I can still remember what the Halloween costume aisle smelled like. All that cheap plastic mixed with the super sweet smell of candy nobody eats anymore. Circus Peanuts, Necco Waffers....I can smell it now. (euchkk!)
Down at the Osco the shelfs had boxes with little windows with a little bit of fantasy peaking back at you. You’d look through them, trying to decide what you wanted to be, while Mom tried to get you to pick something so she could finish shopping. Finally giving up and going to do her shopping and coming back later. I mean, I assume that's what she did...She probably ducked out for a smoke for all I know. :)
But you couldn’t rush this. There were superheroes. There were monsters. There were apes. You needed to see what was behind the boxes in front.
Then there were the really scary masks, the expensive ones. Some of those things were almost $15. I’d look at those for a while, too, even though I knew we’d be heading back to the boxes.
You could be just about anybody
I looked up some of those old costumes while writing this and found a 1976 Vinnie Barbarino from Welcome Back, Kotter. Plastic mask and everything.
Think about that. You could be Batman. You could be Dracula. Or you could spend Halloween as John Travolta attending high school.
I’d love to know how many kids had that at the top of their list.
The superhero costumes had their own problems. A lot of them had a picture of the superhero printed right on the front. You’d be wearing a Batman mask and a costume with another Batman on your chest, just in case the neighbors were having trouble following along.
At the time, that seemed fine. You were getting a costume.
Naturally, I couldn’t leave it alone
Once we got home, I wanted to put it on. Mom wanted me to leave it in the box until Halloween so I wouldn’t tear it up.
She had apparently met me.
I’d sneak and put it on anyway. And inevitably, I’d rip something or break the elastic strap. So before Halloween night even got here, the costume was already a little janky. Maybe that's where I got my "got to fix it" complex.
Inevitably, I'd get it to work and nobody noticed...right?
A long night in cheap plastic
By the end of the night, that elastic string would be cutting into the tops of my ears. I’d keep moving it around, trying to find a spot that didn’t hurt.
The eye holes never seemed to be quite where I needed them, either. You’d turn your head and the mask wouldn’t necessarily come with you. And you could hear yourself breathing against that plastic making the inside of that thing wet. I’m choosing to remember it as moisture from my hot breath and not some other bodily fluids.
Every few houses, I’d push the mask up so I could breathe and see where I was going. Then it went back down for the next doorbell. You wanted people to see the costume, even if it was slowly becoming less comfortable than it was worth.
There was candy involved, though, so we kept going.
Mom had to check it first
Getting home didn’t mean you could start eating. First, Mom had to go through the candy.
After all that walking, with sore ears and a damp face, there was one more wait. You could see the stuff you wanted. It was right there. But you had to let her finish before you could dive in. ...you know, now that I think about it, maybe she was just taking the candy she wanted for herself. (y'all, I love my mom. I tease because I love.)
By then, the mask was off and I was pretty much done being whatever I’d been so excited about at the store.
The candy still had my full attention.
I still like looking through the faces
Looking through the Pops here at Blue Salamander Emporium reminds me a little of that costume aisle. I’ll be looking at a superhero, then notice a monster, then stop at Dr. Zaius.
That Beneath the Planet of the Apes Dr. Zaius #1863 fits right in with the feeling I remember. Apes, monsters, superheroes, all sharing the same stretch of shelf. You didn’t have to be interested in just one thing.
We’ve also got the Universal Monsters set, with Frankenstein, the Bride, Dracula, and the Gill-Man, plus plenty of superheroes to browse. Those familiar faces still get me to stop and look.
If your trying to figure out who to be this year, come have a look around. You might find some inspiration.
At least this time hopefully the elastic won’t cut into your ears.
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