Halloween costume thread

So, I am stymied. I normally have an idea for a Halloween costume around February, and begin seriously working on it around August. This year tho, as some of you know, has been rather 'interesting' for me, and I really haven't given it much thought. I absolutely adore costume making and Halloween in general, but this year I haven't thought of any ideas. Now I want an idea, but am at a loss.

So help me out! Some of you nerds out there have to have some kind of halloween costumes you dress up in, have ideas about, or are in the process of making. I may end up stealing your ideas, or maybe I'll get inspiration.

I now have 52 days, so lets get crackin!

I'm way behind this year, I need to get cranking. If you want to recycle any of mine, here are the last few:

2007 - Michael Jackson (Rock with you version)
2006 - Oompa Loompa
2005 - Matthew Lesko (google it, you'll recognize it)
2004 - Duffman
2003 - Mr. Peanut

I'm a big fan of the illusion costumes like the one below. Some of them are pretty expensive though so its great if you can DIY one...

thats a pretty good costume

I usually don't do anything that extravagant - put on the same old ninja suit and jedi cape as from last year I guess

I'd like to get a good costume, and every year I swear I will I just never get around to it

How bout this one?

Bunch of us went as the cast of Clue one year. I was Colonel Mustard. One guy was even the little card thing that you write your guess on. We were getting something to eat later (drunk food) and overheard someone saying "man, I saw the cast of Clue earlier."

ha ha - thats a good one too

DUFF MAN!
Or...Homer.

I have also had a friend go as a can of PBR. Two hulla hoops, a shower curtain, paint...done.

There was someone who went as a box of Franzia on one of the forums that I'm on. 8)

If you want pix, I'd have to dig them up somehow, but here are some costumes of yreas past:


Scarecrow- (SWMBO was Dorothy)

Marvin the Martian- (SWMBO was K-9)- one of my favorites

Red Baron- my absolute favorite. I built a little Fokker triplane that I wore around me held up by suspenders. It was complete with a working prop, Nav lights, and a strobe. It also had landing gear, which came in ahdy the next day, because i put in a removable seat and plunked my then 2-year old son in there and pulled him around the block for his trick-or-treating.

Hamburglar-a good one and really easy

Ernie- (SWMBO was Bert) another good one

On the year of 9/11 there were four of us that dressed up as the American flag. Three of us were the flag and one girl was the flagpole. That was a hit that year.

The following year the same four of us were the cast of Laverne and Shirley. I was Squiggy.

One year I was Red Green. A friend of mine was Harold.


There are more, but these were the most worth mentioning.

For the past four years, I've dressed as Hunter S. Thompson for at least one night of the Halloween party weekend.

Other costumes from recent years include the Mad Hatter, Inspector Gadget, and a three-piece duct tape suit complete with duct tape tie.

I find second-hand shops to be a great place to find ideas and cheap ridiculous clothing.

A few years ago...

I had a 6:00 AM flight out of JFK on Sat, Nov 1. I decided to pull an all nighter in Manhattan on Friday. Not only Halloween, but my birthday as well.

After having a few cold ones at a pub in the Village, I realized I needed a costume. Fortunately, one of the people I had met lived nearby and was able to furnish me with an old iron.

I walked down the street to the next bar. Walked in, set the iron on the bar and ordered a beer. The group next to me asked what was up with the iron.

"It's my costume," said I. "You're costume?" one asked, "what are you?"

I hoisted the appliance in o'er my head and proclaimed:

"I AM IRON MAN" neeeeeeerryooow, na-nant na-nant-na

It was a great night.

I have gone as basically the same thing the last few years. I have a bunch or reindeer skins that I brought back from Norway when I went over a few years back. I cut a whole in the middle of the biggest one and wore it as a tunic, the took another one and wore it as a kilt with a big braided leathe belt. That was my Caveman costume

Last year I went all out and was a Nomad(see a trend here). I made myself pants out of some old burlap bags, used the same two skins as a tunic and kilt thingy. Took 2 old sheep skin headrest covers and cut them in half, I tied them over my boots and lower legs with real thick, course rope. Even made a sheath out of some rawhide I had around and threw my old rusty machete in it, smeared some mud on my face and arms and went out. The downside is that reindeer fur is real brittle and I was shedding fur anytime someone brushed up against me at the bar. It was a great cold weather costume. I had no shirt on underneath and just boxers under the kilt and leggings, I was sweating warm all night.

Just to contribute some old ideas, some past costumes I've had were;
Captain Jack Sparrow complete with baldric and sword
Anakin Skywalker with cloak and light saber
The rest escape me now, but I'll think of them later.

One year many years ago me and my brothers spent months sewing mages cloaks and making staffs. I must have been maybe 11 or 12? One year I was the Tin Woodman from the L. Frank Baum books. Although I was keeping with literal accuracy (he carried a sword in all the books, not an axe) people kept calling me a knight. It was annoying.

Grab some construction paper and cut out a bunch of spikes and tape them to your body.

If anyone asks who you are?

You're horny.

Soulive said:

I'm a big fan of the illusion costumes like the one below. Some of them are pretty expensive though so its great if you can DIY one...

Click to expand...

That's AWESOME!! (Did I really just use that word?)

I want one!!!

I dressed up as a police officer a couple of years ago. Even carried an unloaded civil war replica revolver. A few ladies asked me if I would cuff them and take them back to the station, but I had to let them off with a warning (my wife was with us!)

I also got a light-up long hair wig and went as a rock guitarist. That was fun.

This year I want to go as an "Alien" face crab victim. Complete with facecrab (see also Half-life video game). Probably because my daughter and I just got done watching the Aliens/predator/AVP movies.

How old are you guys?

I go as the same thing every year. A middle-aged husband and father with a beer in his hand. Oddly, you don't get much candy with that outfit.

Try dressing up as Dirk Diggler...

BTW - I'm nearly 40.. (sigh)

Homercidal said:

Try dressing up as Dirk Diggler...

BTW - I'm nearly 40.. (sigh)

Click to expand...

I'm 8 days away from 40. (double sigh).

shecky said:

I go as the same thing every year. A middle-aged husband and father with a beer in his hand. Oddly, you don't get much candy with that outfit.

Click to expand...

Even worse when you are leering at the teenage girls in the slutty costumes.

A few years back, a buddy and I were about to head out to a party when we got the "costumes mandatory" warning. I took an old white full-face motorcycle helmet, spray painted a rubber snake white, then superglued it to the back of the helmet. I was a sperm. almost 0 effort for the most popular costume there!

I despise Halloween. Yes, I am a stick in the mud for that one day.