The sudden invasion of pumpkins at your grocery store and the nonstop commercials promoting Hocus Pocus can mean one thing and one thing only—Halloween is near.
With the spooky spirit of Halloween spreading, I feel it necessary to help you find inspiration for your upcoming 2012 costume. And since inspiration can come from just about anywhere, I’m going to break down my top 12 favorite advertisement-inspired costumes with this wonderfully impressive list of ad-mazing costumes. Here we go.
12. The Fantanas, aka The Fanta Girls:
Number 12 on my list, these colorful beverage-loving ladies still make a great costume. However, don’t expect everyone to know who you are. The original ads featuring the feisty foursome ran from 2002-2004, so you might look like a rainbow-confused Go-Go dancer to anyone who listens to Bieber or One Direction. (Just saying.) Also, you need a group to pull this off. Dressing up with anything other than four girls is offensive.
11. Keith Stone:
The smoothest of the smooth when it comes to awful beer, Keith Stone is the easiest way to turn your old lumberjack or hipster costume from 2011 into something different. You also get to carry around beer and jerky with this one, so it’s kinda of a win-win. (Kinda.)
10. Geico Caveman:
The only reason I’m ranking this as 10 and not 11 is because I give props to anyone who voluntarily wears all that hair for an entire night. Another bonus is that similar to Barbie, you have many Caveman “looks” to choose from. These looks might include Tennis Caveman, Professional Caveman, Bowling Caveman—the choices are truly endless.
9. Chester Cheetah:
Yes, who can forget about the revenge-seeking cheetah that encourages bad behavior through the consumption of Cheetos. Although I wouldn’t initially say this is the best costume ever, after further thought I’ve changed my mind. As Chester Cheetah you are allowed to eat Cheetos all night long (leaving orange fingerprints wherever you please), wear sunglasses without looking like a total jerk and talk in an overly deep octave. I also feel that as Chester you’d be obligated to smoothly slide, not walk, to wherever your journey takes you.
8. Fruit of the Loom Fruit:
Oh how I love them! Maybe I’m biased, but I think it’s hilarious seeing a group of adults dressed up in giant fruit costumes. If they sing ballads, even better. This is also a group costume—one fruit is just sad. (And maybe a little odd.)
7. Old Spice Guy:
If you’re going for a pop culture thing, well played. Also, this is probably the most affordable costume ever. Towel. Check. Soap. Check. Yeah, that’s about it. But I will say, I’m placing this toward the middle of the list because I’m not sure if I think this costume makes you attractive or a tool. Still up for debate.
6. Flo from Progressive:
Quirky? Enjoy smiling and wearing headbands? Meet Flo, your new costume! Everyone knows Flo and this is a relatively easy costume to throw together. All you need is some white clothes and red lipstick. Boom! Done. But if you want to take this costume to the next level, I suggest being Flobot instead. Because who doesn’t love a robot? And human Flo was so 2011.
5. Orbit Lady:
Similar to my girl Flo, the Orbit Lady is pretty easy to pull off. She’s basically a glorified stewardess with a cheeky attitude. The only reason she beats Flo is because she has a British accent, and obviously getting to have an accent all night wins in my book. Another perk is having fresh breath the entire night, because as the Orbit Lady you simply must carry around Orbit Gum. You also get to reprimand your friends with Orbit’s tagline, “Dirty mouth? Clean it up!”
4. Hot Babe Jogger Mayhem:
This is a good one for all you gents trying to be clever this Halloween. Suit up, borrow some pink accessories from your lady friends and start running in place. Welcome, Mayhem! The only downfall of this costume is that you’ll have to do a lot of jogging throughout the night. And if you’re like me, Halloween and exercise simply do not mix well.
3. Sun Drop Girl:
I am in love with this one. Why? You get to wear a comfy t-shirt, jeans, red high-socks and dance obnoxiously to Snoop Dogg (or Snoop Lion) all night long! You also get to wear a sweatband, which will obviously come in handy while you’re droppin’ it like it’s hot. Obviously.
2. Sasquatch and his Messer:
Grab a friend, flip a coin and decide who gets to be Sasquatch and who gets to be his interrogator for the night. Yup, straight from the Jack Link’s Beef Jerky commercials, what could be more fun than taunting your friend with beef jerky while you squeal unapologetically, “Sorrrrrrrrrrry.” But don’t feel bad for whoever is dressed as Sasquatch. He’ll get to terrorize his friends all night—eventually confiscating and consuming all the beef jerky imaginable. Happy Halloween, Sasquatch.
1. The Most Interesting Man in the World:
Get the silver hair dye ready and spruce up your sultry accent, because the Dos Equis Man is coming in at Number 1 on my list. This might seem like an effortless costume, but please, don’t be deceived. The role of The Most Interesting Man in the World is not a task for the timid, or unprepared. Not only do you have to look the part, you must act the part. Smooth one-liners. A perfected accent. Superior confidence. And of course unmatched charm paired with a crisp glass of Dos Equis. Good luck my friends, good luck.
Hopefully this ad-spired list of costumes will help you discover your Halloween calling for 2012. If you have any other advertising-themed costumes in mind, send them our way!