but had an awesome Halloween experience nonetheless - we were caroled by Wall-E, a Candyland Princess, and 6-8 other twenty somethings in costume. I totally want to go caroling in Victorian get up with top hats and muffs next year.

Relatedish and previouslyish: Craig Ferguson's Halloween musical number.
posted by maryr at 8:53 PM on November 1, 2010

These are all amazing, and some are really extraordinary.
posted by Forktine at 9:32 PM on November 1, 2010

It's a pretty big day for me, yo.

Yo should really comment more frequently. Welcome!
posted by fake at 9:38 PM on November 1, 2010

fake, your skull makeup is amazing.

I didn't dress up but the best costume we saw was a full American Gothic, a couple dressed/madeup, with a pitchfork, and a huge narrow cardboard box that came down over their heads to their waists, with cutout frame in front of them and painted background behind.
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:57 PM on November 1, 2010

I didn't dress up, but my dog was a (really cute) Wicked Witch.
posted by 1000monkeys at 10:16 PM on November 1, 2010

I wandered around after my children with a shiny black handbag & a tiara, saying, "helllooooooo!" with the patented Queen Elizabeth wave. I don't think there are pictures of it. And it was the "helllooooooo!" combined with the wave that really made it anyway.
posted by susanbeeswax at 10:25 PM on November 1, 2010

As agreed upon via committee, I was Marlene Dietrich. A headshot is now my profile photo. I'm pretty sure full body photos were taken, but I have yet to see any.
posted by Sara C. at 11:37 PM on November 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

Ugh, meant to link to the thread but hit the wrong button because it is 2 fracking 37 in the morning.
posted by Sara C. at 11:37 PM on November 1, 2010

no pic, but my costume was my normal clothes, with the addition of a string running from my belt down to the ground, where said string was attached to a picture of Elizabeth II. To complete the costume, I merely walked around.

I shall leave it as an exercise to the reader to discover the punchline at work here.
posted by namewithoutwords at 1:53 AM on November 2, 2010

No human pics yet but I took Bee Dog out trick or treating with the kid, which I think everyone preferred to her costume last year of "crazy barking dog who really really wants to play with everyone knocking at the door".
posted by mikepop at 6:00 AM on November 2, 2010

I was supposed to be melon cat (lime cat, pummelo cat, whatever-fruit-that-is cat). It didn't work at all.

So I was a ballerina instead, with a homemade tutu and real ballet slippers from Payless Shoesource.

I now want to be a ballerina ALL. THE. TIME.
posted by functionequalsform at 6:19 AM on November 2, 2010 [3 favorites]

my costume was my normal clothes, with the addition of a string running from my belt down to the ground, where said string was attached to a picture of Elizabeth II. To complete the costume, I merely walked around.

Drag queen? *facepalm*

fake's costume is my favorite, so brilliant in its simplicity! Eyeliner, skill, and a nicely-shaped head. Whoddathunk?
posted by Lush at 6:27 AM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

My friend who is allergic to peanuts came over for dinner, so I decided on a last minute scary costume just for her.
posted by JMOZ at 8:03 AM on November 2, 2010

backseatpilot, at some point we saw a bunch of costumed people go past on Mass Ave on bicycles. Were you in that group?

Yes, but we had bailed before they made it to Central Square. Too damned cold!
posted by backseatpilot at 8:11 AM on November 2, 2010

We ended up with a pretty good Wizard of Oz thing.
posted by Shohn at 8:16 AM on November 2, 2010 [4 favorites]

Raptor Hipster was as uncomfortable as it looks.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:40 AM on November 2, 2010 [4 favorites]

OMG CREEPERS
posted by Rhaomi at 9:02 AM on November 2, 2010

I gave the trick-or-treaters a choice this year: candy or mystery bag. No kid chose the candy. Mystery bag could be good or not so good, just like on Let's Make a Deal. Could be a bag of candy, a bag of acorns, various trinkets, an old mismatched sock, broken cell phone, fish taco (tortilla & Swedish Fish), paperback book, dog biscuits, 50 pennies, or an old gameboy game.
posted by Daddy-O at 9:11 AM on November 2, 2010 [12 favorites]

I went as a Lichtenstein girl.

That's a great costume.
posted by ersatz at 10:05 AM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

Daddy-O, I want to steal your idea. Do you let the kids rummage around the mystery bag themselves or do you hand them a thing from it? Tell me more.
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:27 AM on November 2, 2010

I was a sporting enthusiast. Here I am at work, showing my latest catch to the crowd (we have a large lagoon at work, stocked with huge, beautiful koi fish).
posted by shino-boy at 10:35 AM on November 2, 2010

Love these (Lichtenstein girl--brilliant! And Sara C., your Dietrich costume is great...you should be Colette one year too!). I really wish someone had been Bryan Cranston in the first episode of Breaking Bad though, with tightie whities and gun in hand...

One-a these days I'm gonna be the girl in Kill Your Boyfriend, and so help me god if it takes kidnapping him with duct tape I'm gonna make my husband do Krazy and Ignatz with me, but this year I was out of town for a wedding so it'll all have to wait. Last year's costume was lame--I was the Sun Maid (did y'all know she's had a makeover recently and now apparently does yoga on the beach? Weird) and my husband was a California raisin. Some guy at a bar kept eating my costume (the raisins in the basket) without so much as asking or introducing himself. It was very strange.
posted by ifjuly at 11:32 AM on November 2, 2010

ifjuly - well I'm considering wearing the same costume next year and going as Groucho Marx.
posted by Sara C. at 11:37 AM on November 2, 2010

All three of us wore costumes, none were related. I wore a square dancing dress, my little guy was your standard sweatsuit skeleton, and my husband (no photo, alas) was the Fourth Dr. Who.
posted by pinky at 1:24 PM on November 2, 2010

"I went as a Lichtenstein girl. Some people guessed correctly. Others thought I was Ronald McDonald's broad. With the measles."

Wow. Really creative costume, excellent execution.
posted by Eideteker at 1:43 PM on November 2, 2010

fake's costume is my favorite, so brilliant in its simplicity! Eyeliner, skill, and a nicely-shaped head. Whoddathunk?

It doesn't hurt that he has a perfectly-shaped head and is hot.

Um, I mean, uh...*blush*


:-P
posted by 1000monkeys at 1:56 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

I put a sign on the door that said "Candy or Mystery Bag, which do you choose?" The empty mystery bags were numbered 1 through 23 and shuffled so the the bags with candy were not sequentially numbered. Then I put an item in each bag and stapled it shut. About 1/4 were candy. I made a grid on a piece of paper with 23 squares and showed it to each kid and let them choose the number of a mystery bag. I wrote an X through the number when a kid chose it so we would all know that bag was gone and which ones were left. What kid got what was a mystery to me also, except for the overstuffed bag of acorns, which was pretty obvious. It's a good way to get rid of small clutter around the house! The kids seemed to enjoy it.

In previous years I have also given the kids a choice between candy or a potato. You'd be surprised how many kids choose a potato.
posted by Daddy-O at 6:54 PM on November 2, 2010 [12 favorites]

How difficult is it to get the razors inside the potatoes?
posted by gman at 7:01 PM on November 2, 2010 [3 favorites]

Thanks, Daddy-O. I didn't think of doing separate bags; that's a better way than what I had in mind. I am so doing this next year.
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:39 PM on November 2, 2010

I was Jill Valentine from Resident Evil 3. Unfortunately nothing at the party that needed unlocking. I think that potholder might have been undead, though.

I was also briefly the Clockwork Orange guy.
posted by Secretariat at 8:37 PM on November 2, 2010

Damn fake!!! Remember my invite for real, Southern BBQ? You Have to do the skull thing when you come. That is just FREAKIN A ++++! My You-tube video of a skull like THAT tearing into Mr. Pearlybob's home-made ribs and sauce will just be awesome!! We can share the instant viral video kudos!!


Seriously!! WOW!!!!
posted by pearlybob at 9:12 PM on November 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

My daughter dressed up as Hermione Granger for the first couple of Halloween weekend events...

but then got tired of the wig so she switched to being Harry Potter.
posted by mikepop at 7:54 PM on November 4, 2010 [1 favorite]