Every year I vow to my daughter and her best friend that I will not be helping them with their annual Halloween obsession, the making of the ‘Best Halloween costume in town’. They have been enjoying Halloween together since they were little and went to the same day care.
The discussion of different possibilities starts in the summer. They always try to drag me into the discussion and tease me about it saying, “You know you are going to help, we always need you”, I always deny it. Somehow not only I but my whole family, her friend’s family get dragged into the making of the costumes. It is never an easy undertaking, this year was no exception.
The final choice was a homemade Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head couple Halloween costume. The oversized potato bodies were first shaped out of chicken wire with holes cut for the arms. This was followed by flour, newspaper and water papier-mâché that was used to cover the wire. When the papier-mâché dried, we painted it a light brown potato color. To give it a shine, we painted on a thick coat of Modge-Podge.
We made removable parts for the facial features and ears that attached using Velcro that we hot glued on. The ears were shaped out of pink felt that was stuffed. The nose was made out of more chicken wire and papier-mâché. The mustache and mouths and eyebrows were made out of craft foam and the eyes were made from plastic hats that we found at a party store. We cut off the brims. The eye glasses and earrings were also made of foam.
Eye holes were cut in the face and the girls wore white gloves and ‘Fancy Feet’ slippers and black spandex pants, to finish off the costumes.
Bicycle helmets were worn inside the potatoes to help to balance the weight of the structure.
I am happy to report that they did win the most artistic category of the contest. We all feel like we can own a little bit of that win. What is going to happen next year when they go off to college? Halloween will never be the same.
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