Quick! What year is this?

This Halloween I noticed a lot of stroller-babies zipped into warm, cozy costumes including a dinosaur, a giraffe, and this little chicken and lion. To look at this photo you might think it was taken in 1987. There's Wonder Woman, "Where's Waldo?" and timeless baby animals. The only clue that it's the 21st century is the name on the stroller, "Baby Jogger." It's October 2008, when the same old days suddenly look like the good old days.

Clan costuming

This year, I spotted groups of people dressed as "casts." There were two groups of Ghost Busters, a handful of glistening French courtiers, a gang of jolly cons and a crew of pirates.

Costumes catch the eye when they're multiplied. Halloween customs seem to be borrowing from the costumed tribes in role-playing games.

Twice the fun at Halloween

On this blog, I've noted that kids are wearing costumes outside of Halloween season; so how can you make Halloween special? One dynamic four-year-old at the Halloween Fair in Oz Park had the perfect solution: wear two costumes at once. His full Spiderman suit was topped with a fire fighter's hat and rubber coat.

I do hear that Target is having its best Halloween ever. Could it be the Edgar & Ellen theme, or simply that kids are doubling up?

Disguises in the Summertime

Yesterday, on my way to a farmers' market in Chicago, I encountered a flock of 4-year-old princesses--not presiding from thrones, but competing (with little regard for their long, voile skirts) in a game that required running around and throwing beanbags.

No sooner had I turned the corner when a small fairy walked by carrying peaches for her mother.

Halloween has slipped its moorings. Soon clothing stores will have permanent costume sections.

Halloween: all grown up

There was a lot of bemused commentary at this year's Halloween Show, because among the Princess and Super Hero costumes with their padded muscles had appeared booth after booth of mini-skirted French maid costumes, bondage attire and platformed stilletos and fishnet hose.

It appears that the treats in store this October may be associated with tricks in a different sense of the word. If I had little kids I'd want to watch out for what pops up on the search engines when they enter "Halloween."