subject: The Best Group Costume Ideas Are The Worst Costume Ideas [print this page] It can be hard to think up original group costume ideas. Wearing the same costume as several other people blows. It is equally bad to have something original but lame, which no one thinks is cool. Often times the solution is just to follow your gut, be creative, and throw caution to the wind.
I know a thing or two about bizarre costumes. In college my costume was Derelict Smurf. I was too lazy and too busy studying and abusing alcohol to waste time designing a costume, so I went into a girls dorm hall, laid down, and asked everyone to paint me blue with a magic marker. They made me take off all my clothes except my boxers. A dozen women dutifully dyed me till I was smurfalicious.
As Derelict Smurf, I wore the white long underwear of a friend as a hat. Later that night I vomited in them. She didn't want them back.
I went as a turd one other year. That is, a piece of feces. It is much harder to design a turd costume than it first appears. A buddy offered to fill a cup and smear it on me. I am stupid, but not that stupid.
It seemed more sanitary to wear a brown shirt and pants. I had no costume planned, as I was going to spend the evening with my girlfriend, but then we got in a huge, huge argument, yet again. So I was at home, and my homies insisted I come to a party with them. I had less than a half hour to think up and design a costume. Channeling my inner MacGyver, I scoured my pad, procured corn, peanuts, clear tape, and a hefty dose of fortitude. My housemates manned up and toped dozens of pieces of corn and peanuts to me in minutes.
Drunks kept chasing me trying to get peanuts off and eat them. A dog at the house licked the corn. Most women were disgusted. I ran into my girlfriend at the party. She dumped me and told me that I was piece of !@#$. For once I couldn't argue. My friends and I laughed about that one for months.
I've always liked pastels, and am about 6'3" tall, so in my junior year of college, I once again sought assistance in the girl's halls, and laid down in only my boxers. They approached with blue markers, but I made them get green. They markered me until I was a jolly green giant. My accoutrements included a green bean crown. Yes, they were uncooked beans. I'm not a total Neanderthal. I also made a garment by taping leaves together. Someone sprayed my hair with green Krylon paint that took weeks to go away. The women were also kind enough to provide green lipstick and eye liner. It was a cool arse costume.
I trounced around the party saying ho, ho, ho green giant in a deep voice. Except that women seemed to only hear the first part, and would get all mad, thinking someone was bad mouthing them. I'm not chauvinist, but maybe they resented the comments because it was an apt descriptor.
With a little panache and fearlessness, you can make a costume you'll laugh about the rest of your life. The most important thing isn't money or time. Rather, it is the courage to implement that nutty group costume idea that seems like a bad idea, but is in fact the best idea ever.
