Yikes…. Why should the fellas have all the fun ladies!!! I mean, if a man can walk around as the terrifying undead and cause havoc and mayhem eating the local populace then why not the fairer sex as well? The costume manufacturers in the USA and UK (especially Smiffys) have responded to growing demand from women for some outright sexy (and scary) ladies zombie costumes. There are some really cool looking costumes available including the Zombie Nurse (see picture) which was one of the biggest sellers in the UK last Halloween, with stocks selling out nearly 2 weeks before Halloween itself. You couldn’t get them for love nor money, and they were exchaning hands on eBay for more than twice their RRP! Watch this space for news of some exciting new costumes destined to hit the shelves before the 31st October….!
Lovely Lady Zombies!
The (Alternative) History of Halloween
It’s a well known fact that the History of Halloween can be traced right back to the year 35,000BC when the Celtic Druids, who roamed the ancient craggy lands of Scotland playing bagpipes really badly, would set fire to model versions of what they called ‘Demons’. The idea was to fend off evil spirits, and ensure that any monstrous ghosts and ghoulies wouldn’t haunt their homes. One of the most famous of these ‘demons’ was the fearsome Brucifer, an evil cackling gnome-like creature who would steal villagers from their beds. Another popular demon was known as the Flibbertigibbet- this mythical creature was said to breathe terrifying flames, and was reputed to have serious problems with flatulence. This led to the Druids naming the convention of burning demons as ‘Hallowegg’, which roughly translated means ‘Let’s get rid of that eggy smell’. They celebrated this festival on the 31st October each and every year. No doubt the burning of these effigies made the villagers feel a lot safer in their beds! At the very least the village would smell a lot nicer.
Over the centuries this ancient rite evolved into the celebration that we know today. Of course, along the way it picked up some additional meanings, and cultural ‘rites of passage’. One of the most popular of these is the act of Trick or Treating. Rumour has it that this practise was invented by Richard Nixon during his presidential campaign in the 1960′s. Perhaps the most fun element of Halloween, and one that is catching on quickly, is dressing up in costumes. The first example of dressing up at Halloween, so it is rumoured, took place in 1812, when a man named Geoff from Leaminton Spa accidently walked into a white sheet and started stumbling around and moaning loudly. We’d like to thank Geoff for introducing the world to this fun activity. God bless you Geoff. Here endeth the (alternative) history of Halloween.
Customising ‘Regular’ Costumes for Halloween
Nowadays its much more acceptable to ‘say no’ to traditional scary costumes at Halloween, such as zombies and vampires, and do something completly unexpected and ‘left-field’. It’s great to see people wear ’everyday’ costumes for Halloween parties, by putting a cool twist or customisation on it. And in fact, it’s been a popular traidition in America during Halloween for a long time now, and is slowly being adopted this side of the Pond! In America folks dress in regular costumes that they then customise. And, in fact, many just dress up in regular costumes without the customisation at all! Good work too, we say!
One such costume idea we’ve had is to wear the officially licensed Honey Monster Costume. Ok, so this character is best known as the main character from the Sugar Puffs ads. But, after all, he is still a monster, and with the addition of some grizzly fake blood and maybe a toy weapon (or two!), he suddenly becomes something pretty fearsome!
The officially licensed Honey Monster Costume includes a full over head mask, red jacket with “HM” on the front and “Honey Monster” on the back, furry gloves, and boot covers. Tell ‘em about the chainsaw Mummy! Ooooo- that’s dark!
Blogroll
