Ursula

Back in 2019, 10-year-old me was struggling to find the perfect Halloween costume for my 5th-grade Halloween party. I had no idea what I wanted to be for Halloween. My mom and sister came with me to Party City to find the best costume that fit my personality perfectly. We walked down the endless aisles, and my sister found her costume almost immediately, while I was still not sure what I wanted to be. Finally, we got to the back aisle in Party City and I found it, a costume of Ursula from The Little Mermaid. I frantically grabbed the purple sparkly skirt that had tentacles popping out of the sides of it, but then I realized that it was in adult sizes only. I ran around the store trying to find a kid’s version of the costume, but the only one in the store was my adult costume. I grabbed the adult small costume (they didn’t even have an adult extra small!) for myself, and when we got home. I crossed my fingers and hoped that the costume would fit, and when I finally put the costume on, I was shocked to discover that the costume fit perfectly! I was so proud of myself for finding the beautiful purple skirt and the seashell necklace that I jumped for joy. We bought a black sparkly shirt and a black pair of leggings to complete the ensemble. When I went to my class’s Halloween party on Halloween Day, I twirled around my tentacles and cast spells with my magic necklace to my friends in class. And when we went trick or treating that night, I was so proud to be the evil villain from The Little Mermaid causing chaos in my neighborhood.

Inflatable Costumes

Throughout the years, one costume has become more and more popular
– especially among younger kids and lazier people. These are the inflatable
Halloween costumes that tower over others as the people wearing them
walk around the streets going Trick-Or-Treating. From inflatable dinosaurs
to among us characters, these costumes are always really funny to stumble
across. Seeing people waddling around and not being able to see because
the peep hole in the front of the costumes are so small. I love how they
can take the form of virtually anything. A few more of my favorite blow
up Halloween costumes include the alien abducting people and shark.
Years ago, my brother dressed up as one of the person being abducted
by an alien inflatable costume and it was really funny to see him walk
around the house with an alien flopping behind him. Another reason why
these costumes are so great is because they are consistently used for funny
pranks, like people running through streets like they are being abducted or
YouTubers invading places with multiple people dressed up as things like
dinosaurs. Although they can be slightly annoying to the people around
them, it is very funny to see how the prank plays out.

Car Dealership Tube Man Costume

Superheroes, princesses, pirates, and the quintessential fall pumpkins
are Halloween costume classics. However, there is one ensemble that will

always outshine the rest. That, my friends, is the giant inflatable wiggle-
man costume (yes, like the ones at the car dealerships). It all started when

I was in the 5th grade with my mom, strolling the excessively long aisles
of the Halloween costume holy grail: Party City. After looking at over
20 different options, I was starting to lose hope. Suddenly, an electric
blue tube caught my eye. Ferociously digging past layer upon layer of
creepy clown masks and itchy princess wigs, I finally found what I was
looking for: something so over-the-top (literally, the costume inflated to
almost twice my height) and so outstanding that it made everyone stop
and think wow. “This is it!” I shout, parading around the corner with the
shiny package. I couldn’t wait for Halloween. A couple of weeks had
passed, and it was finally time to debut my costume. I took it out of the
wrapping, put in 4 fresh double-A batteries, watched myself transform
into the giant blue tube with long arms and a big cartoon smile, and hit
the cul-de-sac. With the fresh breeze from the tiny fan keeping my spirit
and costume alive, I wobbled and waved to everyone I saw. This must be
what the legends felt like, I remember thinking after a little trick-or-treater
asked to take a picture with me. I will never forget that Halloween or that
extraordinary costume.

Hamburger 

What is one thing every human needs to survive: hamburgers. Whether
veggie, turkey, chicken, vegan, good ‘ol beef, or whatever tastes good to
you, hamburgers are the epitome of classic American food. When 3rd
grade Ethan strolled the hallowed halls of Target for Halloween costumes
one October, only one thing jumped out: a hamburger costume. The
costume was very big at first, but nothing a few bobby pins could not
fix. With two overall felt sleeves, the costume could fit me for years to
come. The hamburger consisted of a puffed-out bun in the front, a lettuce
ruffle below with a red bright tomato underneath contrasted by a pale,
pink onion and ruffled pickle underneath. Then, of course, the cheese and
meat below. While walking around my neighborhood, I felt like a symbol
connecting everyone. I can walk up to a house and they will ask me what
company I am (P. Terry’s of course), maybe make a few jokes, flash a few
smiles, get my candy, and keep walking. For many years I have worn this
costume with pride, a treasure I found hidden amongst the back of the
shelves behind the popular fad costumes thrown askew from all the people
grabbing them to try them on. This sad, overlooked costume was a beacon
of brightness on dark, Halloween nights. When wearing the costume, I
feel like a representation of the excellence hamburgers have. Most people
do not know this, but hamburgers are estimated
to have been popularized in the late 1800s by
Charlie Nagreen. Little did that man know
that he would inspire generations to come.
Halloween costumes come and go just
as a burger flips up and down on a
grill, but hamburgers will always be
a constant presence in life.