The History of Halloween Costumes By Kayla Doria Ward

By Kayla Doria Ward

The spookiest time of year is finally here! One of the many things I enjoy about this time of year is dressing up and making elaborate costumes. If you agree, you’ve probably been scrolling through Pinterest boards for costume ideas and dusting off your hot glue gun over the past few weeks. Whether you're going for a sexy cat or the paint grandpa meme, Halloween lets creatives really shine!

If you grew up in the 2000s, you're no stranger to elaborate costumes. Take Heidi Klum's Halloween parties, for example. From E.T. to Shrek, she is no stranger to fixing up an elaborate costume. With the rise of social media, more and more people show off their niche costumes. Some even become that year's trending costumes, like the 2000s ladybug costume that made a huge comeback.

Looking back at the origins of Halloween and the development of costume culture, it looks very different from today's costumes and traditions. So when did costumes and trick-or-treating really blossom, and what even is Halloween?

Introducing Halloween

Halloween's origins trace back over 2,000 years to the Celts' pagan holiday, Samhain, which marks the beginning of winter. People believed the veil between the dead and the living was thinnest at this time of year. People believed that wearing disguises would ward off spirits. This tradition was carried over to North America when Irish immigrants fled famine in the 1840s.

This tradition and belief are what fueled costumes in the early 20th century. The spookier the costume, the better protection you had from the spirits passing through.

1920s

The trend of scary costumes for protection continued into the 1920s. People made homemade costumes from old clothing, burlap, and papier-mâché. Heavy cloth masks were used to cover faces and conceal identity. Young pranksters often wore masks to avoid being accused of pranks by neighbors.

Popular costumes included white sheet ghosts, witches, pierrot clowns, wanderers, pirates, black cats, and owls.

1930s

This period saw a huge boom in Disney-related costumes, especially Mickey and Minnie costumes. Many still made handmade costumes because of the Great Depression. Box stores like Sears carried costumes, but they were considered a luxury at the time.

Popular costumes included witches with paper pointy hats, scarecrows, Mickey Mouse, Snow White, and pumpkin heads.

Halloween traditions of passing out candy, costume parties, and haunted houses emerged to curb unwanted behavior. While “tricksters” and pranks were a huge part of Halloween, many saw these new traditions as ways to cater to the youth.

1940s

World War II influenced costumes by introducing the first glimpse of “sexy costumes,” inspired by pin-up photos made popular by both Hollywood and the U.S. government. Hollywood also influenced many popular costumes, including film noir detectives, classic monsters, cowboys, and clowns.

Other popular costumes included Aviators, Rosie the Riveter (“We Can Do It” poster girl), witches, cats, and skeletons.

Wartime also brought sugar rationing, which reduced trick-or-treating. People were also encouraged to return to homemade costumes, relying on paper, felt, scrap fabric, or repurposed clothing rather than box stores.

1950s

The decade of box stores becoming more affordable to the middle class! Kids started wearing costumes from popular movies and comics. A spike in cowboy and culturally insensitive portrayals of indigenous peoples was also very popular among all. Comic book characters and action heroes also rose in popularity. Once again, Disney saw another boom with the release of Cinderella in 1950 and Peter Pan in 1953.

Other popular costumes included cowboys/western heroes, Mickey Mouse, Superman, Tarzan, and Batman (1954), doctor/nurse, mummies, and pirates.

1960s-1970s

The ‘60s saw a boom in colorful pop culture-adjacent costumes, cartoon characters, and musicians. The Beatles became a hit with all ages. Classic superheroes Batman, Catwoman, Superman, and Spider-Man also saw a huge boom. Cartoon characters like Casper the Friendly Ghost, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and Barbie also trended with younger kids.

The ‘70s continued these trends with musicians like KISS, Elvis, and Elton John. Sci-fi movies got their flowers with Star Wars characters like Darth Vader and Princess Leia, Jaws, and The Godfather. Presidential masks became more prevalent in the ‘70s with events like Watergate and anti-war marches.

Other popular costumes consisted of sequined disco jumpsuits, platform shoes, and go-go boots. Box stores also mass-produced plastic masks with matching vinyl smocks depicting Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, werewolves, and devils.

The most important marking of these decades involved the rise of the LGBTQ+ community in public Halloween-related parties and events. Halloween became the one night a year the community could freely express their identities. For example, San Francisco had laws against wearing clothing of the opposite sex, so Halloween offered an opportunity to bypass them.

1980s

A boom in pop-culture-related costumes took over this decade. A new era of horror films emerged, including iconic costumes of Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddie Krueger. A rise in sci-fi and fantasy films like Star Wars, E.T., and Ghostbusters created a new costume niche. Movies and television weren’t forgotten with popular characters like Strawberry Shortcake, He-Man and She-Ra, and The Smurfs. Musicians like Madonna and Michael Jackson were also popular.

1990s-2000s

Pop culture trends ruled Halloween, and character costumes like witches and pirates were less popular than they once were. Popular film-related costumes included Lloyd and Harry from Dumb & Dumber, Austin Powers, Ghostface, and characters from Harry Potter. 2000s pop icons like Britney Spears and the Spice Girls were popular in the musicians category. Disney also saw a boom for younger trick-or-treaters with the release of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Mulan, and The Princess and the Frog.

“Sexy costumes” also had a huge rise in the 2000s. Box stores and specialty retailers like Spirit Halloween carried a plethora of everyday things or people with minimal fabric. Sexy corn, baristas, cheerleaders, inmates, etc.

2010s-Current

Most modern costumes continue the same trend from the 2000s. Pop culture still heavily influences costume ideas. From movies, musicians, gamers, influencers, and even memes. But I think the most unique part of these past decades is the rise of cosplay-like costumes. With TikTok and YouTube so prevalent, more and more people are opting to piece together costumes again instead of buying from overpriced box stores. Popular DIY costumes just in the past few years include many niches, from the “A Bad Case of The Stripes” girl to sexy Nyan Cat.

I encourage everyone reading to tap back into making their own costumes! Even if it is just pulling or buying tops/bottoms from your closet or the mall. Get creative! Dressing up shouldn’t be about what's trending, like low-effort police or intimate costumes. Really get out there and pick something true to you! I’ve already seen so many adorable Lalaloopsy and Mad Hatter costumes. The most unique costume is one you make or put together yourself.

Sources

TokyoMagic! (2020, October 19). A vintage Halloween potpourri (1960s & 1970s). Meet the World.
https://meettheworldinprogressland.blogspot.com/2024/10/my-childhood-halloween-costumes.html

Children's Theatre Company. (2023, October 26). A history of the Halloween costume.
https://childrenstheatre.org/2023/10/26/a-history-of-the-halloween-costume/

Shaw, G. (2022, October 20). 23 photos that show how Halloween has evolved since it was popularized in the late 1800s. Business Insider.
https://www.businessinsider.com/halloween-through-the-years-2019-9