Over the years, I've put together some top-notch costumes - Speed Racer, the Green Power Ranger, and the Headless Horseman rank among my proudest. Along with my wife, our craft has even won awards at local costume contests - Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, and, my personal favorite, Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe. After all, these years, I still get a thrill out of spending a night in disguise.
However, I am certainly not alone in my love for Halloween dress-up; after all, those pop-up costume shops indicate that it is a million dollar industry. But, it's not just people that like to get in on the act of costuming. Trading cards, that's right, trading cards can often be found in disguise... and all year-round at that!
They come disguised as...
...stickers...
...decals....
...magnets...
...phone cards...
...stamps....
...tattoos...
...coupons...
...advertisements...
...game pieces...
...posters...
...postcards...
...greeting cards....
...Valentine cards....
...digital photographs....
...traditional photographs...
...mini books...
...and even business cards, credit cards, coins, rub downs, ticket stubs, tags, schedules, blankets, and paper fans. Trading cards are like paper/plastic versions of Lon Chaney, "The Man of a Thousand Faces."
But, despite their clever disguises, these collectibles can't confuse use obsessive collectors - they're trading cards, at heart. There ain't no "tricking" us on these "treats!" We obsessive folks will collect them in whatever form they chose to hide out in.
Or maybe I'm the only one that "out of my gourd..."
At any rate, Happy Halloween to everyone reading this overextended, metaphorical excuse for a blog post. I hope your night's festivities are "bewitching!" In the meantime, if you happen to run into a Han Solo and Chewbacca combination in your neighborhood this evening, you might just be running into this fanatical trading card collector and his lovely wife. Keep your eyes peeled!
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**EDIT** - Due to popular demand, here's a selection of costumes for which I have easily accessible pictures (by that, I mean they were on Facebook):
You can't make a post like this and not show us some of your costume work! And you don't have to wait until Halloween to costume...any local comic convention has lots of costuming going on. Chicago has one of the bigger ones in the USA in fact.
ReplyDeleteBilly's right, costume pics please!
DeleteHappy knock knock to everyone!
I sure miss the phone card era. Great costumes. As a huge Star Wars fan, I'm with Billy and Doe. You gotta show off Han & Chewie.
ReplyDeleteThat's better! You do make good costumes!
ReplyDelete