Halloween Costumes Then and Now

**forHISglory** · 10-29-2010, 12:49 AM

Way back when....

When I was growing up, we never bought Halloween costumes. It was up to each of us to make our own with whatever we could salvage from the rag bag, the parent's closet, the chest of old-timey clothes, and various adornments and make up bits.

One year I had an old nightgown of my grandmother's, and made a mask out of styrofoam cups and string. I streaked red lipstick over the cups and splashed some ketchup on the gown. Good enough for a horror piece....

Got to go as a ghost once, but that was a once in a lifetime experience. One does not cut out eyes in a perfectly good bed sheet and live to tell about it....

Now with all the ready made costumes that cost a small fortune, I think many kids don't know how to be creative and make their own. My grandkids were over this weekend and were invited to come trick and treat at the neighbors. But they had no costumes. We grabbed big towels, and some scarves and handkerchiefs, and voila! A shepherd girl and two pirates! Check it out!

Hey! Did you use to make your own costume? Do your kids make theirs?

**Palooka** · 10-29-2010, 12:59 AM

Cute pic and very creative. Well when I was a teen I dressed up for work(I worked at Sears) as an old lady. I put my hair in a bun, poured tons of baby powder in my hair to make it look gray, and wore my moms robe and slippers. Heh

**forHISglory** · 10-29-2010, 01:00 AM

I bet you looked cute, Palooka!

**Palooka** · 10-29-2010, 01:07 AM

Well until everyone caught on that I had powder in my hair and started smacking my head. lol Thank goodness Sears covered the floor cleaning bill.

A few years ago when I was working in the salon and I did not want to dress up nor spend the money, but being the manager I pretty much had too....Dh was the manager of Home Depot so I wore one of his orange smocks, stuck a ruler in the pocket, a pen on my ear and wore jeans. It was a nice excuse to wear jeans to work once.

No money spent.

**imagine** · 10-29-2010, 03:42 AM

My kids make their Halloween costumes at least most years.

I grew up buying my costumes. When I was little it was the costume in a box. Later they were from a costumes store.

**Labontet** · 10-29-2010, 06:11 AM

The one halloween outfit that I remember as a kid was a Casper the Friendly Ghost costume. It was actually "store bought" it had a little plastic mask that had a rubberband around the back of the head. Other than that, I don't remember any other costumes as a kid.

On the other hand, when I was working, we used to dress up and decorate the bank I worked at (to the max) and would have the local elementary schools bring the children to go through the bank and get candy, etc. There was always pictures in our local newspaper.

One of the cutest outfits I wore then was a homemade outfit representing Gretel (of Hansel and Gretel fame.)

**monkeywrangler71** · 10-29-2010, 07:34 AM

We all wore homemade costumes when I was little. Store bought costumes were just a plastic mask and a plastic poncho with a picture of the character on the front. You would have been ridiculed for wearing one.

Kids are so much more tolerant now.

I don't buy ready made costumes for my kids, but I do buy whatever bits and pieces I need to make what they want. This year they are going as Mario and Luigi, so I bought overalls, a tshirt and hat at the thrift store. We painted the new hat and dyed another hat that we already had. It's cute and worked out well for school today. They have a party this afternoon and they are not supposed to wear their costume until after lunch. So this morning they just happen to be wearing tshirts and overalls, all they have to do later is put on their hats.

**Booklover** · 10-29-2010, 08:30 AM

We never bought costumes! No one did. I remember one year a girl at school dressed up as Carol Burnett's washerwoman/janitor that she always was at the end of her show. Anyone remember that? This girl looked perfect, and for some reason it stands out in my mind.

Now I have either bought costumes or bought pieces for them. Kids seem to want things more specialized now, or a certain character.

My best find this year was a Pikachu costume for 5 dollars at Goodwill! They want $50 on up for them, and they are so cheap and flimsy. I had some amazon gift certificates so used them to get a Pickachu mask, took some long underwear and yellow Ritz dye and dyed them so she could have something warm to wear underneath, and there was my little Pokemon girl! But that was still considerable more expense than my parents ever shelled out. And that was only for one child!

My son went as Mario, too, but I found that costume marked down. But it was still pricey. My other daughter wanted to be a cowgirl. You'd think that would be easy, right? This past summer I picked up a suede fringed vest and leather hat someone was getting rid of, got a denim peasant skirt at Goodwill, but could not find cowboy boots for love or money! Finally found some boots that would pass, but definitely were not cowboy boots.

Halloween is supposed to be easy! I seem to put as much time into costumes and school party, etc. as I do into Christmas. Sheesh. (I'm not complaining, just surprised at the way things have changed.)

**imagine** · 10-29-2010, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by monkeywrangler71

Store bought costumes were just a plastic mask and a plastic poncho with a picture of the character on the front. You would have been ridiculed for wearing one.

I have very fond memories for my plastic mask costume. I wanted to be that princess for many years.

After a few years, my mom stood in front of all the fresh boxes of costumes at the store trying to convince me that those were better then the one I had worn for many years. I wasn't taking the bait. Finally my mom in frustration folded her arms and said I couldn't go trick or treating unless I picked out a new one. So I did. Can't remember what it was though.

**Booklover** · 10-29-2010, 08:37 AM

Palooka, I'm cracking up thinking about your co-workers trying to make the powder fly around!

**Booklover** · 10-29-2010, 08:40 AM

I understand what is meant by no one would have been seen in a store-bought costume. It was the same in my town. It was looked down on, almost like cheating. Kind of wish it would go back to that, but it won't.

**Trishagirl** · 10-29-2010, 08:57 AM

ForHisGlory It was the same for me growing up we had to make our own costumes and I like being a hobo I'd take a stick and a hankerchief and put newspaper in it and tie it to the stick and put on my older brothers old jeans and a flannel shirt of his and and old hat from my uncle and some of his old shoes and viola I was a hobo! Sometimes I add some face paint for a beard also. It was fun.

**frugalwarrior2** · 10-29-2010, 09:09 AM

OK So I'm spoiled. My Dmom would sew me elaborate costumes for Halloween. Once she made me a pilgrim,and another year a colonial girl. Dad worked at Sears and got bolts of fabric cheap. They had been used in displays and had tiny holes from being pinned up. I remember sitting at the pattern counter chairs for a hour just leafing through books. Sometimes she bought old pattern books for a dollar. Then we could look at home.
I was also Casper at some point. I was cool to get a store bought anything at that time.

**Booklover** · 10-29-2010, 09:18 AM

frugalwarrior2, that sounds so lovely! That's not spoiled at all. You had a mother with skill, talent, and desire, and the means to do so.

You were a lucky girl.

**MaryCarney** · 10-29-2010, 09:24 AM

I was a hobo EVERY SINGLE YEAR with the bindle on a stick, eyebrow pencil 'whiskers' and my Grandpa's old gardening shirt.

Best costume my kids ever had was my DS - made him a gigantic Wheaties box, put on a hockey mask and he carried a battle ax - he was a 'cereal killer'!!
My other kids wore my nurses cap (yes, they still make them) 'til they wore it out!!! DD is wearing a kimono this year that she bought in Chinatown on a mission trip to NYC