I am not sure corporate america has an obligation but the parents sure do. Last I checked, most 2 nd graders do not have a lot of disposable cash. So it is the parent's choosing to buy those outfits for their children. The shame is really on them.

My son is going as Elmo and my daughter is going as tinkerbell (or so she says this week). For daughter it is never a problem because she always has dress up costumes for play. So she picks one from her dress up trunk.

I actually bought baby boy's costume on sale because he likes Elmo. Call me lame, I don't care. Two happy kids with little effort on my part, makes me happy.

Have fun everyone.

Although I myself wouldn't be okay with it, I have to point out that going as a modern-day boogeyman that everyone's afraid is lurking next door is pretty in line with the history of the holiday.

My kid's going as Superman. He has Superman PJs already and a square of red cloth so, we're done. Score!

I worry less about the ax-murderer costumes and more about the overly-sexy ones, because I generally don't worry that my daughter will grow up thinking that she's supposed to look like an ax-murderer. So every year, I balance her desire for pretty-princess-fairy-type stuff against my desire to keep things age-appropriate. Last year was a nice break (she wanted to be a vampire); this year, we're back to the original trend ("Spanish princess," a/k/a flamenco-style dress).

But I'm with foamy. Many, many people spent a whole lot of marketing dollars to convince my kids that they can't live without the latest-greatest-whatever, from food to toys to Halloween costumes. Yeah, it's frustrating as all get-out. But it's called a free market. In the end, it's my money, my kids, so I am the one who needs to draw the line.

DS is going to be a bat. Best Costume Ever -- we inherited it for free from my SIL, and he now wants to wear it for the third year in a row!

ummm.. no.

Corporate America has a responsibility to make money for its investors/shareholders.

if you'd like to surround yourself only with people who share your same values and morality, board up the windows, lock the doors and unplug the tv.

This article reflects a growing problem in our society where not only do people feel that their values are the RIGHT ones, but they take it beyond that and suggest/insist that others adjust their behavior to match.

what in the world gives you the right to say how i should act?

i would never dress our kids as Freddy or the Slutty Kitty (ewwwwww), but if other people want to, it's no business of mine.

I guess I have a hard time distinguishing why it would be ok to be a witch or a vampire and not a movie villan. I wouldn't want my son to dress up as a psychopath, but aren't witches (the bad kind, not Glenda) psychopaths too?

This year, my son is going to be a puppy dog. I made the costume by sewing ears and a tail onto a hooded sweatsuit. I tried it on him the other day and he loves it - didn't want to take it off, so I suspect we will get more use out of it than just Halloween. It's really cute, but it probably cost more for the supplies than it would have to just buy a puppy outfit at Target.

I have never seen one of those Major Trouble or Naughty Nurse type costumes in an elementary school child size. Not in a store, not on a kid at my door, not on a kid at a community Halloween carnival.

I don't see what the problem is with kids dressing up as Freddy Krueger or someone similar. It's no different than a vampire. And does anyone really think a kd is going to grow up to be a mass murderer just because he wore a Pinhead costume when he was 8?

My earlier post is in moderation? Can it be let go?

did my critical comments just get quarantined and rejected??? really?

While I agree that the sexy costumes have gone too far, I do think that most of them are targeted to an older, at least teenage crowd, not so much the 2nd graders.

As for the horror movie characters - that's not a growing trend. That's been going on for years, even when I was a kid back in the 80's. Kids like gross, scary stuff. So what? How do you make a logical link that that is damaging them somehow?

That's like saying that dressing them up as a puppy dog or other animal is doing to turn them into a Furry when they grow up (if you don't knwo what a Furry is, look it up on the 'net).

I would LIKE for companies not to sell some of these costumes but I believe they should be free to market whatever they want in terms of style. The government should (and generally does) regulate whether parts of the costume contain toxic paints or present strangulation hazards, for instance.

Kids' Halloween costumes are like food in that way: there is some wretched stuff out there and it's up to parents to not feed their kindergartner a (totally legal) daily lunch of a Big Mac, fries and a Coke.

What's up with comments? I posted an hour ago, and it's still in moderation.

Hint: If you see an underaged child dressed up in one of those naughty nurse costumes knocking on your door Halloween night, drop a pack of condoms in her candy bag. That'll teach 'em, ya think?

When my son was younger, the costume was always all about the accessories. Anything he could be that included a sword, mace, light saber, bloody knife, etc. was always his pick. Now that he's older (14) and has to make his own costume, he goes for whatever is easiest. I think this year he's planning on wrapping up in rags and using a bunch of fake blood to be a mummy. It's not particularly original, but it's fun for him.

So - while our family clearly is not in the "anti-horror" camp for Halloween, I really hate the fact that girls (especially teen girls) costumes seem to focus on being sexy. Whereas the horror costumes are something completely outside of the human experience - the sexy nurse (or whatever) is just another boring cliche.

Now that he's older (14) and has to make his own costume, he goes for whatever is easiest.
Posted by: GroovisMaximus61 |
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14? I was wondering how old is too old to go trick-or-treating. I thought that most kids that age were done with the halloween thing? Maybe I'm wrong.

The biggest problems with Halloween are a result of its getting adultized. My parents did not go to work in costumes and the slasher movie had not been invented yet in my youth. The horror was clearly fantasy and the sexy aspects of Dracula had not been emphasized. That said, it is still up to the parents. If we make certain that we do not buy certain costumes, the market will dry up. Think about it before you dress up your preteen as Skankula.

You are complaining that an 8 year old's halloween costume might be too scary?

I'm sorry, but this is the most ridiculous thing I have heard all week. Did you have nothing else to write about? Listen to yourself. You sound like Cartman's mother on 'Southpark.'

It's Halloween. THE COSTUMES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SCARY. That's the whole point. What, you think someone is going to see a 3'6" kid with a Hellraiser mask and call 911 thinking that someone is about to kill them? What exactly is the problem here?

I don't see anything wrong with young children dressed up as fictional serial killer for Halloween. In fact, I would think it was neat to see a 5 year old dressed up as Jason, Freddy, or Michael. It would be very original for that age range to dress up as that instead of the usual Superman, Spiderman, Transformer, and any other boring, unoriginal costume that surface every Halloween.

"doesn't corporate America have a responsibility to keep the kids' costumes clean ...?"

Where have you BEEN, Jen.

No, Corporate America doesn't have a responsibility to do ANYTHING but MAKE MONEY for their EXECUTIVES.

Sheesh. Where do think you are, France?

I echo ReaCalGal's sentiments. This is a whopper:
But doesn't corporate America have a responsibility to keep the kids' costumes clean, especially the ones marketed at those who are preteens and younger?

Are you kidding? Seriously, how can you write this? On which planet would this be?

They make what sells. Corporations are not your parents.

i'm still waiting for my comments from this morning to appear. strange.

the blog police just quarantined another of my critical posts. What's going on?

Pipe1, I get some older kids trick or treating, but most of them quit truly begging at 12 or 13. When I find big kids on my stoop they are usually kids from the block or pals of my own adolescents who recall that I give out full-sized candy bars. I'm sure my newly-minted 14 year-old boy will dress and go out with pals, but last year he mostly hung out with friends and really hit just a few houses that belonged to friends.

In our school district outside Philadelphia, you can wear your costume to school the day of Halloween, and the grade schools still do a costume parade that is a lot of fun. The middle school bands come in costume and provide the music for the parade. My HSschooler says the kids will show up with elements of costumes -- face paint, extraordinary hats, wings, hippie wear, etc. I'm sure there are parties and dances to go to in costume as well. Everyone likes to have fun.

interestingidea, my experience with the WaPo net nanny is that it eats long posts, and they never reappear. If it was a big one, break it up into smaller ones.

Here are some more appropriate options for kids, http://www.shop.com/halloween I really believe it is up to the parent to enforce what goes on their kids.

~Kat~
@katluvsshoes

That's what is curious. both posts that were eaten were of average length.

the content, however, challenged the premise of this blog posting.

But doesn't corporate America have a responsibility to keep the kids' costumes clean, especially the ones marketed at those who are preteens and younger?
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Useless post...I don't understand this statement either. Corporate America sells what they can make money on. If the parents buy it, then they will continue to sell it. Also, Halloween is supposed to be scary. If all kids wore Transformers and Super Mario Bros. costumes, they you would accuse corporate America of marketing their products on the backs of kids. It's all commercial and whether or not you choose to participate is up to you.

Back in the 1950s in Annapolis, I once went as a tube of Ipana tooth paste. Another year as a bottle of cough syrup from the Circle pharmacy (complete with prescription label. Both were home-made.

Last year we set up our then 16 month old for a lifetime of therapy by using a set of silky pajamas a friend had passed down (come on, what two year old needs silky pajamas?) and letting him ride in a wagon with all the stuffed bunnies we could find between our house and our neighbor's house.
This year I'm relieved that DSD has lost interest in trick-or-treating and is more than willing to either pass out candy or just walk around with the smaller kids.
As for the skank costumes -- they look so great when it's really cold out.

There are different degrees of "scariness" and therefore appropriateness in costumes and we should be concerned, therefore, about their influence. There is something disturbing about a kid dressed up in a mask like the character from the Saw movies. We would be naive to think there is no societal impact from such things. The kid who wears that mask likely will see the movie sooner than otherwise. Violent media have an impact on the mind. Serial killer Ted Bundy attributed the origins of his violent fantasies to pornography. If you don't think kids, teens or adults are influenced by what they see, how do you explain the millions of dollars that are spent on advertisements every day? Or cultural trends that start with MTV performances?

>"doesn't corporate America have a responsibility to keep the kids' costumes clean ...?"

Where have you BEEN, Jen.

No, Corporate America doesn't have a responsibility to do ANYTHING but MAKE MONEY for their EXECUTIVES.

Sheesh. Where do think you are, France?

As a bona fide Euopean om a super-regulated European country, I have to say that I don't think you will find costume-responsibility regulation there either. As long as the costumes are free of phtalates, parabenes and other pseudo-hormone containing substances, plus can safely be eaten, and contain no small parts that a toddler can choke on, and preferably as easy bio-degradable, no problem... :)

Slightly off topic I managed to sew my eldest's triceratops costume and a stegosaurus sweater w. tail for the baby. Definately cheaper than buying, and more fun. With the low prices here south, I have paid less than two dollars per costume in materials. One princess dress missing...

oops.

End quote

Weird, some of my signs and text disappear.

End quote after France

mike76277 -

so tired of the social crusaders telling others that their actions are going to ruin society.

do you remember all of the KISS costumes in the late '70s? boy, that really ruined our generation.

We would be naive to think there is ANY societal impact from halloween costumes.

I think we should have a day on here when everyone suggests topics for Brian to cover.

It ate all of mine today. Good way to drive traffic away from an already dwindling blog.

"Serial killer Ted Bundy attributed the origins of his violent fantasies to pornography."

And you believe him? Why?

I once heard an Irish Catholic priest mention in a theology seminar that he was sick of all the princesses and Power Rangers at Halloween. He thought kids should go as witches, monsters, etc. The original point of the holiday is to thumb your nose at evil and show you aren't afraid of it.

I guess I have a hard time distinguishing why it would be ok to be a witch or a vampire and not a movie villan. I wouldn't want my son to dress up as a psychopath, but aren't witches (the bad kind, not Glenda) psychopaths too?

Posted by: VaLGaL | October 22, 2009 9:12 AM

Um, you do understand that witches like Glinda, and the wicked witches in the Wizard of Oz aren't real? So, how can you think they would be psychopaths? They aren't - they're Baum's fantasies.

Or was that remark directed at the real people who post on this blog, and happen to be Pagan/Wiccan/Witches? Sorry, but members of my religion aren't any more likely to be psychopathic than members of any other religion, or people who don't practice any religion at all.

Okay, back to the topic of the day...

Older son wore a Darth Vader costume one year. Younger son has dressed up as some sort of ghoulish monster (with fake blood and weapons) for at least the last 5-6 years.

No, these evil character costumes didn't warp or damage my kids.

Easy, there, SueMc, I don't think she was snarking on your religion. I think she was wondering why "old school" scary halloween villians - which are not real - are ok but newer versions - such (also not real) Freddy or Jason - are not. What's the difference between the two, equally unreal and fantastical, scary villains?

The issue is that some of the characters are specific to movies that the kids are too young to watch. Thus the kid is either dressed up in something they don't understand, for the parents' entertainment, or the kid was inappropriately allowed to see a mature film. The Bad Mommy alarm goes off either way.

One more BB in the culture wars ammo stockpile.

By the way, is it my imagination or are the "We are against Halloween because it's Satanism dressed up by the superstitious Catholics" people quieter than usual this year?