# No Halloween costumes at work **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 29, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482 "2007-10-29T18:52:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/81 "2007-10-31T18:16:41Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] I don’t do the full costume for work, because that does seem a little weird, but I’m going to wear my Jedi cloak over my regular work clothes tomorrow and go as a “Jedi Accountant” (the Force is all about balancing after all). Last year I wore my grim reaper cloak, scythe, and faceless mask (a black mask that makes your face look like it’s disappeared inside the hood), and walked up behind my boss in the morning. His reaction was totally worth the effort, let me tell you. 😃 (And then I just took the cloak and mask off and wore my regular clothes.) You can be boring office person every day of your life - I like the chance to be a little different once a year. [/QUOTE] Once, back when I was teaching, I had a fairly early morning statistics class on Halloween. Nobody was quite up for the costume thing at that time of day–except for one girl who was a bit of a card. She dressed up as the Reaper and sat at the back of the class of otherwise normally dressed kids. It was quite surreal, but probably representative of the way most students feel about statistics class. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/82 "2007-10-31T18:58:17Z")
ONly one person dressed up in statistics class? Man, what are the odds of _that_? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/83 "2007-10-31T20:54:51Z")
I’m not sure I’d care to wear a costume to work, myself (especially not if it were an enforced thing or if I worked with the public), but I _love_ grown-up Halloween parties. I’m Harry Potter this year, and **kung fu lola** is a milkmaid. (She looks _awesome_ in her costume – she’s just spilling out of it. The boy I’m dating has a little crush on her now. She’s wearing it to work, too.) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/84 "2007-10-31T23:49:33Z")
We had a bunch of people dressed up at work today - it really was fun. People were all chatting with people they didn’t know, stuff like that. I was amazed at how simply adding a cloak to my normal work clothes turned it into a costume - great bang for your buck there! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/85 "2007-11-01T00:08:06Z")
I work in the computer games division of a educational toy company. This last year, the lead product scandal that’s swamped Mattel has been sending ripples through the rest of the industry, even those (like us) who haven’t had any issues with lead in their products. The general reaction has been a mixture of schadenfreude (over seeing one of our biggest rivals getting so throughly buggered) and frustration (at the way Mattel’s troubles are driving down toy sales across the board). So, for Halloween today, a few employees turned their cubicle into the "Lead"el Toy Factory, complete with Barbie dolls with lead limbs (well, plastic limbs wrapped in tinfoil, shiny-side down) and puddles of molten lead (more tin foil) scatter all over the place. Not really a high-tech installation, but I love the blatant “fuck you, Mattel,” attitude of it. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/86 "2007-11-01T00:20:19Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] I work at a chemical plant. We have to wear protective clothing for safety – steel toe shoes, hard hats, safety glasses, long pants, long sleeves, at a minimum. With some processes, we get to put on extra gear. [/QUOTE] There’s always one. I didn’t go through the entire list of possible careers that could be exceptions. One might argue that you are already in costume. We joked all day about how odd it was the all of us had chosen the same costume! :eek: 😃 > [@](#): > > I suppose people _could_ dress up under their requried uniform – but fairy-winged costumes don’t survive very well when you’re wearing self-contained breathing air in an environmental suit. And I don’t think people would be comfortable with a guy in a gorilla suit unloading a tankcar of chlorine. I would love to see that! And if were on Halloween, I’d think–good on him; finding some fun and theater in his daily life. YMMV. Otto-wear those devil horns with pride. **Miller** –that is hysterical! I wish I had thought of Reynold’s Wrap Barbie when I was a kid–all I did was throw her off the roof. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/87 "2007-11-01T02:31:51Z")
[QUOTE=eleanorigby] There’s always one. I didn’t go through the entire list of possible careers that could be exceptions. One might argue that you are already in costume. We joked all day about how odd it was the all of us had chosen the same costume! :eek: 😃 [/QUOTE] Oddly, when I stopped by the Comic Book Store on my way home, _they_ tried giving me grief about no costume, etc. When I explained the gorilla-unloading-tankcar problem, they concluded it was cool anyway, since I was obviously just there waiting for my chemical accident so I’d get superpowers. … I didn’t want to ruin their day and tell them that the last chemical accident I had ~15 years ago, just gave me pneumonia. Also, this anecdote really has no point. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/88 "2007-11-01T11:43:24Z")
[QUOTE=eleanorigby] **Miller** –that is hysterical! I wish I had thought of Reynold’s Wrap Barbie when I was a kid–all I did was throw her off the roof. [/QUOTE] Totally off-topic but related aside: I stopped playing with Barbies one day when I was eight years old, after I pulled a Barbie doll’s head apart and found out there were no brains inside. (No, really.) So, somehow, the idea of a poisonous, lead, flying-off-the-rooftops Barbie doll supervillain appeals to me. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/89 "2007-11-01T12:12:19Z")
[QUOTE=Lightray] Oddly, when I stopped by the Comic Book Store on my way home, _they_ tried giving me grief about no costume, etc. When I explained the gorilla-unloading-tankcar problem, they concluded it was cool anyway, since I was obviously just there waiting for my chemical accident so I’d get superpowers. … I didn’t want to ruin their day and tell them that the last chemical accident I had ~15 years ago, just gave me pneumonia. Also, this anecdote really has no point. [/QUOTE] See, now there is where you and I differ. I would definitely wear a costume to any Comic Store, no matter the day of the year… 😃 (just giving you a hard time–no hard feelings) ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/90 "2007-11-01T13:51:45Z")
I’ll admit it – I’m lucky. My company actively supports dressing up in costume. In the afternoon, we all break for half an hour for a costume-judging contest, complete with cash prizes (eg $200 for best large group). I didn’t win for Funniest (goddamn store-bought costume won. Yes, I’m bitter), but a manager told me she was glad I was “covered up” to hide the fact that I had _enormous balls_. [Me as Fairy](http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/daithilacha/PICT0009.jpg) (“The Upgrade Fairy”). ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/91 "2007-11-01T15:40:53Z")
[QUOTE=Daithi Lacha] [Me as Fairy](http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/daithilacha/PICT0009.jpg) (“The Upgrade Fairy”). [/QUOTE] AWESOME. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/92 "2007-11-01T15:49:08Z")
[QUOTE=Daithi Lacha] [Me as Fairy](http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/daithilacha/PICT0009.jpg) (“The Upgrade Fairy”). [/QUOTE] It’s been done. I got exactly two reactions the entire day. One as I was literally walking out the door, someone giggled appreciatively. And earlier in the day as I was walking past the department manager he muttered to the person he was standing with “don’t even look at him.” ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/93 "2007-11-01T16:17:19Z")
[QUOTE=Martin Hyde] I can’t imagine wearing a costume to work. I guess I’m just old fashioned, but I’ve never viewed work as a place to dress up in Halloween costumes. [/QUOTE] Costumes I’ve worn at work: Captain Kirk (complete with crew, unfortunately the Kelvins had turned them into those little foam polyhedrons) British officer from the Indian Army circa 1882 The Witch King of ngmar Darth Maul Captain America Baron Von Radium Nosferatu Sherlock Holmes RoboCop the Batman so… in your face! 😛 I hold down the other end of the Bell curve. This year, since we were not having a contest, and they told us to bring our costume and change into it (new office) my team decided to be “Men In Black” which looks appropriate anyway. Ha! ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/94 "2007-11-01T18:16:15Z")
[QUOTE=bbs2k] I’m not dressing up for Halloween, but I am bringing in my life-sized Paris Hilton cardboard standup to greet people at our door. The thing is absolutely terrifying. [/QUOTE] Yes, and unlike most celebrity standups, it’s actual height _and_ weight. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/95 "2007-11-01T19:48:35Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] Yes, and unlike most celebrity standups, it’s actual height _and_ weight. [/QUOTE] Not to mention depth. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2007, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482/96 "2007-11-01T20:44:11Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] Not to mention depth. [/QUOTE] Physically _and_ mentally. Wow. That cutout of yours may actually _be_ Paris Hilton! :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-halloween-costumes-at-work/424482.md?page=4)