“Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and owlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble”
~William Shakespeare (Macbeth)
Predicting the next big meme for Halloween can be a dicey game, but some pretty standard trends have cropped up in the last decade or so. For starters, girls/women outfits have become increasingly scandalous and revealing (somehow boys/men costumes have resisted this trend thankfully). Topicality is the theme of the day. Larger than life politicians, musicians or entertainers can be the hot item to dress as one year but slip back in to obscurity the following season. So it is no surprise to see bedbugs a popular idea for a costume this year, checklist they are:
1. Scary
2. They suck blood
3. Live in the dark
4. Are actual monsters!
The big costume shops and online retailers missed the mark though this year and there really are no prepackaged bed bug kits or costumes you can buy for child or adult sizes. So if you have your heart set on dressing up as one of these scary little buggers you will need to cobble a costume from scratch.
I was laughing when I saw a few blogs/web sites offer tips on making your own costume as they suggested having “wings”! Bed bugs can not fly! They do not have wings at all! They cannot really even jump like a flea, they can drop or fall though so folks might confuse that behavior with jumping or flying. They do move very fast though for their size, having 6 legs and a dislike for the light or being exposed means they move fast to eat and then scurry back to their hidey-hole to digest and rest. They also have an antennae on each side of their head that almost looks like another set of legs at a quick glance. Basically, sew or find some long slender legs (4-6 depending if you want to have your own legs be part of the costume), a padded redish or brown colored abdomen piece and maybe pipe cleaners or painted straws for the antennae attached to a headband. Their are some pretty cute leggings or hosiery that could be worn with the costume as well, but even though a bed bug will sleep with almost anyone, it might be hard to make this an “adult” risque/sexy outfit! LOL!
Not a bed bug outfit, but ladybug costumes seem to be the most popular insect outfit this year
Get 5% off at Costume Craze! (coupon code: GET5)
We recommend wearing a Bed Bug Patch for going out trick-or-treating or to a Halloween Party this year!
Good Luck on your costume and have a safe Halloween this year!
Does your site think we will be able to find bedbug costumes for Halloween in 2011? Or is it just not a “sexy” or cool enough costume to ever have one made for retail?
Hanna
P.S. As a fan of “Project Runway” it would have been great to see the final 5 make a Halloween inspired dress or outfit for the last regular challenge!
The bed bug costume was a big hit at the Halloween party.
Thanks
Nice tips on a new costume, will try making one for next Halloween
MY daughters costume was a big hit at the Halloween party. Next year I am going to transform it into a stink bug costume for her
Was a big hit, well, we had to tell a few people what it was (they knew it was a bug, just not sure what kind). Will have another one of the kids wear it for Halloween 2011.
Thanks for the posts
Was a big success at the party. Will probably get another year or two of wear out of it as I spent plenty of time making my own costume for Halloween. Could not find one I liked, maybe next year there will be some actual bed bug adult costumes out there to buy.
Made a lady bug outfit for the kids last year, a bed bug is a good idea though too
Sounds like a lot of work to make this costume, much easier to just go as a fireman or Hugh Hefner I think!
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