Korean President Kim Jong Il a Favorite Halloween Costume

Here at Ariki Art we knew by mid-October of 2006 that mad-cap president of North Korea, Kim Jong Il, was hot! Searches for Kim Jong Il costumes came in a clear winner in our server logs that year. And this was confirmed by NPR when they reported on October 30, 2006 that Paul Blum, who runs Manhattan's Abracadabra costume shop, informed them that "sexy now trumps scary" when it comes to Halloween get-ups. And despite the fact that it's the political season, Blum stated that not many people were choosing to dress up like politicians with the one exception: North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

Listen to the NPR segment on the most popular Halloween costume for 2006.

One other thing we know is that the epicurean president not only took the world by surprise in detonating a nuclear device in early October, but also caught Halloween costume suppliers flat-footed, and it seemed no one got to make much money out of the public's wish to be the dictator with the Bomb on Halloween 2006.

Also from NPR, hear how much Americans will spend on Halloween celebrations. You'll be surprised, shocked, or frightened!

Shop online for 1920s Halloween Costumes or rent a Halloween costume in the greater Los Angeles region from costume-design pro Carin Jacobs.

The History of Halloween

The History of Halloween
Halloween falls roughly half way between the equinox and the solstice. In many cultures, such a date represented the start of the seasons. Halloween would have been the first day of winter, for example.

In northern Europe, this was a dreaded time of year. The crops were all harvested, and the long, cold nights of winter loomed ahead. Light and warmth wouldn't return to the world for months. Many thought it was a time when souls roamed the earth, looking for new bodies to inhabit. In fact, that's how the modern version of Halloween got its start.

About 2500 years ago, the Celts of ancient Ireland put out their fires at this time of year, to make their homes less appealing to wandering souls. Priests lit great bonfires to scare away the spirits. And people dressed up as goblins or witches, made loud noises, and played pranks to convince the spirits that they were already possessed. They had to be careful not to overdo it, though. If they acted too strange, people thought they really WERE possessed, and threw them on the bonfires.

Over the centuries, Halloween lost much of its deeper significance, but the hijinks continued. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to the United States in the mid-1800s. The customs of Halloween caught on, and remain with us today.

When I was growing up in New Zealand we didn't celebrate Halloween. It was something that we might hear about or see in a U.S. movie or a news story about fires in Detroit on the night of Halloween. The custom of "trick or treating" was more mystery than reality. For me, growing up in a Catholic family, the nearest thing to this focus on the spirit world and the dead around this time of year was the celebration of All Souls day on November 2nd, the day on which the Catholic Church celebrates Requiem Mass on behalf of the souls of the departed still suffering in Purgatory. It was a day when we were yet again unwillingly dragged off to Mass by our father - wasn't going on Sundays enough, us young brats would protest.

Halloween Stats, Facts, and Fun

• Witch, coming from the Saxon word “wicca,” means “wise one.”


• In 2005, the state of Illinois was the U.S.’ No. 1 pumpkin producer with 497 million pounds—followed by California, Ohio and Pennsylvania


• The scariest places in the U.S. to spend Halloween: Transylvania County, NC; Tombstone, AZ; Pumpkin Center, NC; Pumpkin Bend, AR; Cape Fear, NC; Skull Creek, NE.


• Halloween candy sales average about $2 billion annually in the United States


• In 2005, statistically every American consumed 26 pounds of candy—much of it believed to be eaten around Halloween


• Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers being #1


• If you see a spider on Halloween, it is said to be the spirit of a loved one watching over you
  

Halloween Fun on the Web
Create an e-Jack-o'-Lantern Online
The Life and Death of a Pumpkin
The Skeletons Project
Halloween Games
How Scary Are You Quiz
Do Black Cats Cause Bad Luck?

Halloween Costume Rental Southern California: Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside County
Costume Designer Carin Jacobs is based in Long Beadch, California, and has a over 5000 costumes available for rent. Carin works as a costume designer for stage and screen as well as an educator in the history of fashion and costume design at several Southern California universities and colleges. Impress your friends this year with a Halloween costume rental from Carin Jacobs.

Shop for costumes at our online costume store.

Halloween Costume Rentals Southern California

For the last several years we have promoted our friend and costume design pro Carin Jacobs as a great source of Halloween costume rentals in Southern California. Every year Carin is so overwhelmed with requests for costumes for Halloween that this year she is changing the rules a little.

Carin began designing costumes for the UCLA Film, Theater, and TV Department when she was a student. She now teaches costume design at several Southern California schools: Whittier College, UC Irvine, and the Orange County High School of the Arts. In addition to teaching, she also designs the costumes for over 25 theatrical shows per year in the Los Angeles area. Carin was also the costume designer for the 2005 movie "When Do We Eat" for which Carin also received a New York Times Critic's Pick.

Because of the volume of inquires Carin has received in past years for Halloween costumes, from this year she is going to work on a "paid consultation basis". Carin will meet you at her costume warehouse and fit you out with the best Halloween Costume Rental you've ever had yet, but you must pay a non-refundable consultation fee of $50 in advance. If you decide to rent a costume, the consultation fee will be credited to your costume rental. So if you end up renting nothing, you pay $50 for the consultation nonetheless. If you rent a costume that costs $50, the $50 of the consultation fee will cover your rental, for a total payment of $50. If you rent a costume that costs $125, then the total consultation fee will be credited towards the rental, and you will pay and additional $75, for a total of $125. Believe me, it will be worth it. This is no ordinary Halloween store!

Carin can serve the greater Southern California region provided you can visit her costume warehouse in Long Beach which is easily accessible from the Los Angeles area, including LA, Orange County, and Riverside County.

Carin has over 5,000 costumes in stock in her warehouse, all available for rental this Halloween! Included costumes range from ancient to modern, but with an emphasis on 20th century costumes, including 1920's flapper costumes.

As a costume design professional and academic, Carin Jacobs is well-qualified and ready to outfit you with your best-ever Halloween costume yet!

If renting from costume-design professional Carin Jacobs is not for you, then try shopping online for a 1920's flapper costume at our 1020's Flapper Costume Store. Many people have found just what they have wanted there.

Read up on the history of the celebration of Halloween.

Read up on the history of the 1920's Flappers.

Shop for sexy 1920's costumes

West Hollywood Halloween Street Party

For all you Halloween freaks out there - and I know there are a lot of you! - if you live in or will be in the LA area this Halloween, consider visiting the Halloween street party in West Hollywood. It's the biggest Halloween event in the U.S. with as many as 400,000 people showing up, mostly to gawk at, well...Halloween Freaks. A long section of Santa Monica Blvd is blocked off for the party, but having been there myself, if you're not into crowds, this won't be your thing. With the event taking part in the gay neighborhood of West Hollywood, you can expect to see some of the most imaginative and provocative costumes of your life.

More specific details here for the West Hollywood Halloween Street Party here at ExperienceLA.com

And...if you're still looking to rent a costume for Halloween, check out Carin Jacob's costume rentals, or if you're more the type who wants to buy your costume, visit our Halloween costume store.

Halloween Dog Costumes

Probably you've had this email by now with the pictures of peoples dogs dressed in Halloween costume. I just got it again recently, and I've seen it in previous years too, so it's been around a while. For some Halloween fun I made a collage with the photos. (Click for larger image) I'm willing to give attribution to anyone who took the photos all those milennia ago.

My friend and costume designer Carin Jacobs is based in Long Beach, CA. She has a warehouse with thousands of costumes available for rent at any time, so consider Carin this Halloween.

Here's a link to the history of Halloween and some more fun Halloween stuff on the web

Hairspray Costume Rental

"Hairspray" Costume Rental

Ariki Art friend and professional costume designer Carin Jacobs is all set to provide you with your "Hairspray" costume rental. The popular remake of the movie "Hairspray" is running currently, and it just so happens that Carin was the costume designer for a stage production of "Hairspray" so has costumes for the entire cast of characters in stock in her costume warehouse. So if "Hairspray" is your thing for this Halloween, rent from Seal Beach, CA constume designer, Carin Jacobs.

About costume designer Carin Jacobs, including how to contact her regarding costume rentals

Halloween Costume Rentals

Yes, the summer has only just started, but we know that some people just can't get enough of Halloween and it's their most popular holiday of the year. We know so from our traffic logs; you see, we happen to have mentioned our good friend and costume professional costume designer Carin Jacobs on our site a couple of years ago and then came the searches for Halloween costumes. And at this early stage of the year, the traffic for Halloween costume rentals is once again slowly but surely starting to pick up as we mover slowy but surely closer to Halloween 2007.

We wonder if we'll be able to determine the most popular costume again this year. Last year by coincidence again we were pretty sure the costume on a great number of wish lists was North Korean president Kim Jong Il. At the time he happened to be in the news a lot over his nuclear shenanigans and seemed to embody the spirit of the season. The only problem was that everyone wanted a Kim John Il costume it seems, but no one had them to offer. One of the great money-making opportunities of all time went down the grave, I mean, drain.

At this point we have no idea who will be on everyone's wish list this year, but one thing we do know is that Carin has a warehouse full of THOUSANDS of costumes that have been used on stage and film. You can read more about costume designer Carin Jacobs on our site who is also very involved in fashion education at various schools in the Southern California area. We provide contact information so you can approach Carin for help with your 2007 Halloween costume rental.

We also have the history of Halloween covered and some web links for online Halloween fun. Not to mention the following search swickis that help you find exactly what you're looking for in terms of costume rentals.

Halloween Costume Rentals

check out the halloween costumes swicki at eurekster.com

Get Local with Local Costume Rental Searches

check out the local costume rental swicki at eurekster.com

Character Costume Rentals

check out the character costume rentals swicki at eurekster.com