Ken Tanabe | Halloween 2011: Red Scooper

Halloween 2011: Red Scooper

This costume’s features giant scoop-hands are designed for rapid collection of tiny “fun-sized” Halloween candy. It was inspired by construction equipment and the robotic suit Sigourney Weaver wore in the movie Aliens. Other inspiration included fireman’s helmets and old school Transformers action figures. Note that the original costume was red, and the extra colorways were created in Photoshop. Thank you to Catherine Leung for taking these photographs.

MATERIALS:
Repurposed: 12 red Ikea “Gles” storage boxes ($26). Bought: Kimberly-Clark heavy duty coveralls ($10.98), Frost King 1/2 inch pipe insulation for 3/8 inch pipes ($2.47). Already owned: Ook invisible hanging wire, two 3/16 x 1 fender washers, two 6/32 x 2 machine screws with bolts, ruler, X-acto blades, gaffer’s tape, scissors, awl.

Halloween Costumes

Halloween Rules

1. Make it yourself.
This is the best way to be original. A store bought costume is better than no costume, but you can do better than that!

2. Use your whole body.
If you wear your usual clothes and throw on a mask, is that really a costume? Go from head to toe.

3. Keep it cheap.
Anybody can spend a zillion dollars on a costume and look cool. The real challenge is making it happen on a budget.

4. Don’t rely on recognition.
Do not dress as a celebrity or a movie character. Standard characters like vampires are off-limits, too.

5. Don’t rely on sex.
Don’t get me wrong – being sexy is great and all. Just don’t rely on it to make your costume work.

6. Don’t rely on horror.
Sure, blood and guts are a Halloween tradition, but don’t feel limited. Take advantage of the day you can wear anything!

Do you make Halloween costumes that follow these rules? If so, contact me.