Smurf Costume in Brussels

The Smurfs, and with them the blue and white Smurf costume was created by a cartoonist called Payo, 50 years ago in 1958 and the original Smurf cartoons were first published in Le Journal de Spirou. It was'nt until the eighties when the Flintstones creator Hanna-Barbera Productions made the small blue folk world-renowned.

Some of the well known Smurfs include Papa Smurf (Grand Schtroumpf) who wears a red Smurf costume, Smurfette (La Schtroumpfette) and Hefty Smurf (Schtroumpf Costaud)

Jokers Masquerade Fancy dress have created a Blue Gnome costume along the lines of a Smurf Costume and to promote it they have decided to take it on tour, mostly around Europe. Their first location was Brussels in Belgium, below is an extract from one of the Jokers Masquerade guys who went on tour in the smurf fancy dress costume:

"With our Smurf costumes packed and our cameras' we left the Jokers' Masquerade headquarters and headed to Brussels, the largest city in Belgium. Home to Herge's Tintin, Manneken Pis, Sprouts and of course, the Smurfs.

Our day in Belgium began with a taxi ride to the other side of the city to visit the Atomium where we pulled on our Smurf fancy dress costumes and posed for some photos in front of the famous landmark. Built for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair, the Atomium stands 335 feet high and was designed by Architect André Waterkeyn.

It was a beautiful June day as the sun beat down on Brussels. We took a stroll around the Mini Europe model village and discovered some famous miniature landmarks. Posing in font of such famous European architecture as Big Ben, Melk Abbey, Grand Place, Mnajdra Temple and Dover Castle we took some fantastic pictures. Our fancy dress outfits garnered much praise and were a big hit with the fellow park visitors."

Many thanks to Jokers Masquerade fancy dress for allowing me to use their story, they have also asked me to tell you that if you are after a Smurf Costume and you take it on holiday with you, if you send in a photo of yourself wearing it you could win yourselves a £50 fancy dress voucher. Smurf Costume on Tour for more details.

Moulin Rouge Costumes

If you are after a sexy costume or you have a "dance" fancy dress theme party, here are a few fancy dress ideas: Moulin Rouge Costumes and Burlesque costumes!

The Red Windmill or Moulin Rouge is the most famous venue for the can-can dance and it therefore goes without saying that the Moulin Rouge costume obviously comes in the same style as the burlesque and can can costume.

Several films and books have been written about, or had the title Moulin Rouge but before the release of the 2001 film Moulin Rouge! which stared Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman most people who were looking for Burlesque costumes would have either typed in Burlesque costume or can can costume into Google, but because of the success of the film the Moulin Rouge costume has become a name for a fancy dress costume in it's own right. Almost like people who want a fizzy soft drink just say they want a Coke even though they are often after a different band. It is also since the release of the film, that the popularity of Moulin Rouge fancy dress has skyrocketed and it is now possible to find a huge variety these fancy dress costumes from fancy dress hire shops to fancy dress shops online.

The actual Moulin Rouge in Paris was built in 1889 and as the name suggests has a red windmill on the roof of the building and the can-can dance is still performed there to this day. Initially the Moulin Rouge was seen as a brothel, but as the dance has become more respected that reputation has been lost and it is now a famous tourist spot in Paris.

Where to find Moulin Rouge Costumes

US Shoppers
Moulin Rouge Costumes on Amazon.com
Can Can Costumes on Amazon.com
Burlesque Costumes on Amazon.com



UK Shoppers
Moulin Rouge Costumes on Amazon.co.uk
Can Can Costumes on Amazon.co.uk
Burlesque Costumes on Amazon.co.uk


To search for the style of Moulin Rouge fancy dress costumes on the web you should not only look for Moulin Rouge costumes, but also try searches for can-can costumes, saloon girl costumes and burlesque costumes as different fancy dress shops use different terms and this way you should be able to find the largest range possible. Jokers' Masquerade fancy dress probably have the largest selection of Moulin Rouge costumes in the UK. Again it is important to remember to search for all the different names that come under Moulin Rouge fancy dress that I listed above above as there are many saloon girl costumes on Jokers' Masquerade that are perfectly acceptable as a Moulin Rouge costume.

The Indiana Jones Hat

Apart from his jacket and his whip, the Indiana Jones hat is probably the most distinctive part of the Indiana Jones costume.

The Indiana Jones hat is actually in the style of a fedora hat, which are made from soft felt and have a crease down the length of the hat and are pinched on the front and on both sides of the hat. The term fedora goes back right to 1891 and comes from the title of a play by Victorien Sardou. Princess Fédora, who was the heroine of the play who wore a hat similar to a fedora in 1882.

The reason for the fedora hat to be used as the Indiana Jones hat was because Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas wanted to give the character and look of the Indiana Jones costume a distinctive silhouette. And after looking at many different styles of hat they decided to use the fedora, and that is why the Indiana Jones hat is so distinctive!

As an added point of interest, the Indian Jones hat was made by Herbert Johnson Hatters in England for the first film. The Fedora Indiana Jones hat for the film The Temple of Doom was made by Eddy Baron of Baron Hats. And lastly, the Indy hat for "Crystal Skull" were made by Steve Delk and Marc Kitter of AdventureBilt Hat Company.

Indian Jones Hat – The Myths
Did Harrison Ford staple the Indy hat to his head?
Because the distinctive style of the Indian Jones hat became so iconic, the film makers could not really remove it and so Harrison Ford had to wear it for almost every scene and if it ever fell off, they would have to stop the scene, replace the hat and start again. As a joke, Harrison Ford placed a stapler gun against his head during shooting of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and so this is where the urban legend that Harrison Ford stapled the Indian Jones hat to his head!

US Shoppers
Indiana Jones Hat & Costumes on Amazon.com

Buy Costumes.com:



UK Shoppers
Indiana Jones Hat & Costumes on Amazon.co.uk


Check out a previous post on the Indiana Jones Costume

Sailor Costumes and Fancy Dress Ideas

The fancy dress sailor costumes with the white suit, blue collar and bell bottomed trousers were introduced as the sailor's suit in the Royal Navy in 1857. It is called the Number One uniform in the navy and because of it's instantly recognisable style and the fact that the sailor costume has become a popular fancy dress outfit.

Girls and Boys Sailor Suits
Back in the late 1800's the sailor costume became normal dress for girls and boys, not only in the UK but all around the world. This started with a 4 year old Prince Albert, when in 1846 he wore a sailor uniform given to him during a cruise off the Channel Islands. The public were delighted and engravings of him spread the image of the Prince in a boys sailor costume. This caught on and it wasn't long before both boys and girls were wearing sailor costumes.

Sailor Costumes as a School Uniform
In many Asian countries school children still wear sailor costumes as their school uniforms. Sailor girl costumes have now led to a fetishization of the female sailor costume, especially in Japan. Because of this there are now many “sexy sailor costumes” available and this has also led to anime cartoons such as the Sailor Moon series that is very popular in Japan and you can now find many Sailor Moon costumes that people wear as fancy dress.

The Female Sailor Costume
Ladies sailor costumes are very popular and there are all ranges from the very traditional looking sailor costume to sexy sailor costumes guaranteed to turn heads at any fancy dress party! Again if you are looking for couples costumes or Halloween costumes for couples a great idea would be to both dress up as sailors.

Sailor Costumes and Cartoon Characters
Some of the most popular western cartoon characters wear sailor costumes, these include Popeye and Donald Duck. So as a fancy dress idea you could either look for a Popeye costume, or to make a Popeye sailor costume you could get a sailor costume, a pipe and a can of spinach! Donald Duck costumes can be hard to find, so you could just get a duck costume and then combine it with a sailor uniform.

US Shoppers
Sailor Costumes on Amazon.com


UK Shoppers
Sailor Costumes on Amazon.co.uk

Catwoman Costume and Fancey Dress

Superhero fancy dress costumes are always popular, especially the male characters like Spiderman, Batman and Superman costumes, but what about woman superheroes (or should that be superheroines?)

Catwoman Costume
Today I am going to look at the Catwoman Costume, Catwoman first appeared in 1940 in a Batman comic and was initially known as The Cat.

The Catwoman costume has evolved over the years, in fact in her first appearance Catwoman wore no costume or disguise at all this then evolved with the character and Catwoman began to wear a cat-mask which had the appearance of a real cat .

In the 1990s, the Catwoman costume consisted of a skin tight purple bodysuit and then changed to a black PVC costume like the Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman costume in Batman Returns.

Most of the current Catwoman costumes for sale have a much more hi-tech look and usually include a stylized cat mask, jumpsuit, belt and boot tops.

Catwoman and the well known male superhero Batman, have tended to have a love and hate relationship over the years. Initially Catwoman spent her early years helping out Batman fighting crime, but later returns to her life of crime and moves on to become a true Batman villain. It is also interesting to note Batman's most enduring love interests, is Catwoman and has occasionally been depicted as his one true love. So an excellent idea for some couples costumes would be to dress up in Catwoman and Batman costumes.

Catwoman Costume on Amazon.co.uk

More female superhero costume ideas
If Catwoman is not your thing, here are a few more female superhero costume ideas for you:
Wonder Woman Costumes - see my blog post on the Wonder Woman Costume
Supergirl Costumes including Sexy Supergirl Costumes
Superwoman Costumes (DC Comics)
Batgirl Costumes and a Sexy Batgirl Costume
Phantom Girl Costume
The Bionic Woman
Black Widow (Timely Comics)
Bumblebee (DC Comics)
The Cat (Marvel Comics)
Elasti-Girl (DC Comics)
Miss America (Marvel Comics)
Storm (Marvel Comics)

Where to buy the Catwoman costume:

US Shoppers:
Catwoman Costumes on Amazon.com


UK Shoppers:
Catwoman Costumes on Amazon.co.uk


If you are looking for a similar costume, sexy and still a Superhero, try the Batgirl Costume

I hope I have helped you with some superhero fancy dress ideas UK and that you enjoy dressing up in your Catwoman Costume.

Bestival Festival & Fancy dress Costumes

30,000 FREAKS UNDER THE SEA

That is the official theme for this years fancy dress at the Bestival Festival 2008. Which is pretty cool because it provides you with plenty of scope to be creative with you fancy dress ideas.

A few initial costumes and perhaps the more obvious ones that spring to mind are:
Mermaid Costumes
Squid Costumes
Shark Costumes

But I have also done a bit of research and you can even find ghost ship costumes, shell costumes and you could even go as a treasure chest (sunken treasure - get it?!!)

It was also announced that my favourite website for fancy dress, Jokers' Masquerade will be the official fancy dress partner to this years Bestival festival and they are offering a 10% discount for all festival goers: Take a look at Bestival Fancy Dress on Jokers' Masquerade for loads of great fancy dress ideas the promo code is BEST08 for the 10% discount.

Anyway.. The official press statement from Bestival is below:

Forget the question of just who will finally grab the US Democrat nomination, the real question on the lips of people in the know in recent weeks has been ‘What the heck is Rob da Bank going to announce as the fancy dress theme for Bestival 2008’?

And now we can exclusively reveal the answer to be (drum roll)… 30,000 FREAKS UNDER THE SEA!!

Yep – taking a lead from legendary author Jules Verne’s classic tome ‘20,000 Leagues Under The Sea’, we can now announce that we are taking it even deeper… 30,000 party people will be deep sea skiving in their bestest underwater fancy-dress garb at Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight for this September’s multi-award winning Bestival (which sold out in record time this year).

Expect scantily-clad mermaids by the dozen, sharks, stingrays, probably the odd shopping trolley and who knows, love might well prove a many tentacled thing for any lucky squid in the area… And surely somebody will resurrect the classic 70s underwater crooner Frankie Prawn joke (please)? The world of costume truly is your lobster at Bestival 2008!

Bestival head-honcho (and BBC Radio One DJ) Rob da Bank said today :

‘We wracked our collective brains ‘til they turned to custard and eventually came up with '30,000 FREAKS UNDER THE SEA' - essentially another open-ended theme open to abuse and many different angles which we hope you'll follow! This year we'll do a night parade as well as daytime one, so make sure you light up bright - calling all pesky squids, little urchins, deep sea divers and Yellow Submarines!

And if you need a wee bit of help in coming up with the perfect sub-aquatic costume this year, why not take a trip to the ever-helpful Jokers’ Masquerade website…

Following their successful sponsorship of last year’s Bestival FM radio-station, the lovely people at Jokers' Masquerade have announced that they will be partnering up with Bestival once again. Jokers' Masquerade are the perfect fancy dress solution for Bestivalgoers everywhere, offering over 10,000 costumes to choose from securely online, including many outfits especially available to inspire you for this year's '30,000 Freaks Under The Sea' theme.

Check out Bestival Fancy Dress on Jokers' Masquerade for loads of great fancy dress ideas and don't forget to enter promo code BEST08 to enjoy an exclusive 10% discount. NB. Promo code must be written in capitals. Offer valid until 31st August 2008.

And keep checking out www.bestival.net for all the latest info.

Greek Costume and Fancy Dress

Greek costumes are pretty similar to Roman costumes and are often mixed up on websites that sell fancy dress, still unless you want to be very technical bout it, I am sure that it does not really matter if you are wearing a Roman or ancient Greek costume.

Most websites that I have looked at have pretty large selections of Greek costumes, with every variation on the theme including a greek goddess costume, Zeus costume, Greek warrior costume, to what I thought was really excellent, a Greek statue costume!

The History of the Greek Costume:

The toga, is probably what most people think of when they picture a Greek costume or that of Ancient Rome, it was probably first introduced by the Etruscan civilization, people of ancient Italy and Corsica. The Toga is basically a sash, usually about six meters long and is wrapped around the body and worn over a tunic. In Greek and Roman times, the toga would have been worn by men and would have been made of wool. These days you can find toga fancy dress costumes for both men and women.

A spin off from a Greek costume party and an excellent idea for a fancy dress theme would be a Toga party.

Toga parties has become popular in recent times, especially at colleges and universities in the USA, much of which could have come about from the film Animal House. Other reasons for toga and Greek costume parties popularity could be because of the myth of Greek and Roman debauchery, and love of women and fine wine.

A toga Greek costume is also pretty simple to make, you could even use bed linen. Unfortunately, these "togas" bear little resemblance to the actual Ancient Greek costume, as they are both flimsier and scantier, but it is important to remember that a fancy dress party is all about fun and does not have to be historically correct!

If you want to know how to make your own Toga Costume, I found this pretty cool demonstration video on how to make a toga costume:



Apart from Togas, other ideas for Greek costumes include a Hercules Costume, Aphrodite Costume, the Goddess of Love, Greek Goddess Costume, King Of Atlantis Costume, Zeus costume, official Spartan Costume from 300 or how about an ancient Greek Warrior Costume?


Where to buy your Greek Costumes:
If you are looking for a Greek costume with a difference, I did mention the cool Greek statue costume earlier on, I found it on Jokers' Masquerade fancy dress. Check out their selection of Greek Costumes, there were 65 products when I searched including a bunch of Greek goddess costumes and all the fancy dress ideas for Greek costumes listed above.

Greek Costumes on Amazon.co.uk