Costume Craze - Child and Adult Costumes

4th of July Humor

Q. What happened as a result of the Stamp Act?

A. The Americans licked the British!

Q. What would you get if you crossed a patriot with a small curly-haired dog?

A. A Yankee Poodle!

Q. What kind of tea did the American colonists thirst for?

A. Liberty!

Q. What was General Washington's favorite tree?

A. The infantry!

Q. Which colonists told the most jokes?

A. Pun-sylvanians!

Q. What did a patriot put on his dry skin?

A. Revo-lotion!

Q. What’s Uncle Sam’s favorite snack?

A. Fire Crackers!

Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it.

- Judge Learned Hand

Movie Trivia: Did You Know?

For her role as Dorothy, in the Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland was only paid $35 a week while the dog who played Toto received $125 a week.

In Star Wars, Chewbacca's voice was created using the barks and grunts of dogs, blended with growls of lions and bears.

1400 actresses were interviewed for the part of Scarlett O' Hara in Gone with the Wind before Vivien Leigh landed the job.

When the Mother-Ship passes over the Devil's Tower near the end of Spielberg's movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, R2-D2 can be seen hanging from the bottom of the ship.

"Halloween" was originally going to be titled "The Babysitter Murders."

The Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie were named after the cop and the taxi driver from the movie "It's a Wonderful Life."

Isn’t movie trivia fun? Movie costumes are fun, too, and you'll find all your favorite movie character costumes right here at Costume Craze!

Remembering the Thriller

Thriller is the best selling album of all time, yielding seven top-ten singles and cementing Michael Jackson’s status as one of the predominate pop stars of the 20th century.

Jackson revolutionized the use of music videos, turning them into an art form and promotional tool by employing the use of complex story lines, dance routines, special effects and cameo appearances by famous personalities.

When the 14-minute-long Thriller video came out, MTV ran it twice an hour to meet demand and marked an increase in scale for music videos. It has been named the best music video ever.

We will not soon forget the catchy music or that phenomenally choreographed zombie dance. Thanks for the thrill, Michael.

Costumes to Suit your Perfect Wedding

Summer is a popular time for brides to plan weddings. But what do you know about the origin of many wedding traditions that persist today?

Best Man - Many years ago, in pre-Medieval times, the original duty of a Best Man was to serve as armed backup for the groom in case he had to resort to kidnapping his intended bride away from disapproving parents.

White Wedding - Queen Victoria made the traditional wedding white fashionable, wearing a pale gown trimmed in orange blossoms for her 1840 wedding. Royal-crazed commoners began to copy her immediately.

Groom's boutonniere - a nod to medieval times when a knight wore his lady's "colors," proudly displayed for all to see.

Today, many brides have actually moved away from the traditional wedding in favor of a ceremony that reflects their interests and passions. Whether you want a Star Wars-style wedding or a romantic Renaissance wedding, we have the costumes to make YOUR special day positively perfect.

Return of the Decepticons

The Decepticons aren't finished with planet earth...yet.

In Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, out in theaters on Wednesday, June 24th, Starscream assumes command of the Decepticons after returning to Cybertron and Megatron's dead body has been stolen from the US Military and revived by Skorpinox.

They're out for revenge with more Decepticon reinforcements on the way and a plan to take Sam Witwicky prisoner.

Optimus Prime and the Autobots will need to form an alliance with international armies if they're going to have a chance against the Decepticons in a second epic battle that promises more heart-pounding summer action from the Transformers movie franchise.

Costume Helpers

While cleaning out her closet last September, an 11-year-old Pennsylvania girl was inspired to start an organization named "Halloween Helpers," when she found several outgrown Halloween and dance costumes.

"I started thinking that there are a lot of kids who don't have Halloween costumes," young Emma Shapiro said.

Do you have costumes you're not using? Start your own costume drive or give them to schools and homeless shelters.

Don't throw out miscellaneous items, like pirate eye patches, that are missing a corresponding costume...one child's discarded accessory might be another child's finishing touch.

If you simply wish to buy costumes to donate, you can get hundreds of fabulously priced costumes from our clearance section.

From Spiderman costumes to movie character and pet costumes, our clearance costumes will save you up to 60% off the original prices...and we're sure you'll find something to put a smile on any kid's face!

Create Magic With Costume Craze

Sesame Street is one of those programs that provides entertainment, education and humor which appeals to kids of all ages and keeps them watching the show year after year.

One of Sesame Street's most endearing characters is the Amazing Mumford, whose magic tricks often go awry.

With a wave of his wand and his characteristic magic words, "A la peanut butter sandwich," there is a puff of smoke and then the mischief begins.

Want to be a more accurate magician than the Amazing Mumford? We can help! Our Magic kits will help you amaze your friends and family over and over!

Put Villain Costumes to Good Use

Recently we told you about someone trying to rob convenience store displays dressed in a gorilla costume.

Maybe it's the warm weather, but costumed shenanigans are on the rise.

Last week, a man dressed in what's being called a "chic costume" and a fedora, entered a prestigious Paris boutique, pulled out a gun and forced staff to hand over some 15 pieces of jewelry, worth up to 6.6 million dollars.

These people are really giving costumes a bad name!

Here's how you can put villain costumes to good use:

* Father's Day is coming up...throw dad a themed party. Play a "name that gangster" game and take some funny pictures for scrapbook pages.

* Host a Murder Mystery Dinner.

* Throw a fundraiser or charity event with a "famous villains" theme.

Lost in Adventure

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The popular 1970’s children's series, Land of the Lost, has had a big budget film makeover and will transport us to another world on Tuesday, June 5th!

Washed up scientist, Dr. Rick Marshall, has been sucked into a Space-time vortex and shot back through time to a strange universe full of marauding dinosaurs and other fantastic creatures not of our world.

Marshall doesn’t have weapons, skills or the smarts to survive in the Land of the Lost. Fortunately, he’s not alone. With his research assistant, Holly, and a redneck survivalist, Will, alongside him for the adventure, they will have to rely on each other, and a primate called Chaka, to escape the Sleestaks and the Land of the Lost before they become permanent refugees!

Now, we don't suggest you get sucked into a space-time vortex when you can create your own adventure right at home without the dangers dinosaurs. Our Indiana Jones costumes and safari hats will put you in the right mood for your home-spun adventure!

Caps off to New Graduates

As high schools and colleges across the country prepare to send thousands of graduates into the real world, one might wonder where the tradition of tossing the cap at the end of the graduation ceremony came from.

It is believed that this tradition started in 1912 at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Students at the US Naval Academy were referred to as midshipmen and as such, were required to wear a midshipman’s cap.

1912 marked the first year cadets would graduate to officers instead of having to serve two more years as midshipmen and the Navy gave its new officers their new caps at graduation.

The Naval graduates were so happy about no longer having to wear their midshipmans' caps that they threw them as high as they could into the air.

Today, the tradition continues to be a popular graduation ritual still performed at the Naval Academy and other schools across the country.

Congratulations and good luck to all the new graduates out there!

Go Ape for Great Costume Prices

As of last week, police continue to search for a man wearing an ape costume who has attempted to steal foam banana displays from inside local gas stations in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin.

Someone dressed in an ape costume entered two gas stations last Wednesday, trying to steal the banana displays and police have received several calls stating that the suspect is hanging around town.

While the botched banana thefts may seem funny, the police still want to question the ape in question to discover the suspect's true motives.

The beginning of the summer season seems to bring out the wildness in all of us, doesn't it? But that's no reason to go ape and start stealing things. If you absolutely must have a banana display, buy our Big Inflatable Banana...at only $11.00, it's a real steal!

Memorial Day Observance

Here are some helpful facts to help you tap into your patriotic side and remind you of the significance and traditional observance of Memorial day:

* Memorial Day is a day of remembrance of those who have died serving our country.

* The National Moment of Remembrance, passed on Dec 2000, suggests that at 3 p.m. local time, all Americans pause from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to "Taps" in honor of the servicemen who gave their lives for our country.

* On Memorial Day, the flag should be at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff.

* Red Poppies are recognized as the Memorial Day flower.

* Memorial Day was first called "Decoration Day" because of the practice of decorating soldiers graves with flowers.

* Flowers and flags are the two most popular items people use to remember soldiers.

* Memorial Day was declared a federal holiday in 1971.

Have an enjoyable, and meaningful, Memorial Day!

Another Amazing Night at the Museum

The biggest battle in history is about to begin...in theaters this Friday!

In Night at the Museum II, Larry Daly returns to his job at the Museum of Natural History only to discover that some of his favorite exhibits have been labeled "out of date" and shipped to the Smithsonian archives.

Larry travels to the Smithsonian where he'll face an evil Egyptian ruler, who plans to overtake the museum. He’ll make friends with some of the worlds most famous historical figures and fight against notorious mobsters.

From Presidents to dinosaur exhibits, it's a story so epic, it could only take place within the corridors of the world's most famous and most visited museum. And in fact, the movie is the first action adventure film to ever be shot at the Smithsonian.

Pretty cool, huh? Speaking of cool, Costume Craze has a Smithsonian-sized collection of Historical costumes for your every need!

Terminator Salvation Costumes

The end is almost here...are you ready?

On Thursday, May 21st, John Connor will lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators in the movie Terminator Salvation.

The year is 2018. The world has been mostly destroyed by nuclear holocaust and the human resistance faces off against Skynet, a networked artificial intelligence bent on destroying what remains of humanity.

Joining forces with the mysterious stranger, Marcus Wright, Connor must venture deep into enemy territory in order to claim his destiny and uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

After seeing Terminator Salvation, we're sure you'll all want to dress up as John Connor, a T600 or resistance pilot Blair Williams. So let us just reassure you that your battle to find great movie costumes is almost over.

Our Terminator costumes have been ordered...set your Sci-Fi costume clocks for "coming soon!"

Laughter is Life's Best Medicine

Erma Bombeck once stated, "If you can't make it better, you can laugh at it."

It's human nature to complain about life's frustrations. But if you try laughing them off instead, you'll feel less stressed and more able to handle negative events.

Need some help generating laughter? Consider our hilarious selection of funny hats. Wear them to work or around the house.

You'll also crack up with our huge selection of funny costumes full of your favorite character costumes, food costumes and other clever costumes that will make you giggle.

Our humorous costumes will tickle your funny bone and keep you laughing all year long!

Amuse yourself as often as you can with funny costumes from Costume Craze! Because, after all...laughter is life's best medicine!

New Party Plans

Tired of the same ole' luau and 50's themed parties? It's time to breath some new life into your party plans.

This may sound like a scary party idea, but...turn out the lights! You can buy glow necklaces and dance in the dark. Eat off glowing plates and drink out of glowing margarita glasses. Hey, anyone up for a little glow in the dark Frisbee?

As a general rule, we try not to eat anything that glows, but we've seen alien glow pops on the web, if you wanna try em' out.

If you want a costume that lights your way through the night, try our uniquely illuminated glow in the dark stick figure costumes from Glow Man!

If glowing isn't your thing, everyone likes rock-and-roll, so get your friends together for a high volume pop star or rock star bash. Wear tight jeans, lots of jewelry, vests, graphic tees and of course, big hair! Play rock star trivia, have a sing-a-long and apply fake tattoos.

With a little creativity, there's no reason you can't throw together a unique party that everyone will remember for years to come!

Dance like a Chicken

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Have you ever been at a wedding where they played some strange accordion music and everyone got up and flapped their arms, kinda like...a chicken?

The phenomenon you experienced was most likely the Chicken Dance (or it might have been the Champagne). If you really enjoyed it and wish there were more opportunities to engage in such silly behavior, you're in luck...May 14th is designated as "National Dance Like a Chicken Day"!

The Chicken Dance song was originally titled "Der Ententanz" (The Duck Dance). It was created by Swiss accordion player Werner Thomas in the 1950's.

The dance was introduced in the United States in 1941 during Tulsa, Oklahoma's Oktoberfest by a German band. Unfortunately, there were no duck costumes available anywhere near Tulsa so they borrowed a chicken costume from the local television station and the Chicken Dance was born.

Now you don't have to wear a chicken costume to do the dance, but it may bring out more of your inner cluck! If nothing else, our funny Chicken Clucker Hat will make the Chicken Dance more fun.

Treat Mom Like a Queen

In honor of Mother's Day this weekend, here are some interesting facts from around the world:

A religious festival celebrating motherhood has existed in Europe since approximately 250 BC when the Romans honored the mother goddess, Cybele, during mid-March.

Native American women have long been honored with the name, "Life of the Nation" for their gift of motherhood to the tribes.

Some tribes of people, like the Assam in Africa, don't call themselves families. They call themselves "maharis", or "motherhoods."

During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called "Mothering Sunday." Servants would go home to see their families, taking cakes and sweets to their moms.

Chinese family names are often formed (begin) with a sign that means "mother". It's a nice way of honoring their moms long past.

Hmmm...sounds like mothers hold a place of honor in many societies. To honor your mother this Sunday, give her treatment befitting a Queen to make her Mother's Day extra special!

A Bold New Star Trek

Star Trek is one of the most recognizable titles in entertainment. But can the newest movie in the decades-old franchise (in theaters this Thursday, May 7th), attract more than aging Trekkies?

Hoping to snag the under-25 crowd (which drives ticket sales in the crucial summer movie season) as well as loyal followers of Gene Roddenberry's sci-fi classic, Paramount has made the most expensive "Star Trek" ever. They spent more than $30 million on visual effects alone, plus about $140 million on the overall production and $150 million to market and distribute it worldwide.

With director JJ Abrams at the helm, the future of the new Star Trek franchise begins, featuring the YOUNG crew of the enterprise!

Rebellious Iowa farm boy, James Kirk, joins forces with bitter rival, Spock, to save the United Federation of Planets from Nero, the time traveling Romulan.

Will this new vision of the greatest space adventure of all time boldly go where no man has gone before?

Source: La Times, May 4th

Don't Forget Your Serape

You don't have to be Mexican to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (the fifth of May).

In fact, while Cinco de Mayo has limited significance nationwide in Mexico (observed mostly in the state capital of Puebla), the date is widely celebrated in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

The largest Cinco de Mayo event in the world is held in Los Angeles, California, where more than 600,000 people celebrate with music and food at the Festival de Fiesta Broadway.

Cinco de Mayo is a great holiday for families to sample delicious Mexican food, experience Mexican music and dance, make Mexican crafts and buy Mexican art and souvenirs.

So come the Fifth of May, get out and enjoy some traditional Mexican culture, but don't forget your sombrero and serape...nothing adds more fun to celebrations than costumes!