| 1 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1610846464011369800 |
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| 3 | %% |
| 4 | [[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/{{Scoob}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scoob1_2.png]]]] |
| 5 | [[caption-width-right:350:L-R: TheSmartOne, the [[PluckyComicRelief comic relief]], the TeamPet,\ |
| 6 | GirlyGirl, and TheLeader.]] |
| 7 | %% |
| 8 | %% Caption selected per above IP thread. Please do not replace or remove without discussion in the Caption Repair thread: |
| 9 | %% https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1404492079030138900 |
| 10 | %% |
| 11 | Ah, Halloween. The one night a year when everyone, not just cosplayers, can -- nay, are ''expected'' to -- dress up as any fantastical thing they want to be. Naturally, when given this freedom of self-expression, the choice of costume can reveal something about the wearer. (And to be clear, while the majority of such examples in fiction do happen on Halloween, this also applies for any other occasion when characters get to dress in their choice of costume.) |
| 12 | |
| 13 | If a character dresses up as a traditional heroic figure like ComicBook/{{Superman}} or a KnightInShiningArmor, they're probably our morally-upstanding protagonist. The MadScientist is the stock costume of a science nerd. A GirlyGirl is likely to choose to dress up as a princess or a fairy. The MsFanservice will wear a SexyWhateverOutfit. And two people wearing paired costumes (ComicBook/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/{{Robin}}, Literature/RaggedyAnn and Andy) are normally a duo with a close connection, whether they're a romantic couple, HeterosexualLifePartners, or something similar. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | If seen later in the story, their costume choice usually reinforces what we already know about the character. But if this occurs early enough, it can serve as an EstablishingCharacterMoment that can quickly bring the audience up to speed on essential character traits. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Can overlap with HalloweenCosplay if the character is dressing up as another known character. Compare CultureEqualsCostume, which is a similar case of a wardrobe communicating personality. Contrast ForHalloweenIAmGoingAsMyself, which has the ''lack'' of a costume as a key point. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | ---- |
| 20 | !!Examples: |
| 21 | |
| 22 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 23 | |
| 24 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 25 | * A Halloween illustration for ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'' has Suzu dressed as a succubus, playing on her [[GoodBadGirl libido]]. |
| 26 | [[/folder]] |
| 27 | |
| 28 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 29 | * ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': |
| 30 | ** Discussed in one strip where Calvin defines a Halloween costume as the scariest thing you can think of. Proud tiger Hobbes thinks [[ForHalloweenIAmGoingAsMyself the scariest thing is himself]], while Calvin, the cynically gruesome child [[WiseBeyondTheirYears with frequent concerns about what humans do to the planet]], says his costume will be a barrel of toxic waste. |
| 31 | ** Double subverted in another Halloween strip where Calvin appears to not be wearing a costume but claims he's going as "another resource-consuming kid in an overpopulated planet" who will take over the world once the adults die out. This "costume" demonstrates his cynical but egocentric philosophy. |
| 32 | * ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'': Jason Fox is a 10-year-old geek with ComplexityAddiction, so [[https://foxtrot.com/from-the-archives-halloween-comics/ many of]] [[https://foxtrot.com/tag/halloween/ his costumes]] are weird schemes to get candy (even if some never got past the planning stage): a Xenomorph using its {{Nested Mouth|s}} to grab candy, a lineup of five trick-or-treaters, [[WesternAnimation/ItsTheGreatPumpkinCharlieBrown Charlie Brown's ghost costume]] (hoping to get extra pity candy to compensate for "IGotARock"), a candykinetic "[[ComicBook/XMen Magsweeto]]", "Trig or Treat" (dressing as a calculator and [[EverybodyHatesMathematics blackmailing candy-givers with advanced math]]), a bathroom scale (to scare weight-conscious adults into getting rid of candy), and [[Franchise/StarWars Obi-Wan Kenobi]] attempting a JediMindTrick. He also occasionally attempts things that are ''intended'' to be scary, but wouldn't frighten anyone but other nerds: Creator/GeorgeLucas planning to re-release the (then-)six ''Franchise/StarWars'' movies in 3D (his siblings mistake him for a lumberjack) and pages of ''Series/GameOfThrones'' spoilers from [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire the original books]] (his brother was just happy to avoid reading the {{Door Stopper}}s). He did get some success scaring people as a UsefulNotes/BlueScreenOfDeath and, oddly, as an [=iMac=] (terrifying his brother with the fact of having no floppy drive). |
| 33 | [[/folder]] |
| 34 | |
| 35 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 36 | * ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainSeekerOfCrocus'': In its prequel, "The Firefly Funhouse Car", narration reveals that Chloe Cerise wished to dress up as [[WesternAnimation/PhantomInvestigators Daemona Prune]] who was known to be a redhaired girl who was into the supernatural, which neatly reflects Chloe being a NightmareFetishist. |
| 37 | [[/folder]] |
| 38 | |
| 39 | [[folder:Film -- Animated]] |
| 40 | * In ''WesternAnimation/ScaryGodmother'', the kids' costumes reflect an aspect of them. |
| 41 | ** Daryl appears as a piece of candy because he has a large SweetTooth and invokes this in the hope that him being a big piece of candy would make the givers hand out more. |
| 42 | ** Katie is a black cat and relishes in the fun and scares of Halloween. |
| 43 | ** Bert is a baseball player in an SUV showing off how he's more level-headed and has big aspirations. |
| 44 | ** Jimmy is a devil, reflecting his personality and being all into scaring his cousin Hannah. In ''The Revenge of Jimmy'', it reflects his BigBad status, trying to ruin Halloween out of sight of his friend's plans. |
| 45 | ** Hannah is a fairy princess, reflecting her innocence and naivety. In ''The Revenge of Jimmy'', this symbolizes how she is the HopeBringer to ensure Halloween is saved. |
| 46 | * As pictured above, ''WesternAnimation/{{SCOOB}}'' shows the Mystery Inc gang as kids on Halloween. Shaggy and Scooby are respectively dressed as their favorite superheroes, [[WesternAnimation/DynomuttDogWonder Blue Falcon and Dynomutt]] (which goes on to factor into the movie's plot). Daphne is also a superhero as ComicBook/WonderWoman, while Fred is a KnightInShiningArmor. Meanwhile, Velma goes for the obscure nerd reference by going as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Bader_Ginsburg Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg]]. |
| 47 | [[/folder]] |
| 48 | |
| 49 | [[folder:Film -- Live Action]] |
| 50 | * ''Film/TheAddamsFamily'' ends with [[EnfantTerrible Wednesday]] being asked why she isn't dressed up for Halloween. |
| 51 | -->'''Wednesday''': I'm a homicidal maniac. {{They look just like everyone else}}. |
| 52 | * [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in ''Film/LegallyBlonde''. Elle is tricked into [[ItsACostumePartyISwear turning up in a costume for a Halloween party where everyone is dressed normally]]. She goes as a PlayboyBunny, which fits with her initially shallow, free-spirited, beautiful rich sorority girl image. However, the film is also about her HiddenDepths and how she's much more than the shallow DumbBlonde everyone pegs her as. |
| 53 | * In ''Film/MeanGirls'', Cady explains that Halloween is the one day a year when women are allowed to dress in {{stripperiffic}} outfits and not face any criticism for it. The Plastics, being the hottest girls in school, exploit this to the fullest; Regina dresses as a PlayboyBunny (to her father's horror), Gretchen's cat costume includes a skintight catsuit, and Karen wears a negligee and mouse ears in order to go as a mouse. The fact that Cady instead put together an ''actually'' scary zombie bride costume is used to highlight that the girl who was homeschooled for most of her life by a pair of scientists is a FishOutOfWater in a modern high school. |
| 54 | * In ''Film/MuppetsHauntedMansion'', Kermit and Miss Piggy do the "cutesy couples' costume" thing and dress up as each other. From the way they talk, it was Piggy's idea and she pressured Kermit into it. Meanwhile, Fozzie dresses as a banana, which reflects his style of comedy. |
| 55 | * [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] in ''Film/TrickRTreat'', in which it's a recurring motif that one's costume hints at their personality, like a girl wearing a witch costume being knowledgeable of the traditions and superstitions of Halloween. But sometimes this is inverted; examples include a young woman dressed as Little Red Riding Hood [[spoiler:turning out to be a werewolf]] and a girl dressed as an angel turning out to be a massive {{Jerkass}}. |
| 56 | [[/folder]] |
| 57 | |
| 58 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 59 | * In ''Literature/EleanorAndPark'', Park reminisces on some Halloween costumes he wore as a child that nobody got, such as Doctor Who and Harpo Marx. This ties into both being a geek and his difficulties fitting in to his predominantly white and non-geeky community. |
| 60 | * Played with in ''Literature/MercyWatson, Princess in Disguise''. Mercy's costume ''does'' indeed indicate someone's character, but it doesn't display Mercy's personality so much as that of her doting mistress. Mercy only agrees to wear the costume to get treats. |
| 61 | * In ''Literature/{{Microserfs}}'', there's a Halloween party the group goes to, and many of their costumes reflect aspects of their personalities. Todd (a bodybuilder) goes as "Atlas" to show off his muscles (his "costume" consists of a speedo and a globe tied to his shoulder), while venture capitalist Ethan goes as "Money" (a dyed green wig and green makeup so he looks like George Washington from the US Dollar bill). The characters also note that even though he's not wearing a costume, CloudCuckooLander Michael still looks like he's wearing a costume anyway. |
| 62 | * Invoked by the witches in ''Literature/NightWorld''; it's stated in ''Literature/{{Spellbinder|1996}}'' that on Halloween, witches dress in costumes that reflect who they truly are or who they aspire to be, rather than disguising themselves like humans do. Many witches in Thea's peer group dress as deities they admire or patronize (e.g. Dani dresses as the Egyptian goddess Isis). Thea dresses in her traditional white circle robes and vaguely states she's going as [[FamousAncestor her ancestor Hellewise]]; she wants to feel as comfortable as possible for [[spoiler:when she faces [[VengefulGhost Suzanne]]]]. |
| 63 | * ''Literature/PrincessesOfThePizzaParlor'': Katelyn really likes witches. It's always her Halloween costume, as said when introduced in the first story. |
| 64 | * The ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' short story "Fat Tuesday" is set, as the title suggests, during [[ItsAlwaysMardiGrasInNewOrleans Mardi Gras in New Orleans]], and stars a guy in a Batman costume, who is mistaken for the real Batman by criminals. He is rescued by ... Franchise/{{Zorro}}, who explains to him that ''everyone'' has heroes. |
| 65 | --> |
| 66 | [[/folder]] |
| 67 | |
| 68 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 69 | * ''Series/AbbottElementary'': The politically-minded Jacob is dressed as a BlatantBurglar with a sack of money. Mr. Johnson immediately and correctly clocks him as "wage theft". |
| 70 | * ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': In "The Middle Earth Paradigm", Leonard dresses as Frodo, mentioning that both are short and unassuming. [[InsufferableGenius Sheldon]], on the other hand, chooses a very abstract costume that is meant to represent the Doppler effect, and doesn't understand why it's not obvious to anyone else. |
| 71 | * In ''{{Series/Bones}}'', Brennan, the show's co-hero, dresses up as Wonder Woman. Angela also counts as she's Music/{{Cher}}, which does fit her free spirited pre-marriage lifestyle. The others, interestingly, avert it. Hodgins is Captain Smith of ''Titanic'' fame, Cam, despite being one of the good guys, is Catwoman. Zach is the rear end of a cow with a paleontologist as the front, while Booth is a nerd. |
| 72 | * In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', this is inverted for our eponymous heroine in their HalloweenEpisode. Buffy chooses not only a GirlyGirl costume but also a GorgeousPeriodDress because it reflects what women were wearing when Angel was actually alive. This causes major problems when [[WeirdnessMagnet (of course)]] a curse hits Sunnydale, turning people into the reality of their costumes. As Willow bemoans, "Why couldn't she have dressed up as [[Series/XenaWarriorPrincess XENA]]?!?" |
| 73 | * [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] in ''Series/Charmed1998'' when the sisters dress up as different witches. Prue, the [[ParentalSubstitute mother]] of the trio, dresses as a nature-based witch; Piper, TheHeart, dress as the Good Witch of the North; and Phoebe, the [[RebelTropes Rebel]], dresses as Elvira. |
| 74 | * In the Halloween episode of ''Series/{{Euphoria}}'', the costumes all say something about the characters' personalities. Rue and Jules dress up as [[Film/WilliamShakespearesRomeoAndJuliet Romeo and Juliet]], reflecting that they're doomed lovers. Nate dresses up as a convict, mocking the fact that he just escaped a serious assault charge. Kat dresses up as Thana from ''Film/Ms45'', reflecting her desire to avenge herself on all the boys who've supposedly ignored or abused her over the years. And Maddy dresses up as Alabama Whitman from ''Film/TrueRomance'' because she's Nate's "outlaw lover".%% Meanwhile, Lexi dresses up as Creator/BobRoss, because why ''wouldn't'' you dress up as Bob Ross if you could get away with it? %%Commented out until we can confirm that the gushing about Bob Ross occurs within the story. |
| 75 | * In ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', Niles has a costume party where everyone dresses up as their favorite character from literature. Roz dresses up as 'O', from ''Literature/TheStoryOfO'' (unsuitably dressed in typical BDSM leather harness instead of O's long gown). |
| 76 | * In ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'', many of the cast's costumes reflect their personalities; {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Bill dresses as Series/TheBionicWoman (which show creator Paul Feig really did do one Halloween), Sam makes a homemade costume of Gort from ''Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill1951'' out of some cardboard boxes, and Neal (who is into comedy but whose references are somewhat dated) goes as Groucho Marx (at first, he tried to go as Charlie Chaplin but when he applied the mustache it just made him look like Hitler). Meanwhile, Harold dresses as a vampire (a ShoutOut to Joe Flaherty's Count Floyd character). |
| 77 | * ''Series/HomeImprovement'': One year, the Taylor boys announce that they want to be Film/TheThreeStooges for Halloween. It takes their mom a moment to make the connection: |
| 78 | -->'''Jill:''' Why would you want to be the Stooges? They're obnoxious, they're always hitting each other -- [[ExplainExplainOhCrap it just became clear]]. |
| 79 | * In the HalloweenEpisode of ''Series/HowToRock'', the members of Gravity 5 were going to be dressing up as a hand- each of them having to wear a different finger costume, with the positions being somewhat meaningful to their personalities. The rebellious Stevie, for example, played [[FlippingTheBird the middle finger]]. Kacey, however, decided to dress up in an elaborate princess outfit once the band got booked to play at the AlphaBitch's Halloween party- suiting her self-absorbed and attention-hogging nature, especially considering [[GroupCostumeFail it made the group costume impossible]]. |
| 80 | * On ''Series/LastManStanding,'' Mike Baxter suggests his family all dress up like each other for Halloween. He however, being a staunch Republican ([[Creator/TimAllen like his actor]]), dresses as President Creator/DonaldTrump. Chuck Larabee, Mike's [[ItMakesSenseInContext Blaa... frican-American]] friend and neighbor, also dresses like President Trump, but with a Devil's Tail. Chuck looks at them both and says that him dressing like that is ironic, Mike dressing like it is a tribute. |
| 81 | * In ''Series/TheOfficeUS'': |
| 82 | ** Dwight dresses as various horror characters (Pinhead, Joker, Jigsaw's puppet, etc.) to show his love of horror and dark fantasy. He also is usually armed with real weapons, showing his SeriousBusiness attitude (and lack of common sense). |
| 83 | ** Jim usually puts a lack of effort into his costumes (one example was taping three black circles to his chest and calling himself "3 Hole Punch Jim") representing his lax attitude towards work. The one time he did dress up was as Popeye, while Pam dressed as Olive Oyl. |
| 84 | ** Michael's love of comedy is represented through his costumes (such as [[Series/SaturdayNightLive [=McGruber=] and Dick in a Box]]). Another year has him dress as Darryl (who is black), showing how Michael can be rather tactless with his humor. |
| 85 | * ''Franchise/PowerRangers'': |
| 86 | ** In an early ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' episode, the whole cast has costumes that fit with their personalities: StandardizedLeader Jason is Myth/RobinHood, showoff Zack is a pharaoh, TheSmartGuy Billy is Literature/SherlockHolmes, GranolaGirl Trini is UsefulNotes/{{Pocahontas}}, and GirlyGirl Kimberly is a princess. ThoseTwoGuys Bulk and Skull are shown trying several duo costumes (a horse, Literature/PeterPan and Captain Hook, "Young Music/{{Elvis|Presley}}" and "Old Elvis") before settling on dressing as "punks" -- apparently not realizing that that's what they already ''are''. |
| 87 | ** ''Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive'' also has a Halloween episode, with the most notable costumes being Mr. Hartford as a MadScientist and his son Mack as a robot; {{Foreshadowing}} that [[spoiler:that's what they literally are; it comes out later that Hartford built Mack to be his android son]]. |
| 88 | ** ''Series/PowerRangersDinoFury'' has a Halloween episode with paranormal investigator Amelia as a vampire, the more logical and scientific Ollie as a astronaut, [[WellDoneSonGuy Javi]] as a zombie warden (reflecting his father Warden Garcia), Izzy as a leprechaun and [[KnightInShiningArmor Zayto]] as a knight. |
| 89 | * ''Series/ShiningTimeStation'': In "Scare Dares", Kara dresses as a train engineer and Becky as a princess, reflecting their TomboyAndGirlyGirl status. It's also said that Kara wants to be an engineer like her grandfather, and this isn't the last time Becky would wear a princess costume. |
| 90 | * ''Series/{{Superstore}}'': Jonah always has low-key, politically relevant Halloween costumes that reflect his SoapboxSadie politics and personality. In one Halloween episode, he goes as Brexit (an exit sign over a British flag shirt), in another he goes as "the disappearing bee crisis" (a yellow and black striped shirt, a bee antenna headband, and a question mark over said shirt), and in yet another, he goes as Gerrymandering (wearing a blue and red patterned shirt to represent districts). [[RunningGag Every year, no one understands his costumes despite his claims that they're very obvious]]. So in the fifth season he decides to quit it and goes as a normal cowboy, and everyone assumes it's still a political costume meant to highlight the plight of first nations people during the Wild West era. |
| 91 | * In ''Series/VeronicaMars'', Mercer goes as Alex from ''Film/AClockworkOrange''. [[spoiler:He's the Hearst College serial rapist.]] |
| 92 | * ''Series/WandaVision'': Whether they realize it or not,[[note]]Vision doesn't recognize what he's supposed to be and guesses a MaskedLuchador, while Wanda claims she's a "Sokovian fortune teller" but might know better.[[/note]] Wanda, Vision, and [[spoiler:Pietro]] wear CheapCostume versions of what they wore when [[Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron fighting with the Avengers]]; with the added joke that they're [[MythologyGag based on their uniforms from the source comics]] rather than their actual outfits from the movies. Regarding spoiler characters: [[spoiler:Billy also wears a version of his comic-book "Wiccan" outfit, though there's no in-universe basis for it. Tommy, meanwhile, wears a miniature version of Pietro's costume instead of his own comic outfit, out of admiration for his CoolUncle.]] And Agnes dresses up as a witch, [[spoiler:{{Foreshadowing}} that she really is one]]. |
| 93 | [[/folder]] |
| 94 | |
| 95 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 96 | * In ''Theatre/BeMoreChill'', every character gets a costume at the Halloween party which reveals aspects of their personality: |
| 97 | ** Jeremy wears a cyborg costume to the Halloween party, representing how the SQUIP implanted in his brain has essentially made him part-robot. |
| 98 | ** Christine wears her [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Juliet]] costume to the party since her life practically revolves around doing theater. |
| 99 | ** Brooke wears a "sexy dog" costume, and as a later scene demonstrates, she is practically [[AlphaBitch Chloe's]] [[BetaBitch lapdog]]. |
| 100 | ** As for Chloe herself, her "sexy baby" costume hints at her disturbing view of sexuality, as demonstrated during "Do You Wanna Hang?" when she nearly molests Jeremy. |
| 101 | ** Rich wears a [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Vorhees]] costume, but uses a loaf of bread instead of a machete. This symbolizes how he tries to be an intimidating bully (with help from his SQUIP) but is actually quite dorky deep down. |
| 102 | ** Jake dresses as Music/{{Prince}} because he misunderstands Christine's request to go as princess and prince. This shows off Jake's charismatic persona, but also foreshadows that Christine and Jake aren't actually that compatible. |
| 103 | ** Jenna wears a clown costume, as she mostly serves to entertain her social circle with her gossip, despite nobody getting to know the real her. |
| 104 | ** Michael sneaks into the party wearing a homemade monster costume of garbage, which he uses to camouflage in the trash-filled bathtub. This shows off his geeky creativity and how he can easily hide from the popular crowd. |
| 105 | * ''Theatre/LegallyBlonde'' features a repeat of the "Playboy Bunny" incident from the movie; however this time when questioned about it Elle takes a pair of glasses from another party guest and turns her costume into Gloria Steinem during her famous undercover exposé of the Playboy Club, showing both her HiddenDepths and her ability to think quickly on her feet. |
| 106 | [[/folder]] |
| 107 | |
| 108 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 109 | * While ''VideoGame/AvengersAcademy'' was running, it had a number of costumes during Halloween events reflecting the wearers' character. Iron Man displayed both his ego and irreverence by wearing a cardboard-box CheapCostume version of his regular armor. Loki dressed as his brother Thor, in an attempt to mock him (and a thinly-veiled display of jealousy). Hulk riffed on his alter-ego Dr. Banner by dressing as a MadScientist -- as he puts it, he's [[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry mad]] and a scientist, so the costume was a no-brainer. TheComicallySerious Maria Hill got stuck in a ridiculous banana costume. And Black Widow was cynical and sarcastic as always, with a "This Is My Costume" FunTShirt. |
| 110 | * If [[BigBadFriend Gary]] from ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'' hadn't already established himself as being up to no good beforehand, his showing up for Halloween pranks [[PuttingOnTheReich dressed as an SS officer]] ([[NoSwastikas sans the swastikas]]) certainly seals the deal. |
| 111 | * The annual ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' Halloween brawl adds skins of the characters in Halloween costumes (corresponding to the scary story which serves as a FramingDevice). For example, Junkrat, a MadBomber who arms himself with HomemadeInventions is Dr. Junkenstein, the MadScientist. The only exception is Mercy, a kind-hearted doctor, whose costume is an evil witch who makes [[DealWithTheDevil Faustian Bargains]]. |
| 112 | [[/folder]] |
| 113 | |
| 114 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 115 | * ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'': Every Halloween (and one [[YouMeanXMas Decemberween]]), the entire main cast [[HalloweenCosplay dress up as figures from pop culture]] that often go hand-in-hand with their own personalities. For example, Strong Sad goes as celebrities or fictional characters from the 1960s to the 1980s (Tony Clifton, Vyvyan from ''Series/TheYoungOnes'', Andy Warhol, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the fat kid from ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'') while the King Of Town goes as food mascots or characters with facial hair such as ComicStrip/HagarTheHorrible, Cap'n Crunch, and Franchise/SuperMario. Coach Z ends up being the most consistent as he dresses as a rapper almost every Halloween, usually one from TheEighties or TheNineties. The Poopsmith seems to be more than a bit of a nerd, favoring niche sci-fi and video game characters like [[Franchise/StreetFighter M. Bison]] and [[WesternAnimation/ThundarrTheBarbarian Ookla the Mok]]. |
| 116 | [[/folder]] |
| 117 | |
| 118 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 119 | * ''Webcomic/PixieAndBrutus'': On their first Halloween together, Pixie wants to do a costume pair. Originally, the innocent kitten suggests a bee and flower, or the princess and the pea. Brutus turns down both ideas, but when Pixie proposes Batman and Robin, the more active theme appeals to Brutus. Unfortunately for him, it's subverted when [[TheCynic he]] ends up as [[HeartwarmingOrphan Robin]] and [[CuteKitten Pixie]] gets the [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Batman]] costume. |
| 120 | * In ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}'', the geek dogs all dress as anime characters nobody else recognises and then are either disappointed (Joey) or smugly judgemental (Lester). (Joey "beats" Lester by [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/10/17/specifically-generic/ wearing a Japanese school uniform tunic]], which Lester fails to recognise is ''specifically'' Daigo Kazama of ''VideoGame/RivalSchools''). |
| 121 | [[/folder]] |
| 122 | |
| 123 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 124 | * ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020'': In the HalloweenEpisode "Fear and Laughter in Burbank", the Warner siblings dress up as another famous ComicTrio, the Creator/MarxBrothers (Yakko as Groucho, Dot as Chico, and Wakko as Harpo). |
| 125 | * ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': [[CreepyChild Louise Belcher]] tends to dress as characters from darker works like [[Literature/NoCountryForOldMen Anton Chigurh]] and [[Film/Drive2011 the Driver]]. The kids in general have a fondness for [[PungeonMaster pun-based costumes]]; in "Nightmare on Ocean Avenue Street" Gene dresses as [[Music/{{Outkast}} André 3000]] [[Wrestling/AndreTheGiant the Giant]], Tina dresses as a nun with a briefcase ("Nun of Your Business"), and Louise dresses as [[Literature/MillenniumSeries The Dragon with the Girl Tattoo]]. |
| 126 | * ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'': |
| 127 | ** The HalloweenEpisode depicts Mr. Peanutbutter and his ex-girlfriends' various costumes over the years. Mr. Peanutbutter always tries to match costumes with his girlfriends, showing his need to connect with them, but it doesn't always work out. The costumes also usually reference something contemporary for the time period during which the flashback takes place. |
| 128 | *** In 1993, Mr. Peanutbutter dresses as a hippie, while Katrina barely dresses up ("Can't I just put on a stupid hat and say I'm Series/{{Blossom}}?"), hinting at how little she cares about the party and the apathetic personality she would develop in her later years. |
| 129 | *** In 2004, Mr. Peanutbutter misunderstands his girlfriend Jessica's request to go as characters from ''Film/TheNotebook'' and dresses as an ''actual'' notebook. This hints at how poor he is at communicating with his girlfriends. |
| 130 | *** In 2009, Diane's costume (Baby Bjorn Borg, a pun on the Baby Bjorn from ''Film/TheHangover'', The Borg from ''Franchise/StarTrek'', and tennis player Bjorn Borg) is something complex that Mr. Peanutbutter supports even though he doesn't understand it. The only one who gets the costume right away is [=BoJack=], showing that even before he and Diane formally meet each other, [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike they already connect on a personal level]]. |
| 131 | *** In 2018, Mr. Peanutbutter's girlfriend Pickles, an influencer obsessed with social media, dresses as a strange new app that Mr. Peanutbutter barely understands, demonstrating how young she is. |
| 132 | ** At every Halloween party, Princess Carolyn dresses as an aviator, alluding to a previous episode that depicted her childhood fondness for Amelia Earhart and her desire to take risks and do great things. |
| 133 | * In the Halloween special for ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'', GenkiGirl Numbuh 3 goes dressed as a butterfly and {{Workaholic}} Numbuh 1 goes as a cyborg. |
| 134 | * Most of the Duck family's costumes in the ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' episode "The Trickening!" are rather character-appropriate. |
| 135 | ** [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling Della and Donald]] are a demon and an angel respectively, Della being a [[{{Pun}} devil]]-may-care adventurer that tends to cause problems for everyone else, while Donald is the put-upon [[TheConscience voice of reason]]. |
| 136 | ** Huey goes as [[ScienceHero Gizmoduck]], Huey being [[TheSmartGuy the smartest and most tech-savvy]] of the triplets (who also [[HeroWorshipper idolized]] Gizmoduck early on). His costume is also relatively elaborate, showing that he puts great effort in everything he does. |
| 137 | ** Dewey wears a Hawaiian shirt and eyepatch to be a pirate on vacation, Dewey being the imaginative one with a lust for adventure and a carefree attitude. |
| 138 | ** Louie goes as Huey. More specifically, [[CheapCostume he just wears his hat]], playfully mocking his sibling while also [[LazyBum not putting in any real effort]]. |
| 139 | ** Webby goes as Balor from Myth/CelticMythology, relying on her historical knowledge to make a costume no one else gets. |
| 140 | ** Scrooge dresses as a skeleton, him being the oldest member of the family. |
| 141 | * ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'': In "Ed, Edd n Eddy's Boo Haw Haw", Ed dresses up as a viking called Lothar (reflecting his obsession with fantasy comics), Eddy is a zombie Elvis (his desire to be cool), and Edd is a bacterium (since he's a science nerd), which his friends don't find all that exciting. |
| 142 | -->'''Eddy:''' What the heck are you supposed to be?\ |
| 143 | '''Edd:''' Guess, Eddy. I am less than five micrometers tall, yet, I pack a truly terrifying punch. ''[his friends stare in confusion]'' Don't get too close to me, or I may infect you! ''[they still don't respond]'' In the Dark Ages, I caused millions of deaths. ''[still nothing]'' The Bubonic Plague! ''I'm the Bubonic Plague!''\ |
| 144 | '''Ed:''' Like on your teeth?\ |
| 145 | '''Edd:''' [[BigNo NO!]] Not plaque, plague! ''Plague!'' |
| 146 | * In ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', Elisa dresses up as [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Belle]], which neatly summarizes [[BeastAndBeauty her relationship with Goliath]]. When the holiday comes around again in the comic book continuation, she further establishes herself as a Disney Princess fan by dressing as [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} Jasmine]] this time. |
| 147 | * ''WesternAnimation/ItsTheGreatPumpkinCharlieBrown'': |
| 148 | ** Lucy says that the key to a good Halloween costume is to pick something that is the opposite of your personality. She chooses a witch, the joke being that it's actually in line with her crabby personality. |
| 149 | ** Charlie Brown wears a botched BedsheetGhost costume with at least a dozen scattered eye holes, reflecting his ButtMonkey status. |
| 150 | *** In the comic, this costume is worn by Linus, demonstrating his youth and inexperience. |
| 151 | ** Pig-Pen, like many of the other kids, also wears a ghost costume; but it's as dirty as he normally is. |
| 152 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' HalloweenEpisode "[[Recap/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandyS1E8 Grim or Gregory]]": Billy's costume is a toilet paper mummy, reflecting his silly and simple nature. Mandy's is as she says, "a ruthless, high-priced, prosecuting attorney", with the addition of monster claws for "rending human flesh", which reflects her cold, ruthless personality. |
| 153 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "The Whole Picture" has Lucy dressing for Halloween as a vampire during a flashback, which ties into the fact that she's a {{Goth}}, her favourite TV show is about vampires, and she wants to be a vampire. |
| 154 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has two episodes set on Nightmare Night ([[YouMeanXmas the pony equivalent of Halloween]]), [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed "Luna Eclipsed"]] and [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E15ScareMaster "Scare Master"]]. |
| 155 | ** In "Luna Eclipsed", the studious Twilight Sparkle demonstrates her interest in history and magic by dressing up as the wizard Starswirl the Bearded--a historical figure so obscure, none of her friends recognize her costume. In "Scare Master" she continues the history theme by dressing in a Roman soldier's armor; this might also be a tribute to her older brother, who's the Captain of the Royal Guard. |
| 156 | ** Rainbow Dash wants to be an elite stunt flyer in the Wonderbolts, so both of her costumes involve flight: first a Shadowbolt (the fictitious evil counterparts of the Wonderbolts), then an astronaut. |
| 157 | ** Applejack has a [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Wizard of Oz]] theme, as she dresses up like a scarecrow, then a lion. The latter's also an ironic StealthPun: Applejack represents the Element of Honesty, so she's the last pony you'd expect to be ''lyin'''. |
| 158 | ** Rarity, TheFashionista of the group, dresses in a fabulous merpony costume of her own design in "Scare Master". ([[OutOfFocus She's completely absent from "Luna Eclipsed".]]) |
| 159 | ** Fluttershy, the LovableCoward of the group, normally doesn't dress up because she finds the whole holiday too scary. In "Scare Master", when her friends convince her to give Nightmare Night a try, she has trouble finding a costume she likes: she notices how most of Rarity's suggestions would obscure her vision so she can't see danger, or prevent her from running away from danger. She eventually settles on a simple vampire-esque black dress, likely as a CallBack to her turn as a vampire in "Bats!" |
| 160 | ** Pinkie Pie, the unpredictable FunPersonified character, chooses costumes that are silly and otherwise don't follow any pattern: a chicken, then a roller derby skater. |
| 161 | ** Spike, the dragon, dresses up as a dragon in both episodes. As in, he wears a full-body costume to make himself look like a slightly different dragon. This hints at Spike's ongoing attempts--as a dragon raised by ponies, who doesn't yet have any other dragons as friends--to define his own identity and relationship with dragon culture. |
| 162 | * In both [[HalloweenEpisode Halloween Episodes]] of ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'', the kids wear costumes that reflect their personalities: |
| 163 | ** Jet, the local alien, [[ForHalloweenIAmGoingAsMyself wears an alien costume]] to conceal his identity even further. He also thought that the costume was a cucumber, showing his eccentricity. |
| 164 | ** Sydney wears a Commander Cressida costume, showing her nerdiness and her love of the titular comic book heroine. |
| 165 | ** Sean wears a Neil Armstrong costume, showing his love of space and adoration of Neil Armstrong. |
| 166 | ** Mindy wears a costume of her teddy bear, Stuffy Bear, showing her innocence and her AnimalMotif that involves bears. |
| 167 | ** Mitchell wears a Literature/SherlockHolmes costume, showing his aspiration to be a detective. Sherlock Holmes being a classic literature character also shows Mitchell's love of classic books and desire to be taken seriously. |
| 168 | ** Finally, Lillian wears a pirate costume, showing HiddenDepths - she's more than just a girly girl. |
| 169 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': HalloweenEpisode ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfBooKiniBottom'' has Mr. Krabs, who is very greedy and cheap, dress up as a dollar bill. Sandy, the resident science nerd, dresses as a mad scientist, Plankton, the show's regular antagonist, wears a devil costume and [=SpongeBob=], who doesn't like how scary Halloween is, dresses as a lovely flower. |
| 170 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Pinkeye", the characters wear the following Halloween costumes: |
| 171 | ** Cartman, being a racist jerk, dresses as Adolf Hitler. |
| 172 | ** Stan dresses as Raggedy Andy because his crush, Wendy, was going to go as Raggedy Ann. |
| 173 | ** Kyle goes as Chewbacca and so does pretty much every other student, showing that he has trouble standing out. |
| 174 | ** Mr. Garrison, being gay and gender-queer, dresses as fabulous actress Creator/MarilynMonroe. |
| 175 | %% ** Chef dresses as Evil Knievel. |
| 176 | %% ** Meanwhile, everybody thinks Kenny (who has been turned into a zombie) is going as Edward James Olmos. |
| 177 | [[/folder]] |
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