I love Halloween. Love. It. My mom Jean used to make my costumes when I was a kid, and when I started a family she made them for all of us. We were a pride of lions. We were the Incredibles. We were Avatars. Even during the year when it wasn’t Halloween, every warrior, ninja, obscure animated hero, princess, or animal about whom my kids were excited could merit a consultation with Grandma Jean and eventually a beautifully sewn costume. The anticipation of Halloween’s arrival was intense and joyful. Transforming into something or someone brave, powerful, and interesting was real. All of the brain development and idea processing that took place while my son was wearing his Firebreather costume led to empathy for the complex life and problems of the character one embodies.
A very sad moment in our life journey was when our kids advised us that (rather abruptly, and the younger one was right in step with her older sibling, surrendering three years of Halloween wonder) being seen in public with their parents was now intolerable. So certainly, being seen with us in public clad in matching Teletubby costumes was… Not a thing. Parents of children who are still young enough to view you with wonder, enjoy every minute.
When I started Circular Thrift, the first thing I began solving for was Halloween costumes. I obtained permission from the head of facilities at Bexley Elementary School to place a metal bin and a sign in each of the schools on 11/1/22. And people brought in their costumes. The bins were frequently full. I collected them, sorted them, did a little bit of cleaning and mending, and put them away for the year. (Thank you Maven Circular for the storage help.) In fall of 2023 I sold most of the Halloween costumes on Facebook Marketplace, at the Bexley Farmers Market, and at the Olde Towne East Art Walk. A few days before Halloween – the timing matters – I took the remaining costumes, which were nicely organized on racks, to a local school with a significant number of SNAP-eligible families. I told the administrator that I would come back and collect whatever students and families didn’t want. The next day the racks were empty.
I do believe we should still produce seasonal stuff like Halloween costumes as a society. But we need better ways to circulate it. Here is what we know:
- Halloween is joyful.
- Costumes are generally made from fossil fuels and won’t biodegrade so landfilling them before they are REALLY worn out is suboptimal.
- Halloween Day is often a one-time use. Kids may love a costume and wear it over and over, but they probably won’t wear the same one again a full year later.
Timing and storage are two challenges. Donating costumes after Halloween is over is well intentioned but may have limited effectiveness. Some national charities have the resources to collect seasonal costumes and hold them for the next year, but many do not. Halloween costumes have little value on 11/1 and probably won’t delight another wearer in this same calendar year. Getting costumes to people who need or want them (as an alternative to a new purchase or as an alternative to not having one) BEFORE the holiday is the thing. The only solution is a circular model with a full year time horizon.
I’m going to do my Halloween costume collection again this year. There is a little bit of money, but I’m driven by the environmental and social impact of the model. How can we operationalize this at a hyperlocal level throughout the country? Could all PTOs take on swapping Halloween costumes? Is there a reuse coalition that could sit between a PTO and a municipal sustainability group? I don’t think we’re far off from real solutions to the Halloween costume problem.
In the meantime, if on Halloween this year you happen to see a lone mumbling adult, dressed as a Teletubby stumbling along drinking (I’m sure it’s water) from a tumbler…leave her be. She will be fine. Just keep walking.
