ChimpsAhoy

I take Halloween costumes quite seriously, but this year I will be in Mexico and unable to participate. Here are a few ideas I had this year that I won’t be able to pull off. Most of these are group costume ideas – we normally go down to Mill Avenue for Halloween, so some of the costumes are geared towards groups and outdoor (i.e. large scale costumes). These are mostly spectacularly nerdy Halloween costume ideas – not for the faint of heart. Several of these ideas I credit to my good friend Sonath.

The Wilsons| Difficulty: Easy

Hollywood has graced us with several famous Wilsons. This group Halloween costume idea is fairly expandable, but should include two key Wilsons:

Wilson from Home Improvement
Wilson from Cast Away – Put the ball on your head and cut small eyeholes!

A simple picket fence, neck-mounted or handheld mask will do the trick for Home Improvement Wilson (plus Goodwill-based neighborly attire). The Wilson ball may be a bit more difficult depending on the size of your head. Consider a larger ball that is structurally thick enough to maintain the shape with large cuts (i.e. basketball). A handprint from red paint – done! I’d recommend pairing the ball on the head with loincloth or castaway-eque clothing.

Depending on how many people are with you, this group Halloween idea is scalable. Consider adding a Woodrow Wilson, Luke/Owen Wilson, or Brian Wilson.

Bonus: Rita Wilson + Wilson from Cast Away may be a stretch, but certainly a smart couples combination.

Famous White and Black Guy Duos| Difficulty: Easy

Have a token white friend? Or a token black friend? Put them to use.

Everyone remembers this special time when Gary Coleman and David Hasselhoff were photographed in this moment of special specialness. Its a simple Halloween costume, but certainly a hit for this year.

Tom Selleck’s Magnum PI can be done with a mustache, short shorts, and a Hawaiian shirt or a tank top. For TC – suspenders, t-shirt, cap and blue jeans.

Mentos and Diet Coke | Difficulty: Moderate to Hard

It may be a bit late in the game to get the full effect of this nerdy costume duo, as this was huge in 2006. For Mentos (the skinnier person in the duo), purchase a large sheet of 1/8″ to 1/16″ flexible plastic sheeting (in the laminate flooring area) from Home Depot, roll it into a tube, and paint it. A large sheet can be had for around $20. Add aluminum foil for details on the ends. If you can get a projector, project the Mentos logos onto the plastic prior to rolling up. Cut arm holes. Diet Coke will be the difficult costume. I’d take cues from the Indiana Jones and the Boulder costume (see below) for building techniques on a cylinder this large. Again, the sheeting can be used for the outside of this costume. I’d recommend a 2″ to 3″ PVC mounted shoulder harness or bar to hold this large costume (see Indiana/Boulder).

Double Bonus – Because of the striking similarity to a foil-wrapped burrito, wrap these in aluminum foil and take these costumes down to Chipotle for a free burrito on Halloween.

Indiana Jones and the Boulder | Difficulty: Hard

Not for the faint of heart. This was our 2005 costume combo. Indiana Jones was a simple costume assembled from Goodwill clothing and a $15 fedora off ebay. The main problem was the boulder – both construction and the total weight of the rock. I’ve seen another Halloween costume on the web with a guy who has a gray pillow on his chest. That is lame. Go all or nothing on this costume.

Making the Indiana Jones Boulder
Because of the scale of the boulder, we used several two-wire metal ladder (detail below) structures from Home Depot, wrapped the ladders into a circle, and then build a sphere out of them:

We then built a shoulder harness for the inside, and coated it with a styrofoam support for comfort:

In the end, we covered it in chickenwire and paper mached the whole thing and left large hole at the bottom for the feet. Screened windows (simple door screens will work) are a must for a boulder of this scale. We had two rear views, two corner views and a main front window. After adding the windows, we painted the boulder (I recommend “oops” paint from Home Depot at $5 a gallon) in two tones of gray and painted the screen for blending. The screens were not visible from a distance or at night.

Finished Costume and Alternate Costume:

Bonus: Token Asian Friend + Woodblock duct taped to shoe = Short Round Costume

American Gladiators|Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Not for the faint of heart, as this singlet-based, balls-out Halloween costume pretty much puts your manhood on for all to display. However, it is a simple costume. Do a quick google search for ’singlet’ for several options. I’d opt for a patriotic American red, white and blue one for the full effect. Pull out your tole painting set or do an iron-on of the word “Ice,” “Turbo,” or “Laser” on the front so onlookers know you mean business. Don’t forget to cut your flat top.

Alternate, less racy Christian version: The Power Team

The cast of Saved By the Bell| Difficulty: Easy

A trip down to Goodwill and you can build out a classic hit in under $20.

Must have accessories:
Zach Morris: Brick Phone
AC Slater: Singlet
Jessie Spano: Caffiene pills
Belding: The phrase “Hey, hey hey, what is going on here?”

Alternate television cast: Perfect Strangers

Famous Gob Bluths| Difficulty:East to Moderate

Arrested Development’s life was short, but brilliant. Why not pay homage this year with you and your friends? Possible Gob’s:

Magician Gob, Construction Worker Gob, Hot Cops Gob, Ugly Sweater Gob, Segwey Gob, Banana Suit Gob, Prison Gob

Bonus: Steve Holt or Franklin.

The Quaker Oats Guy| Difficulty:East to Moderate

The whole point of this costume is the ambiguity of what he’s wearing below the shoulders. Go traditional Quaker or try something racy – “Quaker Oats ‘D__ in a box’?” Indeed.

Alternative: Steve from Chimpsahoy made a brilliant Gorton’s Fisherman last year.

Unicorn + Anything|Difficulty:Hard
Face the facts: unicorns have a short comedy lifespan, and 2007 may be your last year to pull this costume off. Go as a unicorn + a rider for this year’s sleeper hit. The rider could be a knight, barbarian, jockey, pirate, princess, etc.

Alternative: Dress your dog up like a unicorn.

Two-dimensional, pixelated, side-scrolling Mario| Difficulty: Moderate

I have no idea how to pull this one off, but this nerdy gamer costume can be done. I imagine a side view painted on a flat piece of cardboard would do the trick. Regular mario is a common costume, but do it in 2D, and you will be unique.

Domo-kun| Difficulty:Moderate to Difficult

Everyone’s favorite Japanese TV Mascot can be your Halloween Holiday Hit. Instructions on building this costume here.

Alternative: WB’s Gossamer.