A Very Hoboken Halloween

There's something special about Halloween! As kids, it was a treasured holiday in my family and we celebrated with great neighborhood parties. This year, I tried to carry on that tradition in my own way by hosting friends in Hoboken. We carved pumpkins, shared delicious fall treats, and dressed up in fun and ridiculous costumes.

Anuja and I as variations of our childhood faves:
Hipster Minnie Mouse and Brunette Rainbow Brite

Unfortunately, for a lot of Hoboken kids, Halloween will come a few days late due to Hurricane Sandy...so, it's STILL Halloween on iGeneration! In the last moments of electricity earlier this week, I pieced together an inspiration board for a future Halloween party with a Ghostbusters theme.

1. Imagine this imposing, inflatable Stay Puft Marshmallow Man greeting guests
2. Use contact paper or vinyl window cover to create ghostly figures in hallway and bathroom mirrors
3. Hang cheesecloth ghosts from fans of light fixtures, but remember: don't cross the streams!
4. Vinyl Craft Lettering sells these peek-a-boo monster decals for an added spook in the least likely of places
5. Egon loved collecting spores and slime, so don't let your guests leave the party without some
6. Lollipop ghosts are easy to make with white napkins and a piece of ribbon...stick them in a pumpkin for a cute centerpiece
7. Ghost cake pops are delicious and spooky--order some for the party of DIYvia Bakerella
8. Tori Spelling threw the ultimate Ghostbusters party for her son's birthday, take a cue from her great table and green decorations
9. A Stay Puft marshmallow bar might compliment some warm hot chocolate
10. Slimer, Ghostbuster, and Stay Puft cookies via Tori Spelling's awesome party are delicious, color-scheme complimentary, and fun

Whether you've celebrated Halloween already or plan to celebrate this weekend, have fun, be safe, and do it up!

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Guest Blogger: Sarah Wallendjack

In honor of Halloween, Sarah Wallendjack, friend, producer, and President of Children's Media Association, shares all the Mahna Mahna behind her costume tradition.

During this time of year, I am usually surrounded by fleece, furry fabric and foam. You see, this year will mark the 10th year in a row I have been dressing up as a Muppet for Halloween. What can I say, it's fun. I have been a Muppet fan as long as I can remember and the magical world that Jim Henson created has left an impression. Jim's philosophy on life has been wisdom I turn to often, and I now work in kid's television.

My Halloween tradition started the year I helped coordinate a Halloween costume party at the animation studio where I was working. I found an Animal costume in the child's section at Ricky's. The head piece was amazing and I knew with some creative scissor and sewing work, I could adapt the child's costume to fit me. The following year, I found a Swedish Chef costume, in an adult size, and all the sudden I had started a trend.   

I found some great 'pimp' accessories and it was easy to transform as Dr. Teeth from the Electric Mayhem. In following years, I was able to find a Miss Piggy wig and a packaged Fozzie Bear costume. Both were big hits. I crafted a yellow yarn wig to help me transform as Janice, mmm, OK, and I donned a green dress, a statue of liberty head piece and a headband with ping-pong balls to attend a friend's wedding as Kermit the Frog. But after that I had to get a little more creative. I knew I wanted to be Gonzo, but couldn't find a costume that felt quite right, so I got crafty and turned an old baseball hat into Gonzo's head with lots of feathers and felt to recreate his signature nose.  

Last year's desire to be Sam the Eagle required some more out of the box thinking. I crafted the head out of foam and an old blue blanket. I visited my friends at the Puppet Kitchen for some professional support and to help make sure that Sam's eyebrows looked furrowed and American. Another hit at another party.

I count some professional puppeteers as friends who help me perfect the Muppet looks. I study lots of photos to make sure I can deliver on the comedic details that make the Muppets so unique. 

It is a fun tradition and my goal is to one day have enough Muppet costumes to gather my friends and march in the Greenwich Village parade as the Muppet Show. I still have quite a number of Muppets to cross of my list.  At a minimum, I get a pretty great Facebook profile photo :) If you would like to see who I am going to be this year, follow me on Twitter @swallendjack to get the first glimpse.



All photos by S. Wallendjack.
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A Halloween Costume Suggestion For My Unborn Child

I'm not a mom...but if I were and had any say in my child's Halloween costume, they'd be an Apple Genius. Though not completely original, I have yet to see a kid dressed up as such, and I wonder, "Why, hipster parents, have you not seized this opportunity?" I did the Etsy search, and I got nothin.

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With more kids asking for and owning Apple products than ever before, is the Apple Genius the new superhero? He/she/it brings your beloved devices back from the dead with the power of their brain! Their simplistic uniform and super smarts make them the perfect protagonist.

I think a costume is just the icing on the cake. When will the Apple brand step out of the digital play arena and into more traditional forms of kids' play? Some potential future conversations may sound like this:

-"Playing school, Sally?"
-"Shh! I'm teaching a workshop on iMovie!"

-"Playing handyman, Billy?" 
-"No, I'm repairing Bear's track pad."

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I'm in awe of the new Playmobil Apple Store playset. Though I think it's made with the nerdy adult in mind, it's possible that this kind of Apple store/product inspired play could grow.

So, what do you think? Is the Apple Genius the next superhero?


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