Children Do Not Want Fairy Costumes For Halloween

If you know me a little, you already know that I am Belgian.

In Belgium, we always celebrated All Saints Day and the Day of Deaths on 1st and 2nd of November instead of Halloween and I cannot say that they are subjects very funny to write about. In Belgium also, the weather is always rainy, so, since I work in a school, children are often inside rather than outside and I always have to find an activity for them so that they are not bored. This week I also had to find some Halloween subjects to write about.

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So, I found the solution: instead of writing an article dedicated to Halloween and called "top 10 Halloween Kids Costumes" based on articles and information written by adults, I asked the children what are the Halloween costumes they would like to dress on October 31st.

I must acknowledge that I was terribly disappointed. When I was a child, I adored being dressed up as a princess, baroness, White-Snow, etc. For Carnival, the boys were all dressed like Robin Hood, The prince of Arabian Nights, cow-boy, indian, musketeers...

But what kind of costume do the 2007 children like? I asked the children at school what kind of costume they want to dress for Halloween. The answers were diversified even though they did not have much of magical touch.

"What kind of Halloween costume would you like for Halloween, Sylvie?"

"Scream's costume including the mask of course, Madame Domi!" She is only 10 years old! I thought that her answer would be a Cinderella or Esmeralda costume. It was not! She wanted to dress the Scream's murderer costume. Why? Because Scream was the most interesting movie she saw!

Anaïs answer was the following one:

"I want to dress a rich witch costume, with a pointy hat, a black wig, a large hooked nose with a big button on it, long nails like claws and pointed shoes".

Agon hesitated between the Devil's costume: the same as in the bible, with a tail, a fork, horns... or a pirate costume.

"As Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean?" I asked to him.

"No, sometimes pirates are skeletons and I want to be a skeleton-ghost-pirate."

Another one answered:

"I want to dress the Monster Mash costume, Madame".

The kid probably heard talking about the Monster Mash when he watched The Simpsons' Halloween show. I love the Monster Mash song but never saw the Monster Mash in person and I do not think that someone saw this monster and knows what kind of costume he dresses.

The youngest children interviewed want to dress a Superman or a Batman costume.

My greatest surprise was Cynthia answer, who we call Brutus because she is not a delicate young girl. Cynthia wants to dress a princess costume.

So, the top 5 Children Halloween Costumes are:

Scream's murderer costume,
Witch Costume,
The Devil's costume,
Pirate costume,
Spiderman or Batman costume.

I will interview my +40 years old friends on what they would like to dress as Halloween costumes!

I think I will be surprised!

Children Do Not Want Fairy Costumes For Halloween

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Get a Carnival Costumes to Participate in the Rio De Janeiro Parade

Before I start to talk about buying carnival costumes I have to explain a little bit about the competition held in the great samba stadium Sambódromo every year.

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The images of thousands of people parading the most colourful and elaborate costumes is well spread around the world. Almost all these pictures have their origin in the yearly carnival parade competition. Fourteen so called samba schools all try to please the judges and get the highest score. Qualities like theme, music, drum section and synchronization is judged. Every year one shool from the so called Grupo de Acesso (second division) get promoted and the last of the 14 in Grupo Especial (first division) is relegated. On Carnival Saturday the second division parades and on Sunday and Monday it´s the first division.

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The parade (or desfile) of each school lasts about 60-80 minutes. It consists of several vehicles and sections of around 200 people each where everyone wears a certain costume. A few of these sections are open to everyone so you can buy yourself a costume and participate.

I did this 5 years ago, and it is a memory for life. Me and my friends paraded with Alegria da Zona Sul, a second division school with their base in the favelas in Copacabana. Dressed in golden shoes and silky red and white clothes we all met outside the big samba stadium Sambódromo. Standing outside waiting to go in you could feel how everyones expectations were high, a whole year of practice and preparations had been building up to this moment.

Hours and hours of waiting and then the fireworks marking the start of each school began. Our drum section started, 250 man strong hammering away. We all started to sing the song we had been told to learn. Slowly our parade began and before we knew it we were in the stadium. Singing, dancing and smiling in front of tens of thousands of people we slowly made our way down the long parade street. More than 60 minutes later it was over. It was like an explosion of colour, music and explosion that was over, we went back home to our friends flat in Leblon.

In retrospect I can easily say it was one of the greater experiences in my life. What I could have done better is to learn a bit more about the history and traditions of the carnival parade, especially about the particular school I went with. I don´t think going in the cheaper Grupo de Acesso lessened our experience, I've actually heard that you are given much more freedom in these since the bigger schools are so competitive they control you more.

Get a Carnival Costumes to Participate in the Rio De Janeiro Parade

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Fairytale Costumes and Nursery Rhyme Costumes For Adults

Fairytale and nursery rhymes costume are great costumes for children during Halloween. However, these costumes do not have to be limited to children alone. Nowadays, there are adult counterparts of these costumes that older people can wear for Halloween and other events, including tea parties, birthdays, carnivals, festivals and fairs. Here are some of them.

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Fairytale Costumes
Even big girls dream of becoming a princess. Indulge in this fantasy by dressing up in fairytale costumes! You can get Sleeping Beauty's all-pink ensemble; Snow White's high-collared dress with a blue bodice and yellow skirt; Cinderella's royal white-and-blue dress and glass slippers; Belle's yellow off-shoulder fancy dress; Jasmine's purple tube top and cameo; Ariel's lilac strapless top and green mermaid-style skirt; and even Princess Fiona's olive green gown and ogre ears.

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Aside from these fairytale princesses, you can also dress up as other fairytale characters. Choose from Dorothy's blue checkered gingham dress with a white blouse and classic red shoes; Alice in Wonderland's satin dress in blue with a pinafore attached and black lace trimmings; the Evil Queen's royal purple dress with a black fancy collar and black cape; the Mad Hatter's blue jacket with matching bowtie, bright green pants and a tall velveteen hat; or even the Big Bad Wolf in Grandma's white floral nightgown and a nightcap that matches, to name a few.

When wearing these fairytale costumes, make sure you put on the right accessories. Try on a wig to copy the hairstyle, a headband or a tiara, gloves, jewelry, a matching purse and the like. Put on some elegant make-up to match, as well.

Nursery Rhyme Costumes
Nursery rhyme characters are also well-loved classics. You can go for a big Humpty Dumpty egg costume with flesh-colored tights; Little Miss Muffet's pink gingham dress with petticoat; or Little Bo Peep's white-and-pink checkered dress with a matching bonnet. You can even make your own versions of certain nursery rhyme characters, such as the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe or the 3 Blind Mice. As with the fairytale costumes, it is important to accessorize. Wear matching hair ties and accessories, bring a gold staff or attach fake spiders to your clothes.

Sexy Costume Versions
A common variation to the regular fairytale and nursery rhyme costumes is their sexy versions. If you're more adventurous, you might want to go for Tinkerbell's short green dress with uneven hemlines and pixie wings; Little Red Riding Hood's red mini dress, white apron and red cape; Goldilocks' bright yellow bra top and matching mini skirt; the Queen of Heart's red-and-black petticoat dress with heart designs; or Mary Had a Little Lamb's black-and-white mini dress with lace-up corset and black choker. When wearing these sexy costumes, high-heeled boots and thigh-high stockings usually add more appeal to the outfit. Accessories, such as baskets, cards and wigs, can also make the characters more identifiable. You should also go for some flashy make-up, to complement your entire outfit.

These are only some of the costumes you can wear that have fairytale or nursery rhyme themes. If you're looking for more, you can go to your local costume store to search for available costumes or check online specialty stores to give you more options. These fairytale and nursery rhyme costumes are perfect for both the young and the young at heart!

Fairytale Costumes and Nursery Rhyme Costumes For Adults

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