Absurd workarounds are almost a staple in many Halloween costume shops at this point, so Sam has seen her fair share of funny costume names. "I've seen a Batman costume labeled [Deceased] Parents Hero... That's wild!", she tells us. "Another one would be a Stranger Things Costume labeled Unusual Events."
We had to ask Sam what the costume trends this year will be. "As far as movies/fandom I think Beetlejuice is going to be a popular costume along with newer horror slashers like Art the Clown," she told us. "I think we will see a lot of TikTok costumes, like 'Very Demure, Very Mindful' and 'Hawk Tuah.'"
When it comes to constructing your costume yourself, Sam is all for it. "[With] DIY, you are always going to see a different spin on a costume because everyone is creative in their own way," she points out. "You can tailor them to your preference depending [on] how dressy or comfy you'd like to be." Sam often goes for mixing both. "I'll do a base from a costume store and then make my own touches and accessories or vice versa."
Before moving to Salem, Sam would host annual Halloween parties and DIY her costumes. One year, she made a Jack O'Lantern Clown costume. She says that it would probably be her favorite all-time costume she's ever worn.
"I found a Jack O'Lantern smile temporary face tattoo that I used," Sam tells us about the process of her Jack O'Lantern Clown costume. "I painted the rest of my face around that. I risked my eyesight with these cool white-out contacts and teased my hair into whacky pigtails. I sprayed the ends of my hair black and orange."
"I took some Halloween tinsel garland I had from the dollar store and added that as trim on the dress and hem on the sleeves. I added little craft pom poms I had in my craft stash down the front. Ripped up some tights and added Halloween ribbon to my shoes. Topped off with some fake blood! It was spooky, fun and scary! What more can you ask for on Halloween?!"
People love dressing up for Halloween and the state of the Halloween costume market reflects that. In 2023, experts projected that the sum of money spent by Americans on Halloween costumes will be $4 billion. Even if people don't buy ready-made costumes, DIYing a good Halloween costume can cost a pretty penny as well.
What's more, people buy more things on Halloween than just costumes. There are decorations, party supplies, tickets to events and experiences, and so on. According to Statista, the amount Americans will spend on all things Halloween in 2024 should be $11.6 billion in total.
Why can't manufacturers just name the costumes Chucky, Wednesday, and Batman? Because of copyright laws. The studios who produced the movies or shows these characters appear in own the copyright. And, if the manufacturers and stores don't want to have legal trouble, they have to get creative with product naming.
But what about the costumes themselves then? Why can we dress up exactly like Jigsaw and not get in any trouble? This is all laid down in the Copyright Act. It states that costumes are "useful articles" and don't qualify for copyright protection. So, technically, the likeness of a character isn't what's copyrighted.
Then why does Mickey Mouse have to become Mousy? Because the law does protect design elements. For example, while Superman's blue tights and red underwear with the red cape aren't copyrighted as such, the stylized Superman S on the costume's chest is.
Masks, however, do qualify for copyright protection because masks fall outside of the "useful article" classification. But there still are some exceptions. The Michael Meyers mask, for example, is fair game because it's just a mold of William Shatner's face painted white and therefore not creative enough. At least that's what a court decided in 2000.
Historians say that Americans have been celebrating Halloween since the late 19th century. In 2024, 72% of Americans said they would be participating in some kind of Halloween activities. And while today, many associate Halloween with the US, its origins are actually in the Celtic pagan festival of Samhain.
So, what's the funniest costume name you've ever seen in a Halloween store, Pandas? And what are your Halloween costume ideas? Are you going store-bought or will you be making your own Juice Demon costume? Let us know your plans in the comments and share your past and future ideas for a spooky and funny costume!