Halloween costumes of yore could look far more terrifying than those of today. In fact, the mischievous costumes of the early 20th-century, with their homemade masks, could look like something out of a Purge film. Below, we will walk you through the spooky evolution of popular costumes over 100 years.
1910s: Masks depicting witches, clowns, and fairies were fashioned at home out of papier-mâché and worn with everyday clothing to celebrate the holiday.
1920s: Halloween gained its reputation as a day for pranks and mischief. The witch costume was particularly in style with flappers wearing pointed hats and painted masks with their drop-waist shift dresses.
1930s: The first dedicated costume shop was established by Broadway designers Benjamin and Nathaniel Cooper. Ben Cooper obtained licensing rights from Walt Disney and produced the Minnie Mouse and Snow White costumes that took over the era.
1940s: Pin-up girls inspired women to dress like the iconic models for Halloween, wearing campy outfits and heavier makeup.
1950s: As the television became a staple in every living room, Halloween costumes started to mimic beloved TV characters. Wild West heroines, like Miss Kitty of Gunsmoke, were the most popular choice for women.
1960s: Julie Newmar debuted the famous skintight catsuit as her character Catwoman, and inspired women to dress in her likeness for Halloween.
1970s: Continuing with the comic book theme, Wonder Woman became the most popular costume choice of the decade. New York’s famous Halloween Parade also made its debut in the disco era.
1980s: The Queen of Halloween, Elvira, reigned supreme in this decade and is still the top-selling costume today.
1990s: A store-bought costume? As if! Schoolgirl costumes were all the rage, inspired by Clueless and Britney Spears’s “…Baby One More Time” video.
2000s: The millennium brought a whole new meaning to dressing up for Halloween as partygoers started to dress like actual celebrities rather than fictional characters.
2010s: Harley Quinn was the sixth most researched Halloween costume, according to Google, in the 2010s thanks to the release of Suicide Squad.
