When Costumes Were Plastic...or Pajamas
Kids today don't know how lucky that have it.
That could be applied to MANY things these days.
But, right now, I'm talking about Halloween costumes!
It used to be that you either bought a plastic costume with the flimsy plastic mask or you wore some of your regular clothes in a creative way to make a costume. Unless you were lucky enough to have a mom who could sew.
My kids have been dinosaurs, bunnies, knights, firefighters, cute monsters(as opposed to scary), giraffes, and monkeys. All adorable costumes. Purchased, of course. My excuse for not sewing is that there are so many cute costumes out there, that it's okay to buy. Plus, you know, I can't sew.
I'm linking up with the SITS Girls today for a Halloween blast from the past and showing you one of my old costumes. In case you didn't know, they have the best blogging tips! Honestly, a lot of the credit for my blog growing the way it has in the past year goes to them. (I had about 50 readers in early October last year- and then I discovered SITS!) Oh, and Tiffany is pretty.
Back to Halloween: One year, I was Minnie Mouse. With a cute dress straight from my closet that had Minnie printed all over it and a plastic Minnie mask. Another year I was Smurfette, with a blue turtleneck, blue tights, white slip with Smurfette printed on it, and a Smurfette mask. Another year, I was Cheer Bear: the plastic costume and mask, of course.
But, the picture I have to share with you is from 1980. Yup, THIRTY YEARS AGO. I was three. Yes, I'll totally flaunt my age. Being in your thirties is FABULOUS, you know!
I was Strawberry Shortcake.
I wore my Strawberry Shortcake nightgown and my mom found me a red wig and some sort of hat that was supposed to look something like Miss Shortcake's. Except that I'm pretty sure that it was a plastic shower cap.
Lord only knows what my brother was supposed to be.
Do you have a favorite or at least memorable Halloween costume from when you were growing up? Share with me in the comments or write your own post about it and link it up with SITS.
There is a contest to win a fabulous camera going on over there. That I'm not too proud to beg for. Since my camera is completely dead. After just 15 months. This is where I point out that *I* was not the one who wanted to get anything other than a Canon. That was Hubs. GRRRRRR! See, me winning the Canon camera from SITS- would not only give me a fabulous camera to take pics of my kids(stuck with disposables for now!), but it would let me be all obnoxious and prove to Hubs that I'm right and that Canons are always better.
There is a contest to win a fabulous camera going on over there. That I'm not too proud to beg for. Since my camera is completely dead. After just 15 months. This is where I point out that *I* was not the one who wanted to get anything other than a Canon. That was Hubs. GRRRRRR! See, me winning the Canon camera from SITS- would not only give me a fabulous camera to take pics of my kids(stuck with disposables for now!), but it would let me be all obnoxious and prove to Hubs that I'm right and that Canons are always better.
posted by Shell at
8:04 AM
49 Comments:
My most memorable costume growing up was a bag of groceries! My mom cut arm and leg holes out of a paper grocery bag and attached empty food boxes to the top of the bag. My hood was covered with green crepe paper crumpled to look like a head of lettuce. I've never seen another costume like it!
Happy Halloween!
How cute!
My favorite as a child I think was in preschool when I was a beautiful butterfly - hand made by my aunt!
I miss my mom helping me get my costumes together. Store bought can be cute, but there is something satisfying about putting together your own costumes. That's why we are doing that for all four this year.
They may not be as "cute" as the store bought, but I'm okay with that.
I don't sew either so my kids definitely had it made. The only saving grace is that there are so many Halloween stores that the prices seem more reasonable than in the past.
Also wanted to let you know that 30s are fabulous but 40s ar even BETTER! :-)
Strawberry shortcake? Aren't you a flashback of adorable? I guess mine would be Raggedy Ann. Yahhh.
Thanks for the chat and stopping by. You're welcome anytime. Following you.
Yes I had my plastic She-Ra outfit and my pajama Wonder Woman outfit.
I miss the 80's and 90's cartoons!
You cutie! I miss the old Halloween costumes although I'd love to be a child now with all the options out there.
My most memorable costume was when I was a huge zip-up painting suit (white) that fit over everything. That part was a ghost. Besides that, I wore a feathered mask to cover my eyes, and God knows what else. It was scary, but not in the way intended.
One year I was a killer teletubby. I had a teletubby hat, which is the only thing that made it a teletubby. I think I wore jean overalls.
All I can remember is that it used to be so cold that we had to wear our coats OVER our costumes! Never figured out why Mom just didn't make something that fit OVER the coat... but, much later, I was able to fulfill my costume needs by being the Jaws shark (yup, chicken wire and paper mache) and the next year, a pile of leaves... those were the days.... Love SITS
Wow...you dug deep into the family album! I remember when all kiddie costumes were logo shirt and pants and plastic masks. The Consumer Product Safety Commission must have banned them. BTW, a shower cap is a genius idea for the Strawberry Shortcake hat. I am impressed! One year mys sister and I dressed as MJ and Prince.
Thanks for stopping by my blog via SITS. I just had to come visit you. And I'm glad I did. I remember those days of those plastic costumes and masks. how tacky were those? Of course I've probably bought them for my own kids over the years. But we won't talk about that. HA
I love the flip flops on your blog. Gonna check it out now.
Happy Halloween! Remember to keep the "bad" candy ! heeheeheehee
Pam
I remember those plastic masks, I have a lot of memories of Halloween in those, I was a Cabbage Patch Doll one year! Then a couple of times my mom made my costume, she is crafty like that.
that is so adorable! My mom could sew, but of course nowadays even if I did have kids I probably would buy their costumes because fabric is stinkin' expensive!
I too was strawberry shortcake in the early 80's...LOL
The hay ride will be fine...
Have a great Halloween.
I tweeted this same question last night while walking around Halloween Headquarters. The costumes today are fabulous, but when I was little, every year I was a witch (plain black dress, with a plastic witch mask). Now, those were the days.
That is a very cute costume! I also remember the cheesy costumes from when I was little, but in some ways I think that was better. We had to have so much imagination to get something good.
One year, I was Raggedy Ann, another I was Pocahontas (long before the Disney movie), and yet another I was a flower fairy. I wish had all those pictures, but I'll have to get them from my mom.
Stopping by from SITS.
A sshower cap!!!!! Hahaha that is one thing I don't think we ever used and my mom was pretty creative! Love it!
Look how cute you are! Happy Halloween.
I don't remember my costumes growing up, but my very favorite costume for my boys was the first one - I sewed it with help from my MIL; it was a leopard. All 5 boys have worn it!
http://bluecottonmemory.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/socialism-or-capitalism-trick-or-treat-2/
BTW - Your Strawberry Shortcake was Adorable!
The Strawberry Shortcake costume is adorable! I know what you mean about costumes being completely amazing now. Sometimes I go into the Disney store just to look at the dresses and wish I was 5 again. The princess dresses are AMAZING now! Haha, I don't have a picture, but hands down my most memorable costume was when I was about 5. My Dad dressed me up as a witch, green face, black stringy hair, warts and all. Oh, I should mention that, as a child I was a very light blonde. Yeah, the dye didn't come out. So I went to school with spotty black hair for weeks. Then it finally started to fade...to grey. Yeah. Thanks Dad.
I totally remember the plastic costumes too...they were awesome!
Awwww, you were so cute in that costume! Well, I wish I could scrounge up a picture of me but, they are stored at my mom's. Well, I remember the plastic costumes, some resembled aprons and the masks were uncomfortable & downright creepy looking! I look back now and wonder if my girls will look back & think, "what was mom thinking?" LOL! Thanks for stopping by!
Nancy
I remember those days... I used to always end up being some kind of gypsy in a long skirt with lots of my mom's bead necklaces and scarves.
I think we should go back to good old fashioned home made costumes... mind you not the ones you sew... too much work. ;)
wow what a picture!!! I was Holly Hobbie one year!
Being just slightly older than you, I think your brother is dressed as a Transformer (the first iteration)... that would be a store-bought costume. You were scammed :)
ha! I had some pretty bad costumes too, it's just so easy now to go buy one! kids to have it easy these days!
My mom made the BEST costumes. She is an artist. She can sew. I was an adorable pumpkin one year and another year I was a Rubic's cube!
But the best costume she made was my brothers robot costume. (Until he fell over and couldn't get up.)
I do wish I were the person who realized making better costumes would be profitable!
Oh man, this post brings me back! It's so true. Kids have it so good! they can be anything they want. I have to go hunting for a great pic I have of me and my sister as gypsies. :) Good luck with the camera! I need a new one too. Mine is on the fritz!
Wish I had photos from my childhood of costumes I wore. Maybe that's why I take bazillions of pics of my kiddos. Thankfully they are cooperative. I do remember making our own costumes because we were so poor. None of them were memorable, that's for sure!
Mimi
You are right about the ease of finding costumes these days. And why do I always feel guilty if I just grab one off the rack and go? We managed to avoid that this year but only because the kids had simple expectations. A "baseball man" and a winged tutu girl (not quite sure if she was something specific). I enjoyed your blog! I love the name. I've said a million times that if I could find a truly anonymous place, it would open up a *world* of material!
Thanks for visiting my blog. Your Strawberry Shortcake costume is cuter than mine was as a little girl. I had the boxed one.. vinyl dress with plastic mask. I wish I had a picture of it. I think that is what inspired me to have my daughter be a much better Strawberry Shortcake than I ever was. And, I think I went as Strawberry Shortcake the same year as you. I don't remember exactly, but I *think* I was in 2nd grade which would have made it 1980!
I have been sitting here trying to remember some of the things that I dressed up as when I was a kid... I can remember being She-Ra Princess of Power (the plastic store bought stuff, of course) and a witch. Those are the only 2 that actually stick out in my mind..
Kaylee is dressing up as a hospital patient this year... We have a hospital gown, and oxygen tubing. I am going to use makeup and give her some fake bruises. We bought gauze to wrap around her head and fake blood to but on the gauze... Hoping that it will turn out OK!
One year I sliced open my thumb while carving my pumpkin. I ended up with a huge white bandage/guaze on my thumb (I have no idea why it was so big) so my parents dressed me up as a ghost to go with my thumb.
My costumes were hideous as a child. Even better, though, I can't locate any pictures to prove it. What?!? No pictures of Halloween!? Our kids have it soooo easy!!
Thanks for visiting!
Mami and I were talking about just sewing costumes up because there are so many creatives ideas we have and buying one is so costly anymore. I wore a bunch of those costumes with crappy plastic mask and the weird smelly elastic outfit. I remember one year I was Hulk Hogan lol
For the 15 bucks we spent on our little cow, we could have made a much better one...Happy Halloween!
Hahah, so true! One year I was the cookie monster when I was a kid. My mom didn't buy a wig-we used that hair spray color in a can that's supposed to wash out. I had blue hair for at least 2 weeks in the first grade. :-) Luckily not during picture day. ;-)
I remember this! Our mom usually made our costumes, I always wanted to be a princess or a witch. One year she bought ours, I have the picture somewhere, I need to post it sometime, I was Miss Piggy and had the plastic mask and a plastic outfit and had to wear it over my winter clothes because I grew up in Iowa where you freeze your balls off and there is usually snow on the ground already.
Canons are better! And 50 readers? Really? to a thousand now? Wow! And don't forget me! I've been around here a few times before. I don't know if I've left comments before but I sure do like your blog and enjoy reading your posts. You have a snazzy, happy feeling here ;)
-CK
Not participating this weekend because the whole anonymous blog thing makes it hard to post pics of oneself, but my sister and I were just reminiscing about how our Halloween costumes for the first 7 years of our lives centered around footy pajamas.
Happy Halloween!
I had completely forgotten about those wretched masks until just now! And you could barely see out of them and they had a tiny hole to "breath" out of! Oh, they were awful!
Haha!! I would love to see the smurfette costume :). When I was five, I dressed up as Marilyn Monroe (pretty sure it was my mom's idea). Complete with blonde wig and all!!
My mom was one of those that sewed. I was a Hershey's Kiss one year. Completely homemade. I so wish I knew where that costume was now.
can't see the pics right now but MAN, we used to have the plastic costumes, with the masks that would make your face sweat. And my brothers woudl snap the elastic band thingy.
good luck winning the camera !!
I always wanted to be a princess, but, Halloween night used to be a lot colder, sometimes snowing, and so our costumes either had to be worn over big winter coats, or winter coats had to be worn under the costume. Neither way made a beautiful princess!
My mom attached cereal boxes with plastic knives sticking out of them and I went as a cereal killer (kids can be expelled for taking plastic knives to school now).
I'm most offended by a Halloween costume my husband wore when he was 5. He went as a Mexican--poncho, mask, WORK GLOVES! How awful is that!?!? And the worst part is my MIL **still** doesn't see what's wrong with that. Ug!
We were just talking about how costumes used to be "back in the day" over the weekend at a costume party. I also remember when a woman could be a devil or police woman without having to be over the top "sexy" with the outfit :-) Yay for Halloween though, I love it!
We were just talking about how costumes used to be "back in the day" over the weekend at a costume party. I also remember when a woman could be a devil or police woman without having to be over the top "sexy" with the outfit :-) Yay for Halloween though, I love it!
We were just talking about how costumes used to be "back in the day" over the weekend at a costume party. I also remember when a woman could be a devil or police woman without having to be over the top "sexy" with the outfit :-) Yay for Halloween though, I love it!
You are so right! But think when we were little everyone would actually be home on Halloween so there were lots of houses to trick or treat to. So good things about our funny costumes
We had to layer...layer...layer clothes to keep warm! Hahaha! I always wanted to be Strawberry Shortcake...but my sister got that costume:( I was so jealous!!!!
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