From animals to zombies, costumes are a great escape

While current movies often dictate the year’s most popular adult costumes, this year they have a rival: a deceased pop icon.

With the death of Michael Jackson, his outfits and trademark accessories are big for Halloween costume parties, said Zach Bartz, a buyer at Bartz’s The Party Store, whose fourth and newest store is located in Waukesha at 2120 E. Moreland Blvd.

But recent zombie and vampire movies have also left their mark on Halloween. There is something different about this year’s contemporary vampires.

“They’ve changed,” said Bartz. “It’s a very economical costume this year. You just need fangs and you can wear regular street clothes.”

Zombies, too, are a piece of cake, costume-wise. “You just need a lot of make-up,” said Bartz.

Though some people are out of work and cutting back on expenses, Bartz feels that Halloween is the perfect time to forget about all the troubles around us.

“The nice thing about Halloween is that you can escape from the woes of the world for a time. You can separate from life, be somebody else,” he said.

If you want to be Michael Jackson for an evening of fun, Bartz’s carries a couple of complete costumes, including a Thriller costume, as well as a few items that, when worn, are unmistakably Jackson.

“We have his sequined glove and wigs – a curly one from his earlier days and a straight one from later,” said Bartz. “We also have the black fedora and a mask. A lot of people are just getting the glove and the hat and putting the rest together themselves.”

Star Trek couple Costumes of presidents are always popular around Halloween and the same goes for this year.

“Obama masks are still big this year,” said Bartz, “and we’ve added a Michelle Obama wig so couples can dress as the president and first lady.”

Other couples costumes that are popular include cops and robbers, doctors and nurses, nuns and priests. “Star Trek costumes should be big this year, too,” said Bartz. “Couples can dress as different members of the crew.”

While Bernie Madoff masks have been popular in other parts of the country, Bartz doesn’t carry them.

“We’ve had no requests. And he’s such a creep,” said Bartz of the infamous fraud artist.

For people on a budget or for anyone who’s looking to put together a quick costume, Bartz suggested era costumes, such as the hippie look of the ’60s or ’70s. Adding the right accessories can make them look more authentic. Since people purchasing them are headed for parties, there is often a concern about costumes, especially masks.

“A lot of people will ask, ‘Can I drink while I’m wearing this thing?’ They don’t want to wear something that hinders drinking and eating. That’s why the wigs are good. They can totally change your look. Wigs are real popular, more popular than masks,” Bartz noted.

While new movies have made vampires and zombies big this Halloween, masks of some of the characters from older horror movies are still requested, such as Jason and Freddie.

“A lot of people like to go back to those old movies,” said Bartz. A couple of fun additions to the costume parade are a full Gumby costume, as well as M&Ms. “You have the option with these costumes to have your head pop out or keep it inside,” said Bartz of the M&Ms. R

ed and yellow are the most popular colors, but Bartz also carries green. Pretty as a princess For kids, “Star Wars” is still a favorite, said Bartz. “Especially the Clone Troopers for the guys. For the girls, princesses are really big.”

Kids also love to wear animal costumes. “We even have a dinosaur,” said Bartz. “That’s one of my favorites.”

Another idea for kids and teens is animal costume kits that contain noses, ears and other animal parts that can be combined to make a new creature.

Spookify your home Bartz has noticed that with the economy, people aren’t decorating for Halloween as much as usual.

“Decorations sales are weak and soft. Not a lot of new props and decorations out there, not as much as last year,” Bartz reported.

Nice additions to costumes are sashes for winners, similar to the Miss America sashes, that say “Best Costume,” “Sexiest Costume,” or other titles.

There are also trophies for winners, including a skeleton trophy and an Oscar-type trophy. For outdoors, one of the best decorations is the fake spider web.

“It’s one of the easiest ways to spookify your house,” said Bartz.