I was visiting my parents yesterday and went in search of some vintage Halloween pictures. My mom always whipped up amazing costumes–there were no plastic drugstore costumes in my childhood.
This was my first Halloween–not that I remember it. Apparently, I was a clown–that’s my mom holding me.
A few years down the road the clown theme was revived (that’s my sis on the right). In the interim Halloweens I dressed as a ghost, Wonder Woman, and a mouse.
The unpopular turtle costume of Grade 4. What can I say? I wanted to be a princess.
Grade 5 was worse. As punishment for my ingratitude with the turtle costume, my mother made me wear a burlap bag and she put socks inside of nylons and sewed them to the top of the bag. Poof! I was a sack of potatoes. Is there anything less feminine?
In later years my costumes became more vague–punk rocker, Madonna–and involved lots of spray-in hair color and bangle bracelets. I returned to the Halloween parade in high school–9th grade I was a convict and 10th grade I was a lady bug.
How about you? Any memorable costumes?
Ooooh, I love your costumes and I would love to see your madonna-esque pics!
Have you any ideas for my daughter? She is going to her first ‘proper’ fancy dress halloween party on 24th Oct. (We never really ‘did’ Halloween here the way you do in the USA)
She was thinking Cruella de Ville? What do you think?
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(The lady bug sounds fun!)
CWG says: ha! i was cruella 2 years ago at school–my junior english class dressed as dalmations. it was a riot…but i think they were making a statement about me.
i have the cruella wig if your daughter needs it. later this week i’ll post some easy-to-make and cute costumes. maybe you’ll get some ideas there.
My mom always put us in old ragged clothes with a fake beard (applied with a burned cork) and we went as bums. I think this my costume for about seven years.
CWG says: that’s cute–i think my uncle wore that costume for many years running too, if the family photos are any guide.
Being in theatre in high school and college I was big on stage make-up and creating great characters. One year I was a white rabbit with perfect rabbit teeth painted on my lower lip that I had to re-apply all day long. When I was younger I was Marie Antoinette one year and my mom did my hair up in the most beautiful crown of curls.
My husband and my first Halloween when we started dating was a joint effort. He used costume glue to attach devil horns to his forhead and used black eye liner to emphasize his great eyebrows and I was an angel with wings. I found a fantastic pair of feathered wings and a cute white velor top. I cut holes in the back at my angel wing spots on my back and pulled the elastic straps from the wings and pulled them throughthe holes so the straps were wrapped around my shoulders from underneath the shirt and it looked like the wings were literally coming out of my back. It was really cool but very hard to get my drunk butt back into the car at the end of the night. Hubby had to steer me down and into the car like a criminal into a police cruiser.
CWG says: ooh! that’s cute, putting the wings under your shirt. i dressed as an angel a few years ago at work…and everyone laughed. hmm..that doesn’t say much for me, does it?
Bicycle Repairman (Monty Python)
Harpo Marx
Gumby (Monty Python)
CWG says: no princesses? no cats, mice? you’re so esoteric…i would not have a clue about the monty python costumes, but i can name all 5 marx brothers (husban-dito taught me). (harpo, gummo, zeppo, groucho, and…and….and…i forget the last one.)
Ack! Out of my head… unless I’m thinking out loud again… (note to self, check if self is talking out loud)
I was going to find some pictures of Halloween costumes and post about how I don’t understand WHY you would need to BUY a pre-made costume when you could make one.
The only store-purchased costume I can remember wearing was a Care Bear and that’s pretty much because I NEEDED IT TO LIVE. You know how it was.
I make my costumes, it’s part of the fun… Catholic School Mouse (with knee boots and a plaid skirt), witch (many many many times), cheerleader… then, while I was a kid, I used the same costume for about 7 years, going from a mouse to a raccoon to roadkill.
This year, ah-ha, you’ll have to wait… let’s say it involves fur. CWG says: I’m calling PETA.
My best costume ever was The Firefly. My brother and I dressed all in black, and wore these little antennae headbands. My mother made these cages out of wire coat hangers, placed flashlights in them, then covered them with yellow tissue paper. Original, creative, and safe – she could see us from the other end of the neighborhood!
CWG says: that is SO cute! and i do need a costume for my halloween party…hmmm.
Why was your mom trying to punish you with the TURTLE? Unless she was going to let you go as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle; that’s different.
CWG says: i can’t recall what transgression i was being punished for…but i’m sure it was substantial.
and sadly, the mutant turtles hadn’t yet made being a turtle cool because i was in 4th grade circa 1984.
I’ve been everything from Vanna White to Natalie from “The Facts of Life” (such is the life of a pop culture junkie), but I think my favorite was attending a party in 1989 with a date dressed as punk rock zombies, wearing name tags that said “Hi My Name is Sid!” and “Hi My Name is Nancy!” We were a big hit amongst our strange companions.
This year I’ve been invited to a big Halloween party that will be chock full of ridiculously creative theater, music and arts people — so far I’m at a loss at what I can do to compete for the prize. I’m glad you posted this entry, it’s given me some inspiration to do something really wild!
CWG says: 2 years ago i wore all white, but a big round piece of yellow felt on my shirt, wore a devil tail and horns…and went as a ‘deviled egg’. hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. i still laugh at that one.
CyWyGy: You remember Zeppo and Gummo but not Chico?!? You must be distracted. Tidbit: it’s short-i Chico because he always had an eye for the “chicks,” not because he was cheeky. I heard that in an old radio interview with either Groucho or Harpo. CWG says: look, woman…i was up until ALL hours of the night writing on your ’scrawl wall’. what can i say? i was a bit hazy this moring.
I’m imagining Planet Books and her husband finding someone really large whose shoulders they could have sat on. Or maybe they simply could have stood on opposite sides of the road.
I never had any memorable costumes, but I do recall helping my father dress up as a prostitute one year – painted nails, fishnets, heels, a little gold skirt – the works.
He won first prize at the community centre Halloween party and the guy who lived across the street for us was MCing didn’t recognize Dad so he announced “Would the orange-haired hooker please come to the front to claim your prize. You win.”
He was shocked it was my Dad. I think the best photo is of him holding my baby cousin who is messing up his lipstick while Dad was grinning like a fiend.
I do not remember ever buying a costume as a child or buying my children costumes. My daughter recently remarked that she did not realize for the longest time that people actually bought costumes! Thank goodness for Cyndi Lauper… she provided years of inspiration!!!
I dig the turtle costume. Not quite a Ninja Turtle and not quite a shambling critter desperately trying to cross the highway during rush hour traffic.
I usually dressed up as a vampire. But not any more…
[...] 21, 2008 by Stephanie of Stopbouncing A week ago, CWG posted about Halloween Costumes and how they needent be [...]