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Mice ears and cardboard boxes: Halloween on the cheap

JANESVILLE — When I was a girl ...

We walked to school—up hill both ways— and made our own Halloween costumes.

No, seriously, we made our own costumes. In good years, we created masterpieces such as the papier-mâché heads of Snap, Crackle and Pop.

Other years, we went as ghosts. Or rather, we went as dorks who waited too long to start their costume and had to parade around the neighborhood in a floral sheet with badly cut eyeholes.

Now, parents drive their kids to school—both ways—and nobody has time to mix up papier-mâché goop or cut holes in sheets.

And Halloween has become a serious holiday with fancy pants costumes from retail stores set up just for the event. This year, the average family will spend $66 on Halloween, up 17 percent from 2009, according to the National Retail Federation.

"In recent years, Halloween has provided a welcome break from reality, allowing many Americans a chance to escape from the stress the economy has put on their family and their incomes," said Matthew Shay, federation president and CEO.

We're going to spend $66 to escape from the stress of the economy?

In an effort to make Halloween less scary, we asked some "experts" how to reduce its economic impact.

Their advice?

Second-hand stores and imagination.

Sue Conley is best known as the executive director of the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin.

She's also a mom and active in local theater groups, including Bower City and Theatre Unlimited.

"We used to just hit the Goodwill," Conley said. "If you go into Goodwill with a picture in your head, you can usually find what you need."

"One year, my daughter wanted to be a purple bird," Conley said. "We hot-glued purple feathers to a hooded sweatshirt."

Another year, her son wanted to go as a dinosaur. The two of them made scales from the yellow garbage bags sold as police fundraisers.

Here's the best part: Those costumes often find a second use.

"The bird was resurrected for a high school film project," Conley remembered. "It was about pollution—they filmed it down at Lion's Beach."

For this summer's production of "The Producers," Conley borrowed costumes from another theater, and that's common for nonprofits.

Becky Weber-Johnson, who works with the children's theater group SpotLight on Kids, said members "beg, borrow and steal" to outfit their shows.

Group members stretch their budget with imagination.

During last weekend's Halloween Walk at Rotary Botanical Gardens, they needed to dress a kid like a giant pair of pants. Their answer was lots of fabric and a hula-hoop; the hoop served as the framework for the waist.

Who wouldn't want to go as a pair of pants for Halloween? You'd have the most original costume in the neighborhood, and you'd scare all kids who decided to go as shorts or capris.

Bonnie Davis, city of Janesville recreation director who runs the "Enchanted Forest" Halloween event at Palmer Park, said most parents just don't have the time to make costumes.

Busy parents on a budget can buy an inexpensive set of fairy wings or a pirate sword to start a custom and then finish it with makeup and clothes they already have at home, Davis suggested.

Don't forget about House of Treasure, 500 Milton Ave., Janesville. The thrift shop, which is run by Mercy Hospital Volunteers, has kids costumes—already made—for as little as 50 cents.

Other suggestions?

Put on a plain-colored shirt and tights, slap a cutout "M" on your chest, and you're an M & M.

Invest in a nose—or make one with makeup—add construction paper ears, and you've got a winner.

"I like the costumes where you can see the little kids' faces," Davis said. "The three bears, the three little pigs, a cat or a mouse—those are all easy to do."

Don't forget the possibilities inherent in a large cardboard box, Davis said. A box can be a large die—siblings can be dice—a racecar, part of a Tin Man costume or an old-fashioned box television with dials and knobs.

Remind kids that when their grandparents were young, there were only three channels, and people had to change them by hand.

Not only that, but they had to walk to school—up hill, both ways—and they made their own Halloween costumes.

Seriously, they made their own Halloween costumes.

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS

Janesville Police Sgt Brian Donohoue offered these safety tips for trick-or-treaters.

-- Trick-or-treat while it's still light outside.

-- If you must go out at night, carry a flashlight and wear a light-colored costume, or put reflective tape on your costume so you'll be seen more easily.

-- Use makeup instead of a mask.

-- If a parent or an older relative can't come with you, trick-or-treat in groups.

-- Use sidewalks whenever available. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic.

-- Cross the street at corners. Never cross between parked cars or mid-block.

-- Trick-or-treat in your own neighborhood and on well-lit streets.

-- Wait until you get home to eat your treats. Don't eat anything that's not wrapped.

Questions about Halloween safety or other community safety issues can be addressed to Sgt. Donohoue at (608) 755-3133.