I enjoy innovative costumes and seeing a creative idea come to life. I was trying to come up with a unique idea for a Halloween costume this year, but no ideas jumped out at me. I am a Physician Assistant and work at a University Health Center and thus see a lot of sick students. I was talking with our office coordinator (Suzy), who happens to be a Microbiologist, about what we should be for Halloween. I was leaning on the counter in the Health Center and as we were talking, I got my inspiration! There sitting on the counter were a few containers of disinfectant wipes that I use many times throughout my day. I looked at Suzy and said, “I should be a container of disinfectant wipes for Halloween!” She replied, “I should be a bacterium!” We then had our ideas that were perfect for us, as we work in the health care field.
The “Sign Guys” printing shop took the label off a disinfectant wipe container that I had bought, took a picture of it and printed it onto Styrene. We then secured the top and bottom with 2 inch blue foam board. The yellow triangles on the top were overlapped so that when I put my head in through the whole in the blue foam board, they would simulate the top of the disinfectant wipe container, through which the wipes are dispensed. The large “wipe” was made from starched cheese cloth and we used real disinfectant wipes to compliment the large “wipe”.
The bacterium was made from a camo hunting drape and the head was found at a thrift store. The green and pink additions to the costume were made from foaming soap scrubs that were taken apart.
Wendy, the office coordinator for the Mental Health portion of the Health Center, jumped on board and decided to be “Biohazard Waste”.
We went to the University Costume Contest and everyone just loved our costumes, especially because we represented the Health Center! Suzy and I had a difficult time seeing through our costumes and I also had a very short stride being inside the cylinder. We won the contest were walking to the stage and I, unknowingly, stepped on Suzy’s costume. She tripped, fell on the floor, started rolling around the floor (in front of about 50 of our colleagues!) and couldn’t get back up because her costume was twisted! I stood there and didn’t know what was happening, because I couldn’t see! The audience starting clapping, laughing and shouting, “The Clorox killed the Germ!!!” We couldn’t have planned it any better! It was such a hilarious experience!
We now have the costumes on display in the Health Center with our photo hanging next to it! The students love it and it makes me smile!
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