Getup kids

Creative types look fondly upon their childhood Halloween costumes

By Mairead Case
Published: September 5th, 2007 | 4:01pm

TEMIM FRUCHTER OF THE SHONDES
"Orthodox Jews don't generally do Halloween, so I dressed up for Purim. Once I was a kosher kitchen. Not just a cutesy food item or an accessory: the entire kitchen. My head emerged from a giant box, dangling with extremely authentic rusty pots and giant spoons from my family's actual kosher kitchen. Very high concept!"

ALICE HACKER, ECHO LOCATIONS RADIO (ECHOLOCATIONS.COM)
"My mother refused to purchase pre-made costumes and spent her nights off hunched over the sewing machine, hurrying to finish a Minnie Mouse glove or a Dalmatian's ear. I'm positive that I wasn't the most grateful child, but every year she made me feel magnificent in my one-of-a-kind costume."

KATHY FOSTER OF THE THERMALS
"I was usually something dead. It started to worry my boyfriends."

BRIAN WEBB OF THE CONSTANTINES
"I remember being a punk when I was 6 or 7. It's kinda awesome to go back and see a picture of what I thought that was: I have a camouflage shirt on, a stripe of blue through my hair, and those Cyndi Lauper clip-on feathers. I don't know where I saw punks; I was 7 years old!"

ELLEN FORNEY, CARTOONIST
"In fifth grade, I was ready for gore. Blood. I wanted to be scary. We’d learned about colonial life in school, and I was pretty fascinated by all the town-square stuff. Executioners looked durn scary and gruesome — perfect! The best part was the head, made out of one of those plastic pumpkin candy holders. I had to part the hair to put trick-or-treat candy inside."