Costume Canada – Costume Everything & Halloween Too

Let’s face it.

We’re Canadian. And that means we never know what the weather’s going to be like on Halloween, the night our youngsters hit the streets in search of wonderful candy goodies from our neighbours and friends.

One of our best-selling children’s costumes at CostumeChik.com! Go a size bigger and fit a winter jacket under Harry Potter’s robe.

It’s important to ensure our young trick-or-treaters are equipped to handle the cold and be safe once darkness falls.

Here are some handy tips for selecting costumes that will help everyone have a great time on Halloween.

1. Stay away from masks and go for costumes that use makeup. A mask could inhibit a child’s vision in the dark and might not make it easy to wear a warm tuque or earmuffs.
2. Watch for ‘flame resistant’ materials in the costume in case a neighbour has a candle-lit Jack-o-lantern on the front stoop.
3. Stick to bright colours that are clearly visible to motorists or place reflective tape on strategic locations on the costume (back, sleeves, backs of legs).
4. Carry a flashlight if you’re accompanying your young one or make sure your more independent tweens and teenagers have one with them.
5. Ensure a costume fits and doesn’t drag on the ground or have flouncy dirndls that could contribute to trips and falls on icy sidewalks.
6. Dress up winter boots to match the costume but keep the toesies warm. Princesses shouldn’t be going out in open-toed sandals, that’s for sure!

And most important, make sure you have fun. Halloween really is for the kids and the night should be filled with smiles and giggles.

Happy Halloween!

Did you know Americans are expected to spend $370 million on pet costumes this year?

We aren’t sure what the projection is in Canada but let’s go by the faithful 10% of the population. Even if we Canadians spent $37 million on pet costumes in 2012, that’s a lot of coin to get Fluffy all dolled up.

But hey, why not? They’re part of the family and they deserve their moments in the spotlight, too. (I know my dog loves any kind of attention he can get!)

Plus, dressing them up makes for some hilarious pictures.

CostumeChik has a great collection of dog costumes.

As a huge Legend of Sleepy Hollow fan, I absolutely love the Headless Horseman costume. The harness fastens to your dog with a velcro strap that fits over the stomach and another across the chest. The headless horseman and saddle are made of rubber latex for optimal comfort and lightness.

The harness costumes come in an array of characters, including a bull rider and a jockey. They look truly awesome on bigger dogs.

You can even geekify your pet in Star Wars style. Put him in a Darth Vader costume that’s a full body suit, complete with cape. There’s also a Yoda costume, because you know your canine pal is freakishly more intelligent than many give him credit.

The little fellas might be more willing to get fully geared up for some Halloween trick-or-treating.

The butterfly costume, licensed by Animal Planet, makes me giggle every time I look at it. It could be how much the dog wearing it seems to be loving his new personality. We also have a velociraptor and triceratops costume from Animal Planet.

Or you could Fido into the spirit of Halloween with a totally scary Frankenstein or ghost costume.

The great thing about pet costumes? We don’t just have them for Halloween. You can dress up your dog on almost any occasion.

We have a wonderful Santa costume, complete with red velour coat, hat and big black belt. Oh, you have more than one dog? Get a couple of elf costumes and create your own canine toy workshop!

And why leave out St. Patrick’s Day? That’s right. You can turn Rover into a wee little leprauchan.

Order now and we can get your pup’s costume to you in time for Halloween.

It’s election time in the United States.

A lot of Canadians are paying attention, thanks to the economic implications of whether the incumbent President Barack Obama returns to office or is unseated by Republic candidate, Mitt Romney.

Of course, none of that matters to us. We’re talking about Halloween costumes, right?

Exactly.

But Mitt (or as I call him, “Mittens”) has been inspiring some awesome costume ideas in my head.

At Tuesday night’s debate, he dropped a line about “binders full of women,” referencing his desire to hire more women in his gubernatorial office in Massachusetts. (The story is bunk, by the way.)

It has, however, created a firestorm of internet memes, including a Tumblr account, and some of the funniest darn pictures I’ve seen in a while.

Twitter friend, @mandahugnkiss, tweeted tonight:

Romney’s binders story gets worse – think I need to build a binder costume for Halloween via @salon bit.ly/PBUbGW #bindersofwomen

— Amanda Nelson (@mandahuginkiss) October 18, 2012

I howled and suggested all she needed was a cardboard box and some paint … and voila! (And how about a morphsuit to go under it?)

Of course, I’ve also been thinking about a great two-some costume. I almost suggested it to my American boyfriend for the Halloween party we’re supposed to attend this weekend.

Mittens chirped off about cutting funding to PBS at the first debate a few weeks ago. He looked over at moderator Jim Lehrer and said:

I’m sorry, Jim, I’m going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I’m going to stop other things. I like PBS, I love Big Bird. Actually like you, too. But I’m not going to — I’m not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for. That’s number one.

Who the heck doesn’t love Big Bird? For Halloween, I figured I could pick up a Big Bird suit (maybe the sexy costume for women?) and he could go as Mitt Romney.

The suit comes with a fur yellow shirt and a stuffed headpiece, while the sexy women’s costume is a flapper-style dress with a much smaller headpiece. It comes with the leggings but you’ll need to find your own footwear!

All the boyfriend needs is a suit … and that marvelous helmet of hair!

Still at a loss for a Halloween costume idea?  Head over to CostumeChik, Canada’s top source for online costume shopping. We aren’t sure if anything will come out of the next debate on Monday but, trust us, we’ll be watching and waiting!

We just love the pictures that came out of the New York Comic Con last weekend.

The sold-out event wrapped up today at the Javits Center and darn near everyone who walked through the door was dressed up as his or her favourite comic book character.

Organizers had an active Instagram feed for the weekend. They had it piped into their Facebook page, because not everyone has an Instagram account apparently. (Who? What? We know … really.)

Our favourite collection of shots comes from the guys over at Movies.com. They busted their butts to get some great pictures of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Poison Ivy, anime characters and more.

The best of all the shots? Slide 33 has folks dressed up as characters from The Neverending Story, including the Childlike Empress and Falcor, the dog-like dragon.

From Movies.com

Now that you’re all inspired to figure out your costume for Halloween (which is only 17 days away!), head over to CostumeChik and look around our inventory of superhero and comic book costumes.

Happy shopping!

Tags: comics, superheroes

We spend an awful lot of time talking about what the grownups are going to wear for Halloween or a costume party.

What about the kidlets?

Some of us — guilty — forget that Halloween is about kids and fun and trick-or-treating! Sometimes I miss those days of getting all excited about getting dressed up (and bundled up … brrrr) for a night wandering the streets of my community and seeing how many pillow cases my brothers and I could fill.

And now the dilemma … what’s the costume going to be?

CostumeChik, Canada’s top source for online costume shopping, has an amazing selection of Melissa & Doug role play costumes for kids.

Each Melissa & Doug role play set includes an adjustable tunic with embroidered embellishments, plus durable, wipe-clean accessories.

They’re easy to put on (and pull off) and simple to accessorize for the chilly Canadian streets when the kids are out collecting candy.

Your little one can choose from costumes for princesses, chefs, fire chiefs, knights, superheroes, pirates and more.

The chef costume is particularly adorable. The tunic comes with a set of measuring spoons, an oven mitt and a wooden fork, spatula and spoon. Complete the look with a matching hat that no chef would enter the kitchen without.

The costumes are machine washable and easy to toss into the playchest for everyday dressup, too.

Check out all the Melissa & Doug costumes we have at CostumeChik.

Tags: children, halloween costumes, kids, role play

Good grief, Charlie Brown! You’re how old?

It was 62 years ago on Tuesday that good ol’ Charlie Brown came into the world of newspaper comic strips. He brought with him Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Peppermint Patty and the rest of the Peanuts gang.

Charles Schultz drew the Peanuts strip every day for almost 50 years, taking only one five-week break in 1997 to celebrate his own birthday. He finally retired in 1999 after he suffered several strokes and was diagnosed with colon cancer.

He died a year later.

His legacy is a comic strip that brought many smiles to my face while I was growing up. Schultz and Charlie Brown made certain times of year extra special. My brothers and I scheduled our TV watching around A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

Speaking of which, the Great Pumpkin should be making his appearance very soon!

And in honour of Charlie Brown’s anniversary, we present you with the perfect costume:

The costume kit comes with Charlie Brown’s iconic yellow T-shirt and a pair of black shorts. It’s easy and everyone will know exactly who you are.

And since we’re all looking for Halloween costumes, you need your own Great Pumpkin to tag along with you, whether it’s your girlfriend, toddler or puppy.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this picture in my RSS feed.

Can you imagine the amount of work that went into blowing up all those balloons? My cheeks hurt just thinking about it!

That’s balloon artist Jeff Wright, who submitted his picture to Geek Tyrant, where I saw the picture.

I’m sure it’s a great costume if you’re kind of klutzy (like me) and tend to walk into walls that have been there for years. But maybe not such a good idea if you’re going to be around sharp objects.

If you’re looking for a simpler version of the Buzz Lightyear costume, especially with the rumours that Toy Story 4 is being “worked on,” we can get you hooked up as Buzz, Woody and Jessie over at CostumeChik.com. The costumes come in sizes for adults, kids and toddlers.

And hey, if you’re working on your own Halloween costume, we’d love to share pictures here at Costume Canada. Send us a pic and the story behind it to our email address. Just don’t forget that CostumeChik might have the right accessory — masks, wigs, makeup, swords, wings, wigs, whatever! — to finish off the look.

Tags: movie costumes

We find inspiration for a costume in some of the strangest places.

Of course, that’s good, right? We ought to be using our imagination!

Today, it comes from Mashable and a YouTube video one of its writers found. Koji Kondo transports us back to 1985 and performs an a cappella version of the Super Mario music.

The guys are even in costume. Check it out:

We love it!

Now jump in your time machine for your 2012 Halloween costume and see what you can come up with. CostumeChik, Canada’s top source for online costume shopping, has you all set up with a variety of Super Mario costumes for Halloween or an 80s night party or … you know … just for walking down the street to get some attention.

Our deluxe Super Mario costume is a one-piece stretch nylon jumpsuit of blue overalls and a red shirt. Hop into it and do it up with the Velcro snaps on the back. It comes with a red polyfoam hat, a pair of white polyfoam gloves, a self-adhesive black moustache and a blow-up belly.

OK, so, some guys have a do-it-yourself belly? We kid! We kid!

We also have costumes for the other characters on Super Mario’s team. Suit up the whole gang for a night of Super Mario fun. Princess Peach is available as a costume for women or girls.

You can also find Luigi, Waluigi and Wario for men or Luigi for toddlers.

You can even be a Super Mario Toad, if you want! It comes with an over-sized padded mushroom cap hat and a blue vest trimmed in yellow. Add your own pants for an easy-peasy costume.

We do recommend wearing pants. You never know how cold it’s going to be on your way to the party!

Tags: halloween costumes, video game

It’s true.

I’m a Hobbit geek.

When Peter Jackson announced he was putting the Lord of the Rings trilogy onto the silver screen more than 10 years ago, I could barely contain myself.

I made my then boyfriend go with me to the first instalment, The Fellowship of the Ring, released in 2001. He sat glued to his seat with every sword fight, every pound of a horse’s hoof, ever Orc scream.

Until the end of the movie … when Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee crested the hill that overlooked Mordor.

And that was it. The credits rolled.

He jumped out of his chair.

“That’s it? What do you mean it’s over? What happens to the ring?”

I stood there looking at him, my mouth agape.

“Um … honey, it’s a trilogy. The story won’t be complete until the third movie comes out in a few years.”

“That’s bulls***. I want to know what happens to the ring now.”

“Well, you could always read the books by J.R.R. Tolkein, like I did when I was 12.”

“Phphpt … read.”

I should have known right then and there it wasn’t destined to last.

In any case, there’s new reason to celebrate! The Hobbit, Tolkein’s prequel to the Lord trilogy, is Jackson’s new baby. He’s turned it into a trilogy and An Unexpected Journey hits Canadian theatres on Dec. 14.

Good old Bilbo Baggins journeys through Middle-earth to the Lonely Mountain to recover his treasures stolen by the dragon Smaug.

Familiar faces are back as Elijah Wood reprises his role as Frodo, Orlando Bloom dons his elven ears as Legolas and Ian McKellen returns as the wise and stately Gandalf.

Check out the trailer:

If you want to gather together your merry band of buddies and get dressed as the cast of characters from The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, CostumeChik can get you suited up. We have everything you need for Halloween costumes or heading to premiere night in December for the theatre release of The Hobbit.

Just in, we have an awesome Gandalf costume that includes a terrycloth rope, caplet and lots of billowing fabric for that ethereal, wizardly look. It comes with a belt, wizard’s bag and Gandalf’s tall, pointed hat. You’ll want to perfect the look with a beard and wig, too.

If you’re looking for Hobbit-themed costumes for women, we can get you dressed as Arwen, Queen of the Fairies.

Prefer to go the creepier, scarier route? We have masks for Gollum, the Stoorish Hobbit corrupted by the ring, and masks for Orcs, the ugly, warlike beings that served Morgoth, Sauron and Saruma.

Can you convince your friends to dress up in Halloween costumes of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings characters? Or will you wait until premiere night?

Pirates!

There are so many rumours circulating on the web about the fifth instalment of Pirates of the Caribbean that we don’t know whether to sheathe our swords or fluff the frills on our pirates blouses.

We can’t wait for Jack Sparrow to hit the open seas again and parry and thrust his way through the evil doings of whichever supernatural enemy he encounters this time. Yes, Johnny Depp as a toothy, unwashed pirate … I’ll give the girls a moment or two to think about it.

OK, now snap out of it.

/Film reported last week that filming is set to start in Puerto Rico in November but later posted an update, saying Disney will only confirm the movie is “in development.”

Wait … it gets better.

IGN says the script features the return of a major character, most likely Will Turner.

Wait … Orlando Bloom with long flowing locks and wearing tights?

Girls … another moment? Go ahead.

While the fourth instalment, On Stranger Tides, was weak and predictable when compared to its preceding three, we can’t get enough of Depp and his daring dives and acrobatic moves.

We won’t even see Pirates 5 in Canadian movie theatres until likely 2015 but that doesn’t mean we aren’t thinking about Halloween costumes!

Over at CostumeChik.com, Canada’s online source for costume shopping, we have an array of pirate costumes for men, women and kids.

Our authentic Jack Sparrow costume for men gets your ready to save the Black Pearl. It comes with shirt, jacket, pants, hat, boot tops, sash and a belt.  The hat is the piece de resistance, built with a burgundy head scarf and fake dreadlocks.

Women can choose between sweet but cunning Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swan or sexy but dangerous Penelope Cruz’s Angelica.

We have lots of single pieces, too, so you can build your own pirate costume. Start with a hat, a sword, a shirt or a pair of sexy pirate-inspired boots.