Wait, Halloween wasn’t always about candy and costumes?
If you told people 150 years ago that one day, the scariest part of Halloween would be running out of candy bars, they’d probably laugh at the thought. Why? Because for most of history, Halloween wasn’t about costumes or candy; it was about pranks, tricks, and a bit of chaos.
So, how did we go from knocking on doors for apples and pulling pranks to today’s modern parade of little ones (and big ones too) in superhero and in some cases, food-related costumes? Yes, food.
Grab your Snickers bar from last Halloween, and let’s dive into the weird and wild history of Halloween costumes.
Ghost Sheets and Pranks: The Early Day
Before we had mass-produced costumes, Halloween was a pretty or not-so-pretty affair. In the late 1800s, the night was more about pranking your neighbors than trick-or-treating. Kids dressed up in whatever they could find—which were usually bedsheets. Some kids even wore the sheets without holes to see through! Nothing says “danger,” like running around in the dark with a poorly fitted sheet over your head. But if you wanted to blend in with the dead or scare your neighbors, a clumsy ghost outfit was the way to go.
Parents weren’t exactly thrilled with this night of chaos, so communities slowly began shifting Halloween to a more organized, family-friendly holiday. That’s when costumes started to be produced with more glitter, glamour, and color and were a bit safer…kind of. Not immediately safer, though.
And Then There Was Dennison
Have you ever seen the name Dennison Manufacturing Company while shopping for your latest and greatest adult or kid’s latest costume? This company was a big deal in the early 1900s as they were the first to commercialize Halloween decorations and costumes using crepe paper.
Dennison Created The Bogie Book. No, Not That Bogie
The Bogie Book was a catalog that gave people costume ideas and provided materials to make them. While crepe paper isn’t exactly the safest material – think fire in the early 1900s – crepe paper was an improvement over the ghost sheets. At least now, your costume wouldn’t get mistaken for your mom’s bedding, and your child wouldn’t run headlong into anything dangerous.
These costumes marked the beginning of Halloween as a formalized, fun, and safe celebration. No longer were kids pranking their neighbors with a good, old-fashioned egging. Now, they could proudly show off their DIY, semi-flammable pumpkin outfits.
Ben Cooper And The Rise Of Mass-Produced Craziness
Enter Ben Cooper, who took teen costumes to the next level. By the 1930s, Ben Cooper Inc. was cranking out the kind of Halloween costumes everyone remembers—thin plastic masks that made you sweat like you were in a sauna and vinyl suits that were one sneeze away from ripping in half. 
Ben Cooper also partnered with Disney to allow kids to dress as their favorite characters, from Mickey Mouse to Donald Duck. Imagine how exciting it must have been for a kid in the ‘30s to go from dressing as “sheet ghosts” to a real-life cartoon character. Halloween began building brands – it had gone corporate, but it had also gone big.
Here’s the kicker: those vinyl costumes? Not the safest. Back then there weren’t regulations about making costumes flame-retardant, so kids in plastic capes were running around next to carved pumpkins with real candles inside. Yikes! Thankfully, as Halloween became more commercialized, safety became a bigger priority. Unfortunately, it took more than a few accidents to get it there.
Today – Safety First, Superheroes Second
Over the past few years, the costume game has changed dramatically. If you’re picking out a 
costume, you’ll notice many more safety features and labels. Reflective strips, LED lights, flame-retardant materials—it’s like manufacturers are saying, “We’ll make you and your kid look super cool, but we’re also not going to let them burst into flames”.
The “safety first” approach to the costumes of today even account for better breathing and visibility when wearing Halloween masks. Nowadays, you’re more likely to see breathable masks that don’t impair a child’s ability to cross the street safely.
Protecting The Public
In addition to private companies innovating, advancing, and integrating safety into materials and costume design, organizations like the Consumer Product Safety Commission have been established to help protect the public. Now Halloween costumes prioritize both style and protection.
So, What Did We Learn?
Today, Halloween costume safety has evolved significantly, closely mimicking the personal protective equipment used for workers. While children dress up as superheroes with built-in safety features, CrewSafe equips real-life heroes in the workplace with cutting-edge protective gear. One great example is our one-of-a-kind cap-mounted Face Shield, offering highly effective eye and face protection from splattering oils, chemicals, biologicals, and more; ensuring workers can perform their duties safely and efficiently.
To experience the future of workplace safety and see how CrewSafe is leading the charge with innovative personal protective products like this one, visit crewsafe.com/faceshield. Because at CrewSafe, we believe in putting safety first, so workers can be the true superheroes of their industries.
Sources
- Johnson, Sarah Wassberg (2022, October 7). A History of Dennison’s Bogie Book and Halloween https://www.thefoodhistorian.com/blog/a-history-of-dennisons-bogie-book-and-halloween (Accessed: 2024 September)
- Wikipedia. Ben Cooper, Inc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Cooper,_Inc. (Accessed: 2024 September)
- U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission. “Overview of U.S. Requirements for Textiles/Apparel” (September 20116) Available at: https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Session%204%20Textiles%20En.pdf (Accesses: September 2024)
- Hammons, Hannah (2021, October 25). History of Halloween Costumes https://voicesofwinchester.org/1832/spotlight/history-of-halloween-costumes/ (Accessed: 2024 September)
- Monstera Production – Pexels – Image. Person Wearing A Ghost Costume With A Lantern. https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-wearing-a-ghost-costume-with-a-lantern-5635101/ (Accessed: September 2024)
- IMGUR-Image. Scary Costume circa 1900. 122 Vintage Halloween Costumes That Will Scare You To Death. https://imgur.com/gallery/some-creepy-vintage-halloween-costumes-Y9WyI (Accessed: September 2024)
- IMGUR-Image. Disney Costumes. 122 Vintage Halloween Costumes That Will Scare You To Death. https://imgur.com/gallery/some-creepy-vintage-halloween-costumes-Y9WyI (Accessed: September 2024)
- IMGUR-Image. Costumes circa 1950-60s. 122 Vintage Halloween Costumes That Will Scare You To Death. https://imgur.com/gallery/some-creepy-vintage-halloween-costumes-Y9WyI (Accessed: September 2024)
- Infamous Horror – Image. Pumpkin Head Costumes -circa 1900s. The Origin of the Jack-O-Lantern. https://www.infamoushorror.com/the-origins-of-the-jack-o-lantern/ (Accessed: September 2024)
- Visual Star Tech Co. – Image. Modern Costumes – LED. https://www.visual-star.com/e_productshow/?234-Led-light-halloween-performance-suit-cloak-234.html (Accessed: September 2024)
- Fun World – Image. Taco and Hot Sauce – https://www.fun-world.net/138264.html (Accessed: September 2024)