Costume Chatter Blog

Are you tired of the same old cookie-cutter jack-o-lanterns littering the streets this time of year? If so, we’ve got some original masterworks that will appeal to the inner Picasso in any pumpkin artist. Read forth and feast your eyes on these tempestuous marriages of pumpkin and knife.

Osama bin Lantern

We definitely wouldn’t recommend putting this on your doorstep but some may want to mock terrorism…Maybe put a knife through the top? This white pumpkin was remade into the Al Queda leader’s face, complete with badly kept beard.

Carved by gunfire

On the surface, it looks like your ordinary jack-o-lantern. But while most pumpkins are carved with knives, this one was re purposed with another tool: a .22-caliber rifle! It must have taken a pretty skilled marksman to fashion a face out of live ammunition!

Balinese Carved Pumpkin

This pumpkin is a flawless recreation of a Balinese demon, inspired by the island of Bali, Indonesia. The detail and precision on the creature’s teeth and ears are absolutely stunning. This is an example of the boundless potential inherent in the artisan-pumpkin relationship!

Metallica

Heavy metal fans rejoice! No longer will you be left out of the Halloween celebration that your dark metal music shares so much in common with. This craftsman looked at his pumpkin and saw in his mind’s eye the tribute to hard rock music that had for so long been missing from autumn decorations. The pumpkin features the familiar fist artwork from the “St. Anger” album artwork.

The Burger Pumpkin

Think you’re looking at Burger King’s latest creation? Think again! This pumpkin was actually split in half, turned upside down, and stuffed with burger fixings to create the image of a delicious cheeseburger.

Disclaimer: The authors of this website are not responsible for the behavior of dogs who mistake this pumpkin for a burger, should you choose to emulate it!

Angry Tiki God

From the sacred texts of ancient mythology comes this pumpkin, a stunning replication of an angry tiki god. The tribal paint on his face is consistent with mythical portrayals of how this god looked, and the open top is considered a vent for the tiki god’s anger to flow out of him.

Chinese Dragon

In the spirit of saving the best for last, we offer you this pumpkin masterwork. With an exacting precision and skill, this masterwork transcends pumpkin carving to become fine art itself. Notice how the artist takes care to position everything in just such a way that it utilizes the right amount of light. The end result is a lit pumpkin that brings this ancient symbol of Chinese heritage to a stunning level of visual realization.

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***Update - AnytimeCostumes.com will have Halo costumes in July, 2008. Preview and pre-order your Halo costume.

Incredible custom made Halo 3 Spartan Master Chief Armor Halloween costume sold for $21,149.00 at an Ebay auction on Sept 20, 2007. Unfortunately costume manufacturers have not made a Halo costume this year but you can browse our large selection of Halloween costumes for adults, kids & infants.

The costume, created by an obvious gamer, was made from hard Urethane plastic and was one of a kind.

Imagine coming up with 21k for a unique costume like this!

Technorati Tags: halo, halo 3, halloween, costumes, halloween costumes, halo costume, gaming news

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The National Confectioners Association estimates that Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States and that 93% of children will go trick-or-treating each year.

Although all candy is free for trick-or-treaters and most kids will take anything with a smile, they tend to consume and categorize candy to what is known as the Halloween Candy Hierarchy, a research that was conducted in 2006 with thorough testing and re-testing…

• TOP TIER - (not suprisingly, exclusively chocolate-based)
  • Milly Way — Snickers — Peanut M&M’s — Regular M&Ms — Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Junior Mints — regular old Hershey Bars* — Twix

• SECOND TIER - (also exclusively chocolate, after fending off a few intruders)
  • Kit-Kat* — Nestle Crunch — Almond Joy — Mounds — Tootsie Rolls* — Dark Chocolate Hershey Bars — Fair Trade Chocolate — Butterfinger

• THIRD TIER - (also referred to as the chewy range or, in some circles, the Upper Chewy or Upper Devonian)
  • Milk Duds — Starburst — Jolly Ranchers (if a good flavor) — 100 Grand Bar

• BOTTOM TIER - (the Lower Chewy and Gummy-Based, also the Middle Crunchy Tart Layer)
  • Dots — Lollipops — Nerds — Whoppers — Swedish Fish — Gummy Bears straight up — Licorice — Anything from Brach’s — Hard Candy — Bubble Gum — LemonHeads — LaffyTaffy — Including the Chiclets (but not the erasers) — Jolly Ranchers (if a bad flavor) — Black Jacks — Bottle Caps — Smarties

• Tier so low it does not register on our equipment
  • Healthy Fruit — Pencils — Lapel Pins — Extra Strength Tylenol

For more ideas on what to pass out for Halloween check out The Etiquette of Handing Out Halloween Candy article on Stuffmagazine.com.

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Thinking of sending your kid to school this year in a cool Halloween costume?  Considering passing out Halloween candy or sprucing up your yard this year to “spook” the neighborhood?  Here are 10 tips for making your Halloween a success this year.

Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful Holiday of the year in which millions of people dress to impress, attend Halloween parties, and line the streets in the hopes of growing their candy bank.

1. Get creative with your kids Halloween costume.

Justification – Would you send your kid to school wearing this costume? Little kids are harsh these days - the last thing your kids friends need is ammo for jokes and laughs. Invest some time in researching costumes online or visit the local costume store and find a costume your kid can be proud wearing. If you have someone in the family that can make a custom costume, more power to you!

2. Be aware of the people you scare!

Justification – Let’s say you want to be the biggest and baddest decorated house in the neighborhood this year - great! Just be very careful on how creative you get and who you decide to scare. Halloween is not meant to send little kids home crying - try to use your best judgment on who you decide to “trick.”

3. Decide on your Halloween costume early.

Justification – if you wait too long, your neighborhood Halloween costume store will have limited supply. Most online costume stores offer an exchange on costumes so buy your costume early just in case it doesn’t turn out exactly how you wanted. Additionally, the sooner you get your Halloween costume, the sooner you can claim your costume amongst your friends and loved ones - there’s nothing worse than showing up at a party and seeing 5 others wearing the same costume!

4. When attending a work-related Halloween party as a group, get creative!

Justification – Imagine if you showed up to a work party as a group wearing these costumes. If you are going to a work party as a group, put some more thought into it – although Halloween is the time of year wear people can dress how they like, people at work will remember what you wore – don’t get too loose in thinking you can get away with “anything.” Put some thought in to your costume this year for Halloween – Making a good impression on your coworkers will likely result in things we all want – like raises. (photo from unknown source)

5. Choose a costume that will appeal to ALL audiences.

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Justification – If it’s offensive, don’t wear it…Putting on any one of these costumes might offend others. Of course, Halloween is the time of year in which you can get away with wearing pretty much anything, but don’t wear a costume that might offend others – it’s that simple. It’s ok to express yourself but ask yourself the question “Can I get away with wearing this costume and not offend others?” Costumes from Movies that were a big hit from the past or present or funny costumes are a safe bet.

6. Place pumpkins in your yard that have Universal appeal.

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Justification – Imagine how little Johnny would feel if he saw pumpkins like this on your lawn? Many kids thoroughly enjoy this time of year and you don’t want to upset your neighbors with your bad humor. Take some time to create a pumpkin with Universal appeal. Remember, Halloween is not about having an excuse to express your inner self and get away with it. Halloween is about fun, candy, and wearing costumes that put a smile on your face.

7. If your dog or cat will be wearing a costume this year put them in a costume you would wear yourself.

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Justification – How happy do these pets look? If you have a pet that digs this sort of thing, great. Put them in a costume that you would wear yourself! If not, don’t force your pet to put on a costume for your enjoyment of taking a quick snap shot and sending it off to family and friends for bragging rights.

8. Pass out Halloween candy children WANT - not what’s best for them.

Justification – How many children would actually trick-or-treat around the neighborhood if they knew they were getting hot chocolate packets, nuts, granola bars, cheese and cracker packs, sugar free gum or pretzels?

Follow the Halloween Candy Hierarchy to make sure you pass out the good stuff! (comic photo from clanofthecats.com - Jamie Robertson)

9. Be supportive of trick-or-treater’s costumes.

Justification – Don’t ask a kid “What are you supposed to be?”  Kids want you to know what they are supposed to be. Asking them this very question simply devalues the effort they put in to deciding what they were going to wear for Halloween. A simple “what a great costume” or “I love your costume” or “your costume is great!” would work just fine. (comic photo from greenhorncomic.com)

10. Turn your porch light on, place a pumpkin in your lawn & pass out candy if you’re home.

Justification – According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there was an estimated 36.1 million potential trick-or-treaters in 2006 (children 5 to 13) – keep the tradition alive and pass out some candy!

Just imagine what Halloween would have been like for you if EVERY house in your neighborhood passed out Halloween candy with a smile. (photo from unknown source)

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Donate your old Halloween Costume and get 20% off at AnytimeCostumes.com

AnytimeCostumes.com is pleased to sponsor the 2nd Annual Halloween Costume Exchange with Preschoolrock.com. The Halloween Costume Exchange program enables parents in need for costumes to find free Halloween costumes from generous people who have donated their old Halloween costumes.

How it works

For those donating Halloween costumes all you need to do is visit this link to fill out a short form. Once your submission is received, the staff at Preschoolrock.com will email you a code for 20% off your next purchase at Anytime Costumes.

For those searching for free Halloween costumes (you may pay shipping) all you need to do is check the Preschoolrock.com website for free costumes added daily. You find the costume you like, and Preschoolrock.com gets you in touch with the donated costume’s owner and you negotiate who pays shipping - thats it!

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