You could buy the "it" getup of the year — Big Bird — at your local costume store. Or you can join the DIY revolution and use your spooky blood, sweat and tears to make your own creepy-cool creation. DIY Halloween costume searches are up 90 percent year over year, according to Google data.
But just what are creative masterminds out there crafting for themselves? Some popular costume searches, like those for "mermaid" or "pirate," are to be expected. But others — like, oh, say, "loofah" or "Slender Man" — are downright baffling (and, c'mon, a little disconcerting). Below are the top 10 DIY costume searches for October 2012:
1. How to Train Your Dragon
2. Minnie Mouse
3. Loofah
4. Zombie
5. Ninja mask
6. Slender Man
7. Peacock
8. Mermaid
9. Pirate
10. Superhero
What is the "Slender Man"? Meant to be a costume that requires minimal effort, it pays homage to the urban legend of a paranormal, white figure with an affinity for James Bond attire and, possibly, for snatching children and causing paranoia. The character supposedly originated in an online forum in 2009 and has been described as "passive aggressive". The outfit requires a faceless white mask, white gloves, black suit and a creepy pose.
As for loofah, it's exactly what you think: a big, fluffy ball meant for washing. In a surprising move, ladies have taken to this new tulle-heavy costume so that they can travel in packs as a "bunch of loofahs." (Which is silly, since everyone knows loofahs are solo travelers.) And in case you think this new trend is turning back the clock on revealing costumes, don't worry: women generally wear the loofah — and nothing else.
Standard disguises like princesses, pirates and peacocks have fallen since 2011, a simpler time when less confusing Halloween costumes weren't clogging our search portals. Perhaps the oddest standout from last year was simply "a Mortal Kombat" costume, if only because it seemed more relevant in the '90s. The top DIY costumes searches of 2011 gave more respect to the fantastical than to the spooky:
1. How to make a Mortal Kombat costume
2. DIY pirate costume
3. DIY princess costume
4. How to make a Harry Potter costume
5. DIY peacock costume
6. How to make a zombie costume
7. DIY Rapunzel costume
8. DIY Minnie Mouse costume
9. DIY vampire costume
10. How to make a mummy costume
One costume I wish had made the top 10 list this season? Clint Eastwood and chair.
What's your favorite DIY costume? Let us know!
Rina Raphael is a TODAY.com editor going as the Arab Spring (i.e, wearing a keffiyeh and holding a bouquet of flowers) this Halloween.
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