From Anthony Weiner to Kate Middleton and Charlie Sheen, this year’s Halloween costumes are ripped straight from the headlines. See pictures of the most popular.
Charlie Sheen has had a pretty big year. The actor’s notorious firing, explosive interviews, and bizarre behavior seem to have made him even more popular. He even set a Twitter record: “Fastest Time to Reach 1 Million followers.” So it is perhaps not surprising that he has been made into a Halloween costume this year. The costume comes with a mask, a bottle labeled “Tiger Blood,” and a very long knife.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s term as governor of California ended in early 2011, and it seemed like he might get back to being back in the news for his movie roles. But the revelation of a secret love child and his split from Maria Shriver put him back in the tabloids for unexpected reasons. But at least the scandal kept him in the popular consciousness long enough to earn a Halloween costume.
More than two billion people tuned in to watch the royal wedding in April, and the newlyweds’ recent tour of North America drew massive crowds of well-wishers. Now fans will be able to dress as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for Halloween.
There’s another way of evoking the Royal Wedding—without having to shill out for Kate Middleton’s full dress and veil. Headlinecostumes.com sells a copy of Princess Beatrice’s fascinator hat (which she sold for $130,000 on eBay) for $40.
After orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, Bernie Madoff will be spending the rest of his life in prison. But anyone who thinks he deserves additional punishment should look no further than this Halloween costume. It features an orange jumpsuit with a bulls-eye on it, so your friends can “whack” him with a blow-up hammer. Says one expert: “If a bunch of people are dressing up as Bernie Madoff, it’s not because he’s a role model. It’s precisely because they think he’s not.”
Black Swan was a sleeper hit that won Natalie Portman an Oscar for her role as a tortured ballerina earlier this year. Now fans can act out their own drama wearing this black tutu. Creepy white makeup is, of course, sold separately.
Anthony Weiner’s sexting and tweeting scandal ended in his resignation in June. Since then, he has tried to keep a low profile. But he’s sure to be back on full display this Halloween, thanks to this costume.
When Obama sent Navy Seal Team 6 to kill Osama bin Laden in a secret compound in Pakistan’s Abbottabad, little did the president know he would spawn a popular Halloween costume. Ricky’s Navy Seal costume comes with a camo jumpsuit, a vest, thigh holster, utility pouch, and a hood.
It may have been news in 2008, but in fantasyland, Eliot Spitzer’s tryst with escort Ashley Dupré is the gift that keeps on giving. An all-black “Client #9” jumpsuit comes with a full frontal zip.
Nicki Minaj’s hair is more changeable than the wind—so it’s hard to track down a Halloween costume that could appropriately capture the eccentric rapper. But according to a saleswoman at New York’s Halloween Adventure Superstore, the “Rapalicious wig” has been an early bestseller.
ABC’s new show Pan Am may likely prove a popular inspiration for fans of risqué costumes. There are several naughty flight-attendant costumes that people are adapting to pay homage to the show. “We’ve sold out three times already,” said a salesperson at the Abracadabra Superstore in New York. But apparently, the costumes are not just for women: “We’ve had a lot of men come in and buy women’s flight-attendant costumes, too.”
Last year, flight attendant Steven Slater became a household name when he launched into a tirade over his flight’s intercom before grabbing two beers and evacuating the plane on its emergency slide. He was quickly elevated to hero status, and inspired the “Angry Steward” Halloween costume, which includes two beer bottles and an instruction manual for self-evacuation.
