I expect many have creative or unusual costumes here in this group. I'd love to hear about what you or your child have chosen/created from your costumes this year.

No real creativity at my house this time with our little Ninja. He currently wants to fit in with his choices.

Our DD's will be Princess Mononoke (fyi - this is a great costume to make and looks awesome) and Violet from Lemony Snicket's. Both girls will probably have to explain who they are, but that is okay. They look great!!!

October has been our month of homemade costumes for DS7.

First he wanted to be Athena so he made a helmet, spear, and owl shield out of cardboard, duct tape, dowels, and scraps. It was fabulous...

However, the mythology obsession has transitioned to a American Revolution obsession. He now has made himself a cardboard and duct tape saber and taped a homemade flag over his pirate hat. He has a collection of 4 or 5 flags on skewers that he copied out of some book he was reading. This morning he has been cutting up yellow construction paper to make brass buttons to tape on his blue rain coat for a uniform. Its going to be great.

DD14 went as a zombie last weekend (or was going to-- not really sure, as this was with other friends and I wasn't there).

Tonight, she's working the little kids' Halloween party as a youth volunteer, so she needed a VERY non-scary costume for that, and something warm and comfortable enough to wear for a long time in damp 30-50F temps. So she is going as a Woodland Elf. She has a long panne velvet kirtle/bliaut that she has made (in olive green) and I made her a really neat white and cream hood that is decked out in a variety of natural-toned greens-- felted leaves, vines, and a few dark purple berry clusters, with blue campanula/harebell flowers that exactly match her eyes.

I also made knitted kirtle SLEEVES in cream with a gothic point that comes over the hand-- she can't really wear gloves/mittens because she needs the dexterity, but she'll be warmer with these on. They will also double as a way to keep her hands warm when she's playing the piano later.

She also has wire ear-cuffs with pointy elfin tops on them. A little hard to explain.

Her make-up will include a lot of glitter and green/gold tones to match the rest of it.

Why yes, I did hang out with professional stage costumers for many years. Why do you ask?

Last year, she was Rainbow Dash for this same event. Lots of polar fleece in rainbow colors, and a custom-made hat in pale blue, along with wings tacked onto a hooded sweatshirt. It was instantly recognizable and very very comfortable.

The challenge with these costumes is that she has to have GREAT (really, athletic) range of motion in them, and they have to be appealing and non-scary.

My boys are Luke Skywalker and Yoda by choice. Not too surprising.

What does suprise others is that they have both picked their costume since they could talk, AND were very opinionated about it. It seems so wierd to me when parents tell me, " oh, I picked ___ for a costume because he/she is only 2 or 3".
That would have never worked in my house.

I am looking forward to more creative costumes though:) enjoying this thread.

THANK GOODNESS for that, otherwise we'd all collapse in shame! (and i am a crazy person who once made a prosthetic leg for a costume...)

this sounds amazing - can you post your a picture of your DD's costume (just flat, i mean - without her in it) in the art thread? it sounds like art to me!

This year DS is going as Steve, from Minecraft. He's in love with this costume, and the big, pixelated sword. All this friends think it's amazing as well. LoL.

ETA: Here's his mask - http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f04f/?srp=25

Amy- awesome! My ds would love that!!!

[quote=Melessa]What does suprise others is that they have both picked their costume since they could talk, AND were very opinionated about it. It seems so wierd to me when parents tell me, " oh, I picked ___ for a costume because he/she is only 2 or 3".
That would have never worked in my house.
quote]

Ditto. ODS has picked his own costume (from those in stock at the house, fortunately we have received wonderful hand-me-downs) since he was three and first went out dressed for Halloween. I believe that year he wore different costumes for each Halloween activity, and has done so ever since. Today he is Darth Vader at school and says he will be a pirate tonight.

YDS picked his costume last year, when he was 2. We did switch his pick this year (it wasn't complete) by strongly suggesting additional candy might be offered for the cuter costume.

Dd4 wanted to be tigger from Winnie the Pooh because "I like to bounce". So I got her a costume. Well school announces a Halloween fashion show two weeks ago and dd decides tigger is no good. She wants to be a scary dada pumpkin.
Off to craft store middle of this week and today she looked so cute in her homemade scary pumpkin costume with death skeleton and bat stick ons. She also got a jack-o-lantern that lights up and a pumpkin candy holder that she is going to carry as the mama and baby pumpkins. She actually wanted lights on her costume but I said no way. She even practiced her ramp walk yesterday. She decided that she was going to stop in the middle of her walk, face the audience and shout boo to scare everyone.

DD8 was all set to don a blonde wig, a Ravenclaw robe, and the appropriate replica wand to go as Luna Lovegood, following up her previous years as Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley. She's had the robe and wand for months, and often uses them around the house.

Last week, inexplicably, she fell in love with some off-the-shelf butterfly or fairy thing, so that's what she's wearing now.

Dude - it broke my heart when DD5 gave up on her Luna costume (to follow up last year's Hermione!) because it meant i didn't get to make Spectrespecs.

maybe i'll make them for myself!

My kids were allowed to do what they wanted with their hair or face but were required to wear their usual uniform to school. So I have DD14 who has GOOBS of makeup on her eyes and a knife through her head and DD12 that has zombie make up on her face. Both girls indicated that this was more like a visual of how they feel in school rather than a Halloween Costume. Go figure.

DD9 is some sort of cat-girl hybrid thing that she built around a pair of glasses she found at the costume store. (Like these, but solid black instead of pink stripes.)

DS5 is a bear, again found at the costume shop. He decided he didn't want his nose painted black during the day, but I have been charged with getting claws for both of them today so they can wear them tonight.

This year DS9 is a Satyr - we bought a stocking cap with horns and my MIL made him fur pants and hooves.

Hermione Granger for DD8. She slept in lots of small braids last night to get her hair really frizzy and thought about going to school today as Madoosa. Took them out at the last minute though and went to school full frizz instead. Personally I loved the Madoosa idea - maybe next year.

I don't understand halloween. I don't know why it exists.

To hide your kids from the fae folk and wandering spirits. I have a theory that sugar is to fae folk as garlic is to vampires. It also coincides with open enrolment at many workplaces reminding people to keep their dental plans for the following year.

DD6 is a bumblebee, and DS8 is Percy Jackson. Both kids have been choosing their costumes for several years; the last time I picked DD's costume was when she was 2. I'm sure I could have come up with my own ideas and sold them on it, but when your little girl tells you she wants to be Darth Vader for Halloween...who could say no?

I'm thrilled with the bumblebee costume, because it meant buying a roll of yellow duct tape (we made stripes on a black shirt). Since we had never played with duct tape before, this opened up a whole new adventure for us.

DD is Queen Amidala and DS is the 11th Doctor with a real Harris Tweed much to his delight.

Some denominations of Christian churches recognize November 1 as "All Saints Day" or "All Hallows' Day", where the word hallows is derived from hallowed meaning holy. The evening prior, October 31, was "All Hallow's Eve" or shortened to "Hallow E'en", where "E'en" as a contraction means "evening".

The practice of Trick-or-Treat is as separate from a holy day...
as a team of flying reindeer pulling a sleigh with Santa Claus is from the Nativity (both celebrated as Christmas).

Here are some links about Halloween and Trick-or-Treat, which may help answer your question why this exists - http://www.halloweenhistory.org/, http://www.history.com/topics/halloween, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick-or-treating,
there are many more links, easily found through search engines.

As I posted somewhere else my DD9 is a Jedi Padawan Learner (she said she wasn't old enough to be a knight). It took me two months to make the costume because I am not great with sewing but hey it turned out really well.

The only costume I have ever picked out for her was her first one when she was barely big enough to walk, and I found a lady bug coat costume that was adorable.

After that we went through the Disney princess and Tinkerbell faze but this year she went a completely different direction (or at least I thought so until Disney bought Star Wars). We have been planning this for about a year and buying material when I could find it cheap.

And I was smart enough to make it so most of the parts of the costume could be worn for everyday just mixed and matched. So I didn't waste a whole lot of money on one night. If anyone's kid wants to do this later I can give you some pointers. And Simplicity has a pattern that works really well for the tunic and cloak.

One Harry Potter and one Jason Grace. We are a very literary family for costumes this year. Jason Grace was sick yesterday and will be taking his cell phone and if he gets tired I will go and rescue him. We live in one big circle of a subdivision and my dh would probably drive and pick him up and I would get out and finish us with Harry.

DS1 is sid the science kid, DS2 is snoopy. All DIY -- they don't make Sid costumes, but my 3.5 y.o. was insistent...plus DS2 is only 5 months so his snoopy is just white pants, turtleneck and hat with the ears and tail etc, sewn on. Sid would be super easy except for that ridiculous purple hair....let's just say it took a lot of time (and felt).

One thing of note is that my older DS is definitely a little weird about halloween...he doesn't really like the idea of being something different. even last year, (when he picked out his green crayon costume) he was upset at the end of the day because, and I quote, "I just want to be a little boy again!" similar issues this year...he didn't want DH to put on a wizard hat because "I want you just to be normal because I like you the way you are!" He ended up ok with it in the end,but anyone ever have anything like that come up?

DS6 is an alien of the morph suit variety. DS2 is a T-Rex/dragon looking thing. DS2 was really into his role as a carnivorous creature this morning. I would not surprised if he is written up for biting at daycare today.

Just a reminder to please keep this thread on topic.

Mine went out a while ago...8yo ds is Groucho Marx ready with a joke he made up....why did the pumpkin cross the road? To prove it had guts. Groan. DS10 decided to be Alexander the Great again as his propensity for ruling over everyone and calling the shots seems to also carry over into his costume choice! Following in his father's footsteps for his love of Greek military history.

Shannon L.

Sorry Mark. Mea culpa! Apologies to the OP for the hijack and for any offense I may have caused with my Rob Ford crack.

Oh I need for ds to read that!

We don't really do Halloween here (though when I had an American neighbour he was part of a small circuit). I did have to make yellow trousers last night for some school house competition today. That was enough for me though some of it sounds a lot of fun.

OH, that is really too bad-- my DD would have loved that costume! The Phantom Tollbooth was a real touchstone for her and many of her classmates back when they were younger.

It was even the subject of a vast, off-the-reservation "project" that the kids ran on the side-- all on their own.

How many are already planning next years costumes?

Harry potter was planned December of last year. He finished all of the books and we went to universal studios/islands of adventure to see the Harry potter section. From there he slowly gathered the wand, robes and stuff. We now need a new obsession before he plans the next year.

ha! DD5 and i were out for a walk the day before Hallowe'en, and she looks at me quite earnestly and says, "do you know what's best about today?" uh, no. "it's that i have only two more sleeps until i can legitimately start planning next year's costume."

One of my sons is planning to be George Washington next year.

Awesome. DS has a very similar costume, and Phantom Tollbooth is very popular.

p.s. PMd you.

Aw, DD would have gotten the Mathmagician! She loves that book! She randomly busts out with "Welcome to the Doldrums" sometimes in a monotone when bored.

DD told me at breakfast this morning that she plans to be a ladybug next year. And then she started detailing how she plans to make the costume.

As for others not "getting" a costume, I'm pretty sure very few people got DS's Percy Jackson costume (and honestly, he just looked like a kid wearing an orange t-shirt and carrying a sword). But he was happy with his choice, which is what counts.

Maybe I can convince him to go as an entomologist next year.

My DD12 was Deryn Sharp from a book series she enjoyed. With a leather aviator's cap, goggles, and being a female, most people assumed she was Amelia Earhart. By the halfway point of the night DD stopped trying to explain who she was and just said "Yep, Amelia Earhart."

Similar thing happened when she was Katniss Everdeen a couple of years before the movie came out. "Yep, I'm an archer/female Robin Hood."

At least when she was Abe Lincoln, most everyone knew who she was (the surprise then was being a girl under the beard and tall hat).

--S.F.

I had a Gilda Joyce and an Abraham Lincoln. It was a fun year!

Mine were link and zelda from the legend of zelda. Hopefully they will pick something I don't have to sew next year!

So DD9, after being Jedi this time, decided she wanted to be Princess Leah next year. And a friend of ours asked her which one, because she did have a few different outfits. She said "OH, yeah right, well we could dress one of the dogs like Jabba." To which I replied, "You are NOT doing the gold bikini." She laughed and said, "I know but I could go as Leah when she was disguised as that bounty hunter."

Wonderful a disguise within a disguise....LOL. So I have a whole year to plan that one. Woohoo.

DD7 wanted to be a dog this year, and I managed to resist my natural urge to make a costume and just bought her one on eBay. It's nice and furry, and she's been wearing it all month, and it will still fit her next year if necessary. She had several Minecraft ideas before that one, but the dog won.

DS11 was going to do a Minecraft thing as well, but then we saw a video on Youtube about a zipper-face thing that was hideously gory and he fell in love with that. We couldn't find any liquid latex to do the really gory flayed look, but we managed a credible unzipped-around-the-eye face and he was a big hit, especially with the girls from the MS that he ran across while we were trick-or-treating.

DD was Matilda. No one got it. Then she came home and picked out a fighter costume (a dress, but not too princessy) and shot suction arrows at the door.

Two years ago she was Elphaba and one person got it, bless her. Then again, people acted like they didn't get Merida last year. Maybe no one saw that movie? They all only got Matilda from the movie (when told what it was). Which hubby found ironic. "All I know I learned from telly..."