# 2016 Batman Arkham Asylum Halloween Party



## dawnski

The set up is that the Batman villains have escaped Arkham Asylum. I'm taking ideas from the movies, TV show and video game.

Batman is hanging by his feet above the door. A security guard is stabbed and laying in the walk. The inside front entrance and corridor will look like the asylum. My living room will be Wayne manor complete with the Shakespeare bust and sliding poles to the bat cave.








The kitchen will further along the asylum theme. My family room is going to be a darkened black light Joker Funhouse. Glad to get a little CarnEvil in there. Our bartender has begged me not to do the black lights in the basement because she can barely see to make drinks so I'm going to try it out here. This room will be playing Batman 1966 TV episodes.

For the dining room, I'm hoping to set up the Batman Dark Knight scene with the Joker visiting Two Face in the hospital. I want to put a two-face mask on my John Doe sitting body prop. 








One bathroom will be Harley Quinn's room showing all her crazy love for Joker. The other bathroom will be devoted to The Riddler and his riddles. Leading down to our basement will be the bat cave using brown craft paper for the walls. The bar is going to be the Penguin's Iceberg Lounge. On the side I'm going to have an area devoted to Mr. Freeze. 








Scattered throughout, I'll have other villains and some of those ridiculous, classic Batman death traps from the TV show. Outside, we're going to have that smoldering zombie from Spirit Halloween. I'm going to dress him as Clark Kent with a burnt superman symbol. Now you know where I stand on the whole Batman vs Superman thing. This year my goal will be cool props and photo opportunities for our guests. Our group is usually pretty good about dressing to theme so I'm hoping for some good super hero/villain costumes.


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## Kenneth

ooo I like this idea! Also--I am interested in that brown paper idea to create a cave wall....I can use that for my theme. Any idea as to what the process is for this technique? Is it just crinkled and then taped to the walls?


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## dawnski

Oddly enough, I found the technique online from teachers. They would decorate their hallways with it. Rolls of craft paper wadded up, then slightly smoothed out. Cut length to wall height & add 1'-2' extra depending how "deep" you want crevices to look. Tape undersides to each other (avoids gaping) and hang. I've never tried it but it seems easy enough. I couldn't find the pic, but I've seen others use a 2x4 frame with chicken wire underneath when they wanted to really build out the cave features. http://constructionofthecreative.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/how-to-make-cave-part-1.html


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## The Halloween Lady

Wow dawnski this is a tremendous idea!


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## dawnski

I was fortunate to snag these old penguin blow molds. They are going to be part of my Iceberg Lounge. I want to repaint them to look like the ones from the Batman movie with Danny DeVito as The Penguin. I'm thinking simple acrylic paint on these unless anyone has a better suggestion. For the bomb apparatus I thought I'd use craft foam sheets, floral wire and paper towel tube.


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## coxboy316

I really like the idea!!

Maybe outside you can add a bat signal projected onto your house.


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## dawnski

I so have to make that, Coxboy316. That looks so cool!


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## miles

a few of these scattered around would be fun


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## Hilda

dawnski said:


> I was fortunate to snag these old penguin blow molds. They are going to be part of my Iceberg Lounge. I want to repaint them to look like the ones from the Batman movie with Danny DeVito as The Penguin. I'm thinking simple acrylic paint on these unless anyone has a better suggestion. For the bomb apparatus I thought I'd use craft foam sheets, floral wire and paper towel tube.


Your entire party plan sounds fantastic!! However, something near and dear to my heart is the blowmold penguin idea. That is so clever. 
I've retired from Christmas decorating and I have some of these, I am tempted to pull a few out and make some evil penguin minions of my own!!

Well, you always do such a wonderful detailed job with your parties. Looking forward to seeing you execute this year's theme.


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## dawnski

I don't get to say this often. "I bought a commercial crab trap." Yes, the crazy build purchases have begun. You just never know what you're going to find on these garage sale websites. Now what does this look like, I ask you? Yes, it is going to be the bat signal. 

It weighs about 10 lbs and is 29 inches diameter. Anyone chime in here on the potential build. Since I have very little technical skills, I thought I would make a base out of PVC. The sides I could simply wrap in black gorilla/duct tape (after removing the wire mesh). I would shine a work light through the back. The actual bat signal is a little iffy. It's possible I could get some plywood and cut out the symbol. That would be the most durable but I'm not sure if I could do it nicely. I thought some kind of cheap plexiglass (poster frame) might work with it painted on. But I'm worried the work light would melt it.

All in all, it's very durable. I'm sure I'll be able to figure out other uses for this thing. But something tells me the hubby may want to keep the bat signal.


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## offmymeds

lol, way to think "outside" of the box...that will make a great bat signal

Have you been on the Oriental Trading website? I noticed they have a lot of batman stuff in the party section


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## ooojen

The crab trap is pretty cool, but wouldn't a large straight-sided washtub be lighter and easier to work with? They're pretty cheap, and it would be easier to cut a hole for the light in the bottom than it would be to create a bottom and sides to attach to a framework. (Plus they have built-in handles). LED spot would be good for producing a bit less heat.


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## dawnski

Sorry oojen, already bought but I didn't want to cut through metal. It should work fine either on the ground as an actual spot light or hanging it from our upstairs window with a light.


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## dawnski

I was at an estate sale today and so happy to pick up the Grandin Road Velma and Evander talking busts. I'm going to put labels that they are the ghosts of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce's dead parents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eIQ-n-YxkE


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## Greenwick

Yay! Another Batman villain themed party! Mine is mainly focused on Riddler and Ivy. I can't wait to see how yours will turn out!


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## dawnski

Since I'm not into football, Super Bowl is a time to get some crafting done. I picked up a his/her Greek busts at a thrift store years ago and they have served me every Halloween. So easy to just spray paint them white after Halloween. I'm planning to have my family room turned into a black light version of Wayne Manor, if the Joker took it over. You totally know he would eff up all of Bruce's stuff. This is the first one. I used Wildfire black light paint. I'm going to turn the female bust into Harley later in the year. I also painted the flower with yellow black light paint. Haven't tried it out with the lighting yet. Can't wait.


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## ooojen

Very cool idea! I hope you'll share the look under lights some time in the future. 
I couldn't help but notice your ceiling fixture. I love that set. I have a wall sconce that matches (soft-wired so it's not permanent).


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## matrixmom

I love the colors on the bust, but are you leaving the letters/wording that way? Maybe Joker in black lettering with a splattering of blood. Just ideas....I love this thread...you are always so clever girlie!!


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## dawnski

Matrixmom, yeah I'm going to check it out in black light. Since it's going to be a black light room I'm kind of limited to just the six colors I have.
Oojen, we get compliments all the time on that light fixture. We love it.


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## dawnski

Well I'm very pleased with these Wildfire paints. Very vivid colors. The pictures do not do it justice. Finished up a few other black light props today. Again, these are all supposed to be the Joker defacing Bruce Wayne's art. I ended up adding more features to the bust. And you will notice a peace sign statue with Joker basically giving Bruce the one fingered salute. I rubbed in yellow black light paint into the flower lapel. Turned out real nice.


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## dawnski

Here's another defaced bust. The blue is very deep so the pictures aren't picking up the color. But in person, this looks real good. Turned a deer bust into a caricature of Batman. The antlers say HA HA. In the dark they appear to be floating. Tried to give the bust some Derpy eyes.
View attachment 273614
View attachment 273615


Here's a pic of all 3 in normal light. In case anyone is interested in our geeky collections, the background Avengers art is a signed Alex Ross giclee print. Next to that is a Kill Bill Hanzo sword replica signed by David Carradine. Husband is a Marvel guy and I'm a DC girl. Somehow we co-exist.
View attachment 273616


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## pumpkinpie

Your bust looks amazing, love the hand one too lol...can't access your other pics but I can just imagine how cool it is


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## dawnski

Found just the site I was looking for. There is a tumblr board that collects images of all the crazy signage from the Batman TV show. All the zany gadget signs and obvious ones (eg. This way to Hall of Fabulous Jewels). I want to put these all over the house. http://batlabels.tumblr.com/

Don't remember this one, but it could make a fun prop scene.


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## dawnski

Made some good finds recently. Here's a Spirit of St. Louis radio and an old Zenith computer that I'm going to incorporate into the bat cave's crime computer.















I picked off this 39" wide Batman symbol on Craigslist. This will also go in my bat cave.








Got this Kraft roll, It's about 18x16 and 1 inch thick. I will probably turn this into a sewer drain. But I'm keeping my options open in case that crab trap /Batman signal idea doesn't work out for me. Also a friend told me she has a replica bat signal I can use for the party. Pretty thrilled about that!


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## matrixmom

The joker bust and hand look great. FYI I had bought these green wine plastic goblets at CVS year before last and they all glow under black light.For the party... 
http://www.halloweenforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=187263&d=1385467726


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## coxboy316

If you make the sewer drain you should make "Killer Croc" come out of it he is one of Batman's Villians. All you need to do is have his head be peeking out


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## dawnski

Great idea coxboy, I'll have to figure out how to do that.


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## dawnski

Duh, sometimes the answer is quite literally in front of me. As in right in my office. Put some green lighting on my T-rex and he would make a perfect Killer Croc. I just need to make a bigger sewer pipe for this guy. And here I thought this T-Rex was one of my "impractical" purchases last year.


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## The Halloween Lady

All your ideas and finds are just great!!!!! You're really clipping along at a great pace.


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## Saki.Girl

everything is looking great i am still looking for the right item for your signs


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## dawnski

Well this turned out way better than I thought it would. Yesterday on a local garage sale site, I saw someone selling those cardboard kid's bricks for building. With the green lighting, Killer Croc will look perfect on our basement wall. Just the three dimensional look I wanted. I just need black poster board in the center. Wish all my props were this easy.








Here's a pic of my dog Scooby looking all punk. Think that's a great look for the party with a little red cape. He can be Krypto, Superman's dog.


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## dawnski

For anyone that's keeping score, here are the Batman villains I plan to work into my party:
Bane
Catwoman
Harley Quinn
Joker
Killer Croc
Mr. Freeze
Penguin
Riddler
Scarecrow (Trying to find a place for him)
Two Face


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## miles

if you wanted to add a little more to killer croc you could always throw in his collar padlock with broken chain:











BTW this is all turning out amazing


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## dawnski

Thanks Miles, I do have a chain like that I can use. I've also seen pictures with strips of his shirt hanging off, so I'll probably do that too come party time.


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## dawnski

Another quick and easy prop. I wanted to represent Bane without dedicating a lot of space to him. Last year I found this cool Frankenstein wall prop where he's busting out of a wall. I made a Bane mask out of a Jason mask. It fits Frank's face perfectly. This should be a nice pairing with Killer Croc.


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## matrixmom

great idea with mask...easy peasy That frankenstein is pretty original too


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## oaklawn Crematory

WOWSERS! Dawnski those are amazing ideas !


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## coxboy316

You probably thought of this but for your Riddler bathroom it should be pretty easy to cover the entire bathroom with Question marks ???????????? Maybe a bright green color that will look awesome under black light. Then somewhere (maybe mirror) write, "Riddle me This Batman....."

St. Patrick's day stuff is out and will be on Clearance after the Holiday, you can easily make a hat for Riddler and have it hanging in the bathroom also


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## dawnski

Didn't even think of St. Patrick's day stuff. Thanks for the tip!


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## matrixmom

Yes!!! the st patricks day hats........why didn't I tell you that too, I bought 2 to transform......I like their shape.


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## printersdevil

Great job! I am loving this.


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## dawnski

Doing some brainstorming today on Mr. Freeze's Thermodynamic Ice Ray Beam. 








I suppose I could make this version easy enough with a poster tube. But I want to add some functionality to it. Not sure if I can pull it off. I picked up a cheap inflatable and took the blower component out. It has lights attached to it.








I'm thinking to set up my parts like this. The blower would be inside the flower pot with the lights trailing into the tube. Figure I would paint the cords white to look better. The freeze gun would be silver and blue. For the party I could turn the blower on with white cheese cloth or some type of streamers shooting out. 














The front of the gun would be top heavy so this idea might not work out. It would be cool as sh** to do an ice shooting effect with the blower like in this video idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG_m2ELgUBo If this doesn't work out, I might try to recreate ice shards shooting out with poster board and Epsom salt. And use the blower somewhere else in the scene.








Have to say, I'm super excited that this season of Gotham is featuring Mr. Freeze. I'm devoting quite a bit of area to him. More guests should recognize the character thanks to the show.


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## dawnski

Forget everything I said. The first idea was not looking streamlined enough. On a whim I stuffed in all these icicle lights into my tube and it looks pretty cool. Exactly how I'd imagine an ice ray gun to look. Even has icicles shooting out of the nozzle. And when the husband approves, you know it's looking good. This will sit next to my Mr. Freeze character prop.


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## dawnski

I was so excited about the freeze ray that I wanted to get my parts together for Mr. Freeze. He is....a bit green! Will have to get a blue plasma light. I'm going to try and fit blue string lights through my tubing. This is very rough, pre-paint and embellishments. Looks promising.


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## dawnski

Took advantage of some nice weather today and spray painted my Shakespeare bust. He's now as shiny as a new penny. For those unaware, Bruce Wayne would pull back the head of his Shakespeare bust to reveal a button that would open the secret door to the bat cave. I saw a tutorial for making your own hinged bust with a button. But I couldn't risk destroying the one I had. I was lucky enough to snag this at a garage sale last summer.


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## dawnski

It's an election year. Thought it would be fun to have some of the guests where Gotham City related political pins. I found these all online and printed off my own. I plan to put Gotham political candidate posters up in our kitchen.


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## dawnski

Got some more work done. First off, the Batphone! Couldn't believe a friend of mine still had one of these old phones packed away. Simple spray paint job. That will go in the Bruce Wayne study with the Shakespeare statue.








This heart is full of Harley/Joker images. One of our bathrooms will be Harley's room. All pink, cutesy, but dangerous and crushing on her favorite guy.








I've got a big cardboard box that I'm turning into Mr. Freeze's freeze chamber for his wife Nora. Mr. Freeze has cryo'd his terminally ill wife in an attempt to save her. Waiting for better weather to paint that. I'm going to put in one of my Grandin Road ladies as Nora.


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## Chadkysohm

I'm all in all the batman Halloween theme. Everything is looking great. I do a small setup for Halloween weekend at a local campground so everything has to be portable, batman is also our theme this year. Just following your thread for ideas. Great job so far!


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## offmymeds

LOL, love the bat phone!


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## Jenn&MattFromPA

I think this whole idea is great, but I am especially taken with the Penguin bar area you're going to do! Since I have small kiddos, you can imagine we're fans of the Frozen movie in this household, and I've got a lot of Frozen-themed play & decorating items Pinned on Pinterest. 

Here's a neat icicle DIY - http://www.instructables.com/id/Paper-Icicles-for-Frozen-Ceiling-Decoration/
I could imagine a bunch of these over the bar area, with lots of blue lighting all around. 

Also, you could cut some white felt into icicle shapes to drape over the bar area like a tablecloth - 








Maybe you could pick up some sand buckets this summer & age them up. Then place fake fish or fish skeletons inside as penguin food. 

Create ice blocks for the penguins to stand on with cardboard boxes or carved foam blocks. You could even create this amazing igloo out of take out styrofoam boxes! http://manualidades.facilisimo.com/fabuloso-y-creativo-igloo_797330.html

And you can create 'iced' branches like this - http://makethemwonderblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-make-iced-branches.html

Maybe you could play a recording of water & penguin sounds too, over at your bar area. 

Ohh, so many exciting things - can't wait to see more of what you do!


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## dawnski

Thanks for the info. My sister gave me a ton of dry cleaning bags. Think I'm going to have a lot of experimenting on this.


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## The Joker

Ha, ha, ha, ho, ho, ho, ho, ha, ha, ha, ho, ho..... Your little party wouldn't be complete without me now would it? For purely selfish reasons I'm loving your dedication to recreating my sick little world.  

Your motivation is untamable! You've got some excellent ideas. I might have to come over to wreak havoc for copyright reasons though.   Ha, ha, ha, ha, ho, ho, ha, ha, ha. I assume you're going to have someone in costume imitating me during the festivities?

Where in IL are you anyway? Anywhere near Chicago? Are you going to have an outdoor display for passers-by to enjoy?


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## The Joker

Just a thought... you know my main motivation in life is to watch things burn. When I toyed with the mob one of my goals was to steal bags of cash. And you can't forget me setting the mobs cash ablaze. Maybe there's an idea in there somewhere like creating a mountain of cash with empty cardboard boxes, and gluing fake bills all over it? Not to mention the cloth sacks of cash you can have laying around? Just a thought if you're looking to recreate my world. Ohhh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ho, ho, ho, ho, ha, ha.....

_lol. I'm such a dork._


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## dawnski

OMG Joker, I'm humbled by your presence. That is an excellent idea. It would be a nice touch too, melding the elements of your past '66 exploits with your most recent anarchic escapades. You've really gotten wonderfully dark over the years. Big fan of your work!


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## dawnski

Robbed the Gotham City bank today. Finally got around to some prop making. If I don't use them like Joker suggested, I'll put them in various villain areas. Think these make fun photo props too. Planning to make some more. They're about a foot tall.


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## matrixmom

wow dawnski...great filler prop too. They look fantastic.


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## oaklawn Crematory

WOW that is really cool !


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## Greenwick

Those bank bags are wonderful! I love how simple but elegant they are.


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## Kenneth

Okay, those bank bags are amazing.


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## DeadED

So I just read this whole thread so far. I have this sudden feelings to abandon my haunt this year and go on a road trip. LOL That looks like it is going to rock!


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## dawnski

I'm doing a little homage to Jack Nicholson's Joker when he did the dance in the museum and destroyed art. 



I made a Gotham City Museum of Modern Art sign (also seen in Batman '66 TV show). Joker turned it into Ham City Museum of Crappy Art. And then I've included other art that the joker has messed with. This will go in our main entrance hallway. There will be a dummy security guard at the entrance knocked out.


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## dawnski

I was going to include these in the modern art exhibit, but honestly I don't have enough space in the hallway. I've put my hubbie's collection of Alex Ross art on one wall. This should be a fun back drop for photos.








This one is mine because a Batman/Green Hornet mash up is awesome!


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## dawnski

Spent all afternoon on phase 1 of my Batman Returns penguin bombs project. Cutting and putting gems on foam sheets for the penguin's armature. Plan to paint and glue these onto the penguin blow molds. Keeping my fingers crossed that this works out for me.


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## matrixmom

Love the destruction of popular iconic "paintings". Great idea.


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## dawnski

Penguin progress so far. Looking good, but, OMG this is a tedious job. I worked on this all weekend with not much to show. Armor is all painted. I have the components made for the bomb, but still need to finish it. I'm using Gorilla Glue to adhere the armor to the penguin. It's been a slow process.


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## punkineater

dawnski said:


> I'm doing a little homage to Jack Nicholson's Joker when he did the dance in the museum and destroyed art.
> 
> 
> 
> I made a Gotham City Museum of Modern Art sign (also seen in Batman '66 TV show). Joker turned it into Ham City Museum of Crappy Art. And then I've included other art that the joker has messed with. This will go in our main entrance hallway. There will be a dummy security guard at the entrance knocked out.
> View attachment 276977
> 
> View attachment 276978
> 
> View attachment 276979


OMG dawnski~these are freaking awesome!!! Your whole theme is, and everything you've done so far, but I REALLY dig these The Mona Joker one is to die for!


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## Hilda

dawnski said:


> Penguin progress so far. Looking good, but, OMG this is a tedious job. I worked on this all weekend with not much to show. Armor is all painted. I have the components made for the bomb, but still need to finish it. I'm using Gorilla Glue to adhere the armor to the penguin. It's been a slow process.
> View attachment 277292


Looking fantastic! I too was trying to make some commando penguins, and had to walk away for a bit. What a pain in the butt. (It looked so easy from the pinterest pin I had. hahaha Isn't that always the case?) 
Good luck. They are looking awesome so far!


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## dawnski

Yes!!! This was a lot of work but I am so excited about how well these little fellas turned out.


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## Jenn&MattFromPA

ZOMG! I *love* them! Clearly worth all the hard work, and by the way, please can we all come to your party?!


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## offmymeds

Turned out FANTASTIC!!!!


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## matrixmom

those penguins are so original!! Def a show stopper right there....


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## margaret

Awesome penguins!


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## Hilda

Oh those are fabulous!! You nailed it!
Mine are not even going to come close. My poor ugly little pengys. 
Great job!!


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## dawnski

Interesting story. A Pinterest admirer contacted me about ideas for a hero/villain birthday party for adults. Only this one is happening on May 21st in West Africa! I sent pages of creative ideas for when you have no supplies. She is uber-geeked to make something happen. I'm wishing her luck and hopefully she'll send me some photos.


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## dawnski

A quick and easy Joker in the Box. This is going in my Joker Funland room. It's one of those Xmas snowman. The box opens and closes. I've got two of them. Should be good for a giggle. The little mitten hands for the Joker crack me up.


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## dawnski

Finished a part of my Joker Funland lair. I painted a kraft drum with Gesso paint and then the Wildfire paint to look like a circus stand.















Got some foam board from the Dollar Store. I cut these out to interlock.








I plan to have this on the floor underneath our paddle fan. I'm taking a skeleton and dressing him up as Robin. He will be tied up and hanging over the fire. A sign around his neck will read, "Greetings from The Joker." A little death trap nod to the Batman '66 TV show. Batman is going to lose it when he sees this.


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## Greenwick

I've just caught up with what you're doing. WOW! I love the style you've got going, and I am super tickled by the rocket penguins!

I can't remember if you are doing any Riddler stuff, but just in case, I wanted to pass on these chocolate question mark lollipop molds I just found.

http://www.amazon.com/Cybrtrayd-L05...psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

the company that makes them has tons of other designs, so maybe they'll have something else you could use. And they are all cheap & seem to be well reviewed.


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## dawnski

Thanks Greenwick, those are pretty cool. That would be perfect for the party.


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## dawnski

I had these umbrellas lying around. I hoped to include them in my Penguin Iceberg Lounge area but realized I had no place to put them. So I decided to put it in my Joker room. I wanted to do a nod to Joker's Bang gun. These are going to go on top of my entertainment center. Basically left and right of my hanging Robin. Meh, they turned out okay. Not sure if the black light will reach up there. Just have to wait and see.


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## punkineater

oooooooo, I love the umbrellas!!! The fire drum turned out great too~super fun theme Tons of wonderful details you got going on, girl!!!


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## dawnski

Help me brainstorm. I want to make one or two bombs for the house. I have this Invicta watch case. Mine has an extra long slot perfect for a canister. I thought this would make a great bomb. I found this scrolling LED name badge on Amazon and thought I could have it say "Armed." http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B2Q1FKY/








But then I got to thinking. Hey, I have two old plastic party tubs. I ought to make a doomsday device, cause duh! Maybe I could cut the lip off and Great Stuff the two tubs together. Maybe I can incorporate the watch case (or keep it as a separate bomb). But what could I do with the tubs to make it look cool? Suggestions? Pics? Give me some ideas.








My kitchen is going to be Harvey Dent's campaign headquarters. If I do the smaller bomb, it would be perfect for this room. Not sure where I would put the doomsday device yet. It could go just about anywhere.

Also, I would not be opposed to doing something toxic, like if it was cracked open. Maybe this could have something to do with Scarecrow's fear gas?


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## Kenneth

I'm not huge into Batman, really, but I am LOVING everything that you've got going on...those umbrellas are fantastic! And with the bucket...not really sure. Perhaps utilize it as a bucket of fish for Penguin to snack on? lol


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## dawnski

The Bat Computer is finished. The hubby bought a new TV sound system. But when I caught eye of the box, I knew it was meant for greater things! Cut circular holes in the box. The top is a garden plant tray with a variety of caps. I had neighbor kids save me caps since the beginning of the year for a few of my projects. If you look inside the top circle, you'll see an image of Batman and Robin at the bat computer. A $2 purchase of an old TV antennae has served me well now for two Halloween themes. The bottom Bat Radar is an old Zenith computer tape container. My guy likes to save old technology for fun. It's finally come in handy (for me!). I'm using one of those Spirit Halloween green spots inside. This item is going to sit mid-level on a bookshelf. Plan to have crushed brown craft paper behind it as the Bat cave.














This is going to sit on


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## oaklawn Crematory

Very creative Dawn ski !


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## matrixmom

The umbrellas are incredible idea!! What are you talking about??? They are awesome. Another show-stopper!!


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## dawnski

Ha, thanks to those who like the umbrellas. Sometimes I make something and am not sure about it. But I always know I'm going in the right direction if you guys like it. I just ordered white black light paint. Not sure if I want to try and touch up the black areas of the umbrella with white or not.


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## Jenn&MattFromPA

I am not super familiar with the Batman tv series, but those umbrellas definitely give off that vibe from the show to me, so I hope you'll decide you like them! Only thing I could really think of for the plastic tubs was to turn them into the Bat Signal lights, you know with the bat symbol on them & lit up from inside. I'm sure whatever you come up with will be great!


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## matrixmom

Maybe you can put the 2 tubs together paint it all and make it look like a big cartoony stick of dynamite...that says "pow" or "bang"


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## dawnski

Oh yeah, bank heist in progress! I recently ordered a lateral file cabinet and it came with these two awesome pieces of styrofoam. Simply painted it gray and stuffed it in the opening. I'm debating whether to leave this as is or open the window well and put some busted bars up. Then a person can actually reach in and grab a money bag out of the safe. I thought another fun idea would be to put some fake C4 on one of the doors. However, it's already open. I'm sure the guests won't begrudge me that inconsistency if I do it.


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## ooojen

dawnski said:


> Oh yeah, bank heist in progress! I recently ordered a lateral file cabinet and it came with these two awesome pieces of styrofoam. Simply painted it gray and stuffed it in the opening. I'm debating whether to leave this as is or open the window well and put some busted bars up. Then a person can actually reach in and grab a money bag out of the safe. I thought another fun idea would be to put some fake C4 on one of the doors. However, it's already open. I'm sure the guests won't begrudge me that inconsistency if I do it.


That looks fantastic!


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## dawnski

I originally was going to make a simple Scarecrow prop on a couch, but then realized what a missed opportunity that would be. I decided to dedicate an area to Scarecrow and his fear gas. Now I can bring out some horror related items in that section. I used Grandinroad's Swamp Hag. By the way, this is my most expensive character prop and it is a big disappointment. She broke within the first two hours of use. She's supposed to kneel down and then stand up. I'm just fortunate it broke in a mostly stand up position. 

I removed the head. This scarecrow head sits nicely on top. It glows red and talks. This is kind of a mash up of the original comic book Scarecrow and Arkham Knight video game Scarecrow. Used some old paintball accessories. Simple gorilla tape created the band of fear gas tubes. For the party, I plan to put in orange glow sticks in the various compartments on his belt and the vials. I'll include the noose he typically wears around his neck if it doesn't look too busy. Think people will dig him.


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## macaroni thief

I'm just obsessed with this thread! So, so, so much to love! The Scarecrow looks great and I think the noose would make him look even better. Can't wait to see what you come up with next!


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## dawnski

Ugh, I am finally feeling old. This January I slipped on ice as I got out of my car and hurt my tailbone. Still hurting. Got an X-ray and find that I have a herniated disc. Sitting projects are insanely painful. Found out the hard way while doing this project. I'm making 3 banners in my Joker funland to hide 3 large wall hangings. Letters are 4" tall. They are the TV cliffhanger message for my hanging Robin. Haven't worked with black light paint and it is SLOW going. Outlined my words with a silver marker on landscape fabric. Fill in with Gesso paint. Then do the actual black light paint. It took me 7 hours to fill in this one banner with Gesso. WTH, I have no idea why this is such a long process. Now I have to sit out a day or two and let my lower back heal. Kids, don't turn 50. It's all downhill from here. 

Showing a pic so I can feel like I made some progress. When I get it all done with the black light, I'll show the final pics.


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## matrixmom

I hear ya sister! Get better soon. Your banner looks fantastic!


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## dawnski

Yay, here was a great garage sale find. This is a tunnel for dogs. It's adult people size. Now I have a Super Fast Hardening Plaster trap. I'll make a sign and put some colored lighting inside. Fun photo op for the guests.


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## dawnski

Hi guys! I want my guests to feel like they are in the comic book world. So I made these comic word bubbles. Most of them contain a quote from the villain. I'll have it by each villains area. Also some transition phrases to scatter about. I'll make more to fill up dead areas as I decorate. Easy, cheap and effective.


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## Greenwick

Very sorry to hear about your injury! I normally have trouble sitting for long periods of time, so I empathize with you on that. I hope you find a way around it!

Your idea for the quotes is great, and what a simple, fun idea! I agree with Macaroni Thief. This is an exciting thread to be watching!


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## dawnski

No pics of this yet. I decided I want to recreate this Arkham Origins scene of the Joker with the TVs behind him. In the video game he has a bunch of explosive devices on the desk. I have this statue. I'd like this to be a photo op where guests can stand behind the desk. If anyone is interested, if you scroll over to 2:27, you'll see this scene play out with Batman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLKud58w9Ik

Since this is in the black light room, I'll probably make a bunch of fake TVs using black light paint.


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## dawnski

Messed around with my Superman prop idea today. Someone gave me a child's Superman costume. I cut out the torso to put on my Spirit Halloween Smoldering Zombie. When I build him later in October, I'll probably cut this up more so the red lights show underneath. Plan to add some Clark Kent style glasses and some glowing kryptonite.


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## pumpkinpie

K absolutely loving your super man idea....it will look amazing for sure!!!!


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## coxboy316

dawnski said:


> Messed around with my Superman prop idea today. Someone gave me a child's Superman costume. I cut out the torso to put on my Spirit Halloween Smoldering Zombie. When I build him later in October, I'll probably cut this up more so the red lights show underneath. Plan to add some Clark Kent style glasses and some glowing kryptonite.
> View attachment 279833
> 
> View attachment 279834


Jealous of the smoldering zombie. I really would love to have him in my Zombie theme!!! 
Cool Idea to repurpose it for your theme!!


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## dawnski

Today I made a Joker venom bomb. This is a watch case we had. The explosive is sponge painted to say C-4. The venom are two salt containers. The middle is blank because I want to put a digital name tag on it that shows the time left before the bomb explodes. I'll pick that up closer to party time. I decided that I'm going to put this in one of our outdoor urns near the dead security guard. It will set the tone for the guests as they enter that anything can happen.


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## dawnski

Did some work over the 4th weekend. Some cheap and simple fake security cameras for Harvey Dent's campaign headquarters (our kitchen).


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## dawnski

I planned to have a whole wall of TV sets and a desk for Joker. I started to bring all this up in the room and now it's too crowded with my hanging Robin. I scaled back a bit with just a few TVs. 

Joker TV with silhouette









The Dork Knight. This is a black light poster. Figured Joker would make fun of Batman.









This one turned out very nice. The HA HAs, hair, smile and bow tie are black light painted.








This was going to be a TV poster but now I'm going to simply hang it in the Joker black light room. HAs, chattering teeth, hair and his smile are painted. Looks better in total blackness.


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## dawnski

Finished my Mr. Freeze prop. Painted some bullet and impact hits on his plasma chest plate. For sure, he will be my most lit up prop. Used some old cpap machine tubing, slit it and stuffed blue string lights inside. The goggles are mirrored and blink.


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## dawnski

Set up my insane Batman. He is going in a padded room in Arkham Asylum. I'm going to include this link about what if Bruce Wayne is actually in Arkham the whole time and Batman is just a delusion. http://omg-humor.tumblr.com/post/119688162525/batman-theory-that-will-blow-your-mind

Coxboy316, thanks for the tip on eyeballs at the Wish.com site. They worked great!

View attachment 281238


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## coxboy316

dawnski said:


> Set up my insane Batman. He is going in a padded room in Arkham Asylum. I'm going to include this link about what if Bruce Wayne is actually in Arkham the whole time and Batman is just a delusion. http://omg-humor.tumblr.com/post/119688162525/batman-theory-that-will-blow-your-mind
> 
> Coxboy316, thanks for the tip on eyeballs at the Wish.com site. They worked great!
> 
> View attachment 281238



No problem. Always nice to be able to help a fellow Haunter!!! Everything is looking great.


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## dawnski

Finished a couple minor props. The first is a bunch of fake bombs that I'm going to put throughout the house. These were made with toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, masking and electrical tape. The clocks are OJ lids with a clock picture glued on it. I like to do scavenger hunts for the kids/teens so I plan to have them find and count how many are in the house. 









The second are these Smile canisters painted with black light paint. It also says Joker Venom but it can't be seen without the light. I'll have the kids open it up to receive some kind of treat. 









Last is a simple sign in black light. This is going to hang around Robin's neck.


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## pumpkinpie

Love it all!!!


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## dawnski

Yay, I finally finished this project. These will hang in the Joker room under black light. I'm hoping to play the Batman '66 TV shows in this room.


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## dawnski

I have Mr. Freeze in this passive sitting position with his freeze ray. I was thinking wouldn't it be cool if I could have a frozen victim? I decided to make a packing tape ghost and fill it up with dry cleaner bags. I decided my victim would be Wonder Woman. It's a cool effect that I think the guests will get a kick out of. My daughter was my packing tape model. First time I tried it, I taped the torso in the wrong position. It was a major annoyance to try and shift it back to the right place. I used tulle for the outfit. First I tried sealing it in the taping process when my daughter was modeling. But I ended up doing a full wrap around after the fact. The eyeballs in the frozen head is a nice touch. I lucked out with the white wig showing just a bit of the brunette she was before freezing. She looks a little rough around the edges, but darn it, she's standing and people will get what I was trying to do. I'll make her tiara later. Just too tired to finish that last bit.


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## carolinefox

After Gotham tv series, I guess Batman costume theme will become increasingly popular among adults too. Earlier Joker in the dark knight movie made the old kickass animated superhero show an instant hit


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## dawnski

In response to that I'll say that I sent out a save the date this past weekend and received 22 "yes we're attending" right away along with many excited comments. So many committing this early never happens so I think a super hero/villains party for adults is an unexpected hit.


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## dawnski

This week I made about 60 Batman logo bats to fly about in the bat cave. I also drew over ol' George on a bunch of bills as giveaway prizes to some of the kids for the scavenger hunt. I'd love to show pics but I don't want to get in trouble. The popular super heroes/villains are represented. 

Tomorrow will be an exciting day. One of our friends owns a box company and he is going to let me look at his free samples. This will save me lots of money from buying foam boards for my cryo chamber, Superman phone booth and other stuff if he has boxes large enough for me to use. And one of my hubbies employees (an electrician) saw that I made that Joker venom bomb in the yellow case. He is trying to make me a mechanism that loops a countdown for the bomb! Plus my next door neighbor is in the process of cutting out a large Batman logo so I can make my Bat signal for outside. This year I put feelers out for help and people have stepped up in awesome ways.


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## dawnski

Saki.girl, thanks so much for the care package. I've got an awesome Wayne manor sign and a bunch of fun extras to add to my haunt. The kids are going to love playing with those guns when they figure out they light up and make sounds. I am still waiting on all my cardboard so I can get some props done. Idle hands....argh!


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## Saki.Girl

dawnski said:


> Saki.girl, thanks so much for the care package. I've got an awesome Wayne manor sign and a bunch of fun extras to add to my haunt. The kids are going to love playing with those guns when they figure out they light up and make sounds. I am still waiting on all my cardboard so I can get some props done. Idle hands....argh!
> 
> View attachment 286419



you are so very welcome  i am glad you can use everything


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## dawnski

Finally, some stuff to show you! These are my two invites. I sent out the Batman invite July 29 because I'm so excited to bring the party back after a year hiatus. Apparently so was everyone else. For the first time I used Facebook events and there's been some nice interaction. I've been able to add links for costume ideas, show some teaser props, etc. 









After Labor Day, I'll send out the second "official" invite. This one will be emailed and posted on Facebook to make sure everyone sees it. I felt the two images do a good job of setting the theme for my guests.


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## dawnski

When I did the haunted hotel party, all of our music was comprised of dead rockers. I made a list showing the song, band, person who died and what he died from. These were on the wall leading down our basement stairwell and people seemed to enjoy reading these. So this year I picked songs that either mention or seem to match a particular hero/villain. I did ones for all the major DC and Marvel heroes and villains. 

I also included QR codes to interesting or funny videos related to the character. I talk up getting a free QR reader on people's phones before coming to the party. The teens and some of the adults enjoy all these "easter eggs" hidden around the house. And if any party begged for it, this one sure does. So much source material!


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## dawnski

Today I made the pay phone that's going to go inside the Superman phone booth. This is just a cardboard box. I hobbled together images of pay phones to create the front. I know the phone receiver usually goes in the front but I wanted people to better see the image I made. The bottom has a hole cut out for the coin return. I plan to put gold chocolate coins in here. Part of my scavenger hunt will have the kids checking the coin return for a treat. I think the kids will have fun playing pretend in there with a real phone receiver.


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## dawnski

I took Saki.girl's skull and turned it into a Suicide Squad Joker skull. I especially like the chrome teeth. This is going in the black light Joker funland room. It's all black light paint.


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## dawnski

I've got the Wayne name on Saki.girl's crest. My husband's a Marvel collector, but these are my DC statues from Tweeterhead. I have such fond kid memories of the '66 TV series. I plan to display them in our kitchen. I've been waiting for the Riddler to come out but they keep delaying the date. I might have to break down and buy Batgirl to even the display out.


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## Saki.Girl

dawnski said:


> I took Saki.girl's skull and turned it into a Suicide Squad Joker skull. I especially like the chrome teeth. This is going in the black light Joker funland room. It's all black light paint.
> 
> View attachment 287181
> View attachment 287182


He turned out fantastic


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## dawnski

Made a kryptonite box. This will be in the Bat cave. A scavenger hunt question will be "Who gave Batman kryptonite?" The answer is Superman. Over the years, many of my guests have really come to enjoy "going deep" into the Halloween decorations, opening and examining things to find all these little details. It's like a little adventure for them.


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## dawnski

Went to At Home and finally got a hold of that Mystic Wheel. Doesn't fit the theme, but darn I wanted it. I'll find a place in one of my rooms. Also picked up this flower pot with eyes. It plays a song. Kids (and some grown ups) can't resist a button to press. I'm always happy when I find these kinds of props, rather than the motion activated ones. Another thing to explore and find.


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## dawnski

Another scavenger hunt item. People are instructed to pop open a very old VCR and pull out this tape to read Batman's message.


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## dawnski

Yesssss! Time to build a cryo chamber.


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## Saki.Girl

dawnski said:


> Yesssss! Time to build a cryo chamber.
> 
> View attachment 287713


What is that ?


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## dawnski

Saki, it is a 6' roll of thin corrugated cardboard my friend at a box company gave me. He thought the cryo chamber would look better as a circle than using a cardboard box but time will tell. My weekend project is a three layer paint job. Not sure if it will crumple from the weight. If so, then it's going to stay as plain cardboard with a color light on it. I certainly have enough to make mistakes. This thing is huge!


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## Greenwick

dawnski said:


> Went to At Home and finally got a hold of that Mystic Wheel. Doesn't fit the theme, but darn I wanted it. I'll find a place in one of my rooms. Also picked up this flower pot with eyes. It plays a song. Kids (and some grown ups) can't resist a button to press. I'm always happy when I find these kinds of props, rather than the motion activated ones. Another thing to explore and find.
> 
> View attachment 287465
> View attachment 287466



I think the mystic wheel has a carnival theme to it, so probably won't look out of place with joker stuff.


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## dawnski

Progress on my cryo chamber. Not finished yet. The pros to working with this corrugated cardboard is that I can flatten it so it's out of the way. But this took way more work than I would have liked had I just used a big cardboard box. If this was a 6' roll, it would have been simple. But with a 5' roll, I needed to make another layer for height. This is 80 inches tall. 

There are the two painted layers and then an unfinished back layer for support. I used nuts, bolts and washers to hold all the pieces together. There is a hole in the back so I can set up the "Nora" prop for Mr. Freeze's lab. I had planned to glue clear plastic sheeting to the front window but unable due to the warp. I also had planned to remove Nora later at the party so people could use it as a photo op. But the flimsiness of this prop is giving me second thoughts. All it takes is a kid or inebriated adult to trip up in there and this baby is going to go down.

Still need to add embellishments. Post those pictures when I get to that. Overall I think it turned out good for someone with limited building skills!


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## dawnski

Who am I kidding? I just had to tackle the paint on this bad boy. I had a hula hoop inside to keep the round shape. By removing it, I found that I could play with the shape. I like the kind of oval square it became and it allowed me to include that fan. When people come up to the display, they will feel the air from the cryo chamber. I plan to put this under one of my recessed lights and change out the bulb for a blue one. 

Acrylic paint for the rusted look. Clear 8-1/2 x 11 see thru labels for the signage. I had debated whether to do this as a frozen prop with ice crystals. I decided to go with the rust. I liked the idea of forlorn Mr. Freeze obsessed with trying to save his wife's life. He's kept her in it so long that it's rusting out with age.


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## coxboy316

Cryo chamber looks great. Are you going to put anything in front of her. For example some acetate and then frost the edges somehow with fake window snow spray


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## punkineater

WOW! This is great...love the rusty, broken down look of it.


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## matrixmom

Wow dawnski...so creative. Looks very realistic.


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## dawnski

Yeah, that open window area is bothering me. Now that I know I don't have to keep the chamber circular, I'm going to experiment with that.



coxboy316 said:


> Cryo chamber looks great. Are you going to put anything in front of her. For example some acetate and then frost the edges somehow with fake window snow spray


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## dawnski

I have this pretty cool "thug" mask. He's going to be my dead security guy by our front door. A Batman fan said I just have to give him a big Joker smile. The Joker kills his victims with a toxin that makes them smile like him. I cut up a clown mask for the smile. Just not sure. Which would you rather see?


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## dawnski

Made a bunch of "Riddle me this" riddles. People can flip up the question mark for the answer. This is going in our Riddler bathroom. One of my scavenger hunt questions will ask people to find the answer to a specific riddle included here.


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## dawnski

Finished my two companion pieces for the Mr. Freeze room. This is a succession of his experiments. The big cryo is A14. A12 is comprised of two pieces, each one is upside down. A plastic dollar store flower pot with the top cut off. Then flipped and painted. I cut a hole in the base. The globe is some kind of vegetable crisper, I think. I flipped this upside down. The knob is hidden in the hole. The hand is motion activated. It's fingers move.









A13 is pretty cool. I found a used fish tank. The light rotates a series of colors (Bonus!!). Got these plastic hands at a garage sale. They pulsate with a blue light, so perfect for this scene. Added some rusty painting to the top. The frost is modge podge with a healthy sprinkling of Epsom salts.


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## dawnski

Got my Arkham Asylum boards done today. Sturdy cardboard flats with stone wall scene setters. I found Arkham video game posters and cut off the logo at the bottom. It's funny. This was my first purchase towards putting my Arkham party together. The asylum was going to be the entire theme. And now it has evolved into an all encompassing Gotham City theme. Arkham is now one room. Sometimes you just have to go where the creative process takes you.


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## offmymeds

WOW!! just wow! 
what an incredible job you are doing. and the thug man is pretty creepy without the smile. Can you paint on it? I totally understand not wanting to mess up your mask though  < by painting on it>


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## dawnski

Thanks Offmymeds. Yeah, the mask is too nice. I'm with you, the smile's not doing it for me.



offmymeds said:


> WOW!! just wow!
> what an incredible job you are doing. and the thug man is pretty creepy without the smile. Can you paint on it? I totally understand not wanting to mess up your mask though  < by painting on it>


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## dawnski

Putting some things together. The first is my Batman armory in the Bat Cave. Those are my stalactites on the ceiling. I'll probably fill in the top of that bookcase with crumpled kraft paper to look like the cave wall. I stapled material onto cardboard flats. Then zip tied the guns to the board. These guns will also be some of my scavenger hunt giveaways.









The second is Penguin's Iceberg Lounge. This area will be loaded with booze the night of the party. Icicles are made from packing sheets. We have a big art piece on the back wall that can't be moved. I used some more of those cardboard flats with black tablecloth to hide it. I think I'll put snow blankets on the counter. Couldn't believe my luck on that poster. Found it on a website called Neato. Gives the bar just the right panache for Penguin's lounge. In small print, it says, Gotham's Finest Night Club.


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## pumpkinpie

Everything's looking great dawnski, very clever


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## margaret

Fantastic job ... all looks so cool!


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## dawnski

So the cute crime computer I made at the start of this thread just looks lame next to my new Batman armory. I scrapped that and created a crime lab with some old, but real tech. The computer is a super old Zenith systems laptop model. You actually do a double take--up close the image actually looks like a functioning computer. There is a finger scan and a QR code. The code takes you to this YouTube video of a Bat computer in operation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMp2DYEt0JQ









The Bat Video Reader is an old VHS player. You can see the VHS tape inside with the Batman message (posted earlier). People will need to eject the tape to fully read the message as part of the scavenger hunt. 









Here are the bat crime lab components together. The yellow round object is a small bat signal. I just love having interactive props that people can play with. Anyone can mess with the keyboard and the VCR buttons. Extra bonus when they find the tape or look at the video. I like having several layers at my parties for the people that just like to browse the scenery and the ones that like to go deeper. It's fun to weave a larger narrative with the scavenger hunt and QR codes.


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## dawnski

Finished the front of the bar today. I'm done except for lighting. I want to use white or blue lights along the grid of the ceiling.


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## dawnski

Did a bunch more items as a homage to the '66 Batman TV series. If you remember, they always had ridiculous names for all the items in the Bat cave. My husband has been holding onto dead technology and I finally found a use for it. Many of the titles were used in the actual show. Fingerprint analysis, Batmobile remote control anti-theft device (label on back), Retina eye scanner, Bat GPS and tracking transmitter, Bat chemical analyzer, Bat anti-crime voice analyzer, Bat criminal activity recording device. I might put the small items in a case and label it, "What's in Batman's utility belt."


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## dawnski

Very simple prop that I think people will like. The shark repellent is actually room freshener, in case someone decides to use it on someone. My design is closer to the one used in the show. There's a QR code on one of the frames that shows you the video of Batman fighting a shark with the repellent.


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## dawnski

I have these thin styrofoam boards. Decided that people dressed as super heroes and villains are probably going to want to fight or show off their powers at some point. Something silly for the party. I have 7 boards.


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## celipops

How's the bat signal coming along? Saw this today and thought of you lol


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## Kerimonster

Wow!! I just saw this thread for the first time and got so excited looking through each page. Everything looks so amazing! This is going to be an awesome party!!


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## Saki.Girl

things are really looking great


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## dawnski

Here's some signage for the Wayne study and Mr. Freeze's lab. The QR code video link for Bruce's parents dying is an alternate Flashpoint video where Bruce dies, Martha becomes the Joker and Thomas Wayne becomes Batman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXozC0fqaB0

The Mr. Freeze's QR code video is a touching monologue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIPaMLsu0T0


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## dawnski

Set up my Joker nurse today as a homage to the Harvey Dent/Joker hospital movie scene. Yeesh this is a nightmare fuel prop; looks really creepy in person. It's the Spirit Halloween animated mannequin. It's about 5'9" tall. Any thoughts on keeping the wig or not? Kids are going to have to pass through this scene with my John Doe prop on a hospital bed before reaching the dessert table. Mwah ha ha!















The QR code on the name tag goes to that scene in the movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfmkRi_tr9c


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## dawnski

Celipops, the person who was going to cut out my bat signal has been dragging her feet. Hope to have that ready early October.


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## pumpkinpie

Loving this idea of using the qr codes....definitely gonna have to borrow that in the future


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## dawnski

It's my 3rd year using them. Some people only want to party and drink while others like to check out all the details. And it's a hit for the teens/young adults who are always on their cell phones. I'm using their technology to interact.



pumpkinpie said:


> Loving this idea of using the qr codes....definitely gonna have to borrow that in the future


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## dawnski

I can say 100% that this is the most festive Halloween display I've ever done. This is Poison Ivy's room. Decided to throw in a little Marvel by having her capture Captain America. Green string lights will light up this room.


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## dawnski

Nothing much to see here. Made the Wayne study batpoles. The base is from the Rock Band game drum kit. It holds 1" PVC in it. I also use this base when I make indoor character props. Plywood backing with brick scene setter. I have french doors for our office. The doors will be open and the brick backdrop will be right between. The poles will be right up against the interior entrance so no one will see the top. It will be a fun photo op for our guests.


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## KimandRob

love it ALL!!!!!!


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## dawnski

Have to say, I don't think this is ever coming down.


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## dawnski

Here's an alcove dedicated to Catwoman. It's a small area next to my Poison Ivy bathroom. I imagine this is a room in her apartment where she keeps her stolen items. Note the whip and her goggles. I plan to get some cat ears to put on the bust.

















This lazy Susan style container is a cigar humidor display. I filled with with Mardi Gras beads. One of the scavenger hunt missions will be to steal a necklace from Catwoman. The top lid slides off sideways. I picked up a dollar store alarm. I really wanted an alarm to go off when people open the lid, but I just couldn't make it work. Darn!


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## dawnski

Finally got the bat symbol for my life size bat signal. I have another friend that says he can make me some kind of base for it. I had two clamp light sources that I clipped on the ring behind the symbol. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't see any bat signal at all! The shadow was very diffused. I'm not sure if it's because I just used regular house light bulbs. Or maybe the light source needs to be much further back (it was 10" away). If I held the bat symbol much farther away, it came more into focus. This prop may just be for looks. I'll have to play around with it once I get the base.


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## margaret

Totally amazing!


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## dawnski

Showing some old photos first before my big Killer Croc reveal. Originally I wanted to take some children's cardboard blocks to make a more 3-D effect of Killer Croc coming out of the wall. The blocks themselves were kind of ho-hum looking. The thought of painting and gluing them to a board seemed like too much work. Then if you recall, I made that '66 TV style Batcomputer. Well when I paired it up with Batman's armory and other items, it just looked out of place. So I nixed that idea.

















I did some brainstorming and made a much larger display. I'm really happy with how this turned out. I took that Batcomputer and turned it into a sewer pipe using the stone wall scene setters. I purchased a Halloween electrical box from Home Depot. I dropped the spitting wires into the sewer opening. There's a big rat inside. Whenever someone pulls the switch or touches the wires, it goes off. Creates a nice effect in that box. 

I used black posterboard to create the "hole" in the scene setter where Killer Croc is coming through. Used some monster hands to help flesh out the character. Going to change out the normal lighting for green or blue come party time. My comic geek husband says this is his favorite display so far.


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## dawnski

Here's the bat signal. It's 30" diameter. I took that crab cage and wrapped it in Gorilla tape and made the backing with aluminum foil and aluminum tape. Going to get some LED lights to back light the bat symbol. I'm trying to decide if I would rather have this hanging out an upstairs window or with a base on the ground.


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## dawnski

I made a piranha tank for Harley's area. The episode called Mad Love showed Harley's origin up until this point where she believes Batman is holding Joker back from having a loving relationship with her. The truth is far worse. This was an emotional episode and one of the reasons why the Batman Animated Series went well beyond a kid's show. If anyone wants to see the piranha scene, just fast forward to 7 min, 30 seconds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km9_hkx0Fb0


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## matrixmom

Wherever you put that bat signal its going to be the talk of the party!! Its pretty cool


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## dawnski

Since 'ol Deadgar is an erudite of a fellow, I thought it fitting that he should double as my Riddler, especially with the books under him. I tried to use more of a Victorian flair with him in the question mark design of his lapel. But darn his head is huge! So he now has a jaunty tip of the hat. I used clear 8-1/2 x 11 labels. I didn't want to paint him up.


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## ExCop

I know I don't post much, but when it comes to the bat signal, since the spacing is off to actually show the bat, why not do this. 

It was posted by another forum member:
http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutor...6-getting-creepy-flickering-light-effect.html

I saw you already have the aluminum lamp needed. Just an idea. Love your theme BTW.


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## dawnski

Sorry this is long. I wanted to leave a music post here for anyone else doing a Batman/Gotham or superhero party. These are rock songs that reference the superhero or the title/lyrics seem to go with the character. This is about 7 hours of music.

Aqua Man
Aquaman Theme Song (1967)
Aquaman – Grandpa Griffith
Aquaman – Lars Gruber
Aquaman’s Lament – Mark Aaron James
One Week – Bare Naked Ladies

Arkham Asylum
Arkham Asylum - Dan Bull
Arkham City Song - Moves Like Batman - Screen Team
Arkham Opera - Random Encounters: Season 4
The Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum – Fun Boy Three
They’re Coming to Take me Away – Napoleon’s Ghost

Bane
Bat Motherf*cker – Biting Elbows
Freak on a Leash – Korn

Batman
Adventures of Batman theme (1967)
Back in Black – AC/DC
Back in the Saddle – Aerosmith
Batman Maybe - Wekejay
Batman TV Theme (1966)
Batman VS Superman – Epic Rap Battles
Moves Like Batman – Screen Team
Na Na Na – My Chemical Romance
New World Man – Rush

Captain America
Captain America – Screen Team
Goody Two Shoes – Adam Ant
Heroes – David Bowie

Catwoman
Gold Guns Girls – Metric
Killer Queen – Queen
Looks That Kill – Motley Crue
Whip It – Devo

Deadpool
Ace of Spades – Motorhead
Deadpool Rap – Teamheadkick
Insane in the Brain – Cypress Hill

Flash
Can’t Wait One Minute More – CIV
The Distance – Cake
I Ran (So Far Away) – Flock of Seagulls
The Flash (1967)

Gotham’s Finest – Commissioner Gordon
Crime Scene – Los Straitjackets
Dream Police – Cheap Trick
I Predict a Riot – Kaiser Chiefs
Know your Rights – Clash
Sound of Da Police – KRS-One

Green Hornet & Kato
Flight of the Bumblebee – At Vance
Kung Fu Fighting – Carl Douglas

Green Lantern
Green Lantern Theme Song (1967)
Green Lantern – Simple Frustration

Harley Quinn
#1 Crush – Garbage
I Think I’m Paranoid - Garbage
Psycho – Puddle of Mudd
Real Wild Child – Iggy Pop
Super Freak – Rick James
Vow – Garbage
Wild Thing – Tone Loc

Incredible Hulk
Gamma Ray – Beck
Hot Blooded – Foreigner
Under Pressure – Queen

Iron Man
Shoot to Thrill – AC/DC
Hero Up - Party Gripp
Thunderstruck – AC/DC

The Joker
Funhouse – Pink
I’m Only Joking – Kongos
The Joker – Steve Miller Band
Joker and the Thief - Wolfmother
Killing Joke – Ian Moore
Start Wearing Purple – Gogol Bordello
Stuck in the Middle with You – Stealers Wheel
Tears of a Clown – English Beat
Where is My Mind? – Pixies

Loki
Could Have Been Me – The Struts
Paint It Black – Rolling Stones

Mr. Freeze
Cold As Ice – Foreigner
Destruction – Joywave
Zero – Smashing Pumpkins

Penguin
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap – AC/DC
Run or Hide – Run River North
You’re Gonna Go Far Kid – Offspring

Poison Ivy
Dangerous Type – The Cars
Kiss Them for Me – Siouxsie and the Banshees
Lips Like Morphine – Kill Hannah
Poison – Alice Cooper
Toxic – Local H

The Riddler
Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked – Cage the Elephant
Police on My Back – Clash
The Riddler – The Marketts
This Kids Not Alright – Awolnation

Robin
Back Against the Wall – Cage the Elephant
Teen Titans Theme – Puffy, Ami, Yumi

Scarecrow
Dangerous – Big Data
Dr. Evil – They Might be Giants
Nightmare – Avenged Sevenfold
Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself – Oingo Boing

Spiderman
Ode to a Superhero – Weird Al Yankovic
Radioactive – Imagine Dragons
Spider Man (1967)

Superman
Kryptonite – 3 Doors Down
Land of Confusion – Genesis
Metropolis – The Church
New Adventures of Superman (1966)
Superman’s Dead – Our Lady Peace

Thor
Avengers Assemble – Screen Team
Hammer to Fall – Queen
Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel
Thor Fan Song – Screen Team
Zeus VS Thor – Epic Rap Battles

Two-Face
Monster – Skillet
My Own Worst Enemy – Lit
Unglued – Stone Temple Pilots
My Evil Twin – They Might Be Giants

Wolverine
Bodies – Drowning Pool
C’mon, C’mon – Von Bondies
Wherever I May Roam – Metallica
X-Men Theme – The Evolved

Wonder Woman
Isis – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Warrior – Scandal
Wonder Woman (1975)

Also, The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny by Dinosurchestra is the perfect song encompassing everyone and everything! You can find many DC superhero songs at The Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary Collection


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## dawnski

Finally got to those red toy guns Saki gave me. Now turned into Joker guns for his desk.


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## dawnski

This is going to be so much fun. I got those gross Jelly Belly Bean Boozled jelly beans as part of my Scarecrow display. My scavenger hunt players will have to choose one to eat. This is a box I've been saving with water bottle caps to hold the jelly beans.


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## dawnski

Finished up my scavenger hunt today. Many of the prizes will be props from the party since I won't be revisiting this theme. Everything here pertains to props and scenes in our house.


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## offmymeds

Your party is going to be AWWESOME!!!!!


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## dawnski

All right, solved my bat signal lighting issue. I picked up Sylvania LED Mosaic flexible lights. Rather than using the adhesive strips, I taped them to my wood backing sideways (with clear packing tape), then further secured it with gorilla tape. This ensured that I got the fullest, uninterrupted light around the bat signal. The lighting color rotates or I can choose up to 15 colors. In regards to the base, I realized I could use my large urn (duh!). It will look great right at the entrance when people walk in.


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## dawnski

This is my gripe post. Every year comes the inevitable build up of annoyances that make me say, "Ugh!" Really, more colorful words, but you know what I mean. Last year at Spirit Halloween's after holiday sale, I picked up the Smoldering Zombie (my Clark Kent) and the High Voltage Electrocution box that can work with my John Doe prop. Well both are broken. Don't think I'm going to buy after sale again if they're just going to package busted products and shove them on their loyal customers.

The base of the zombie has two soldered pieces where thin pipes are supposed to snap in. One is completely ripped off. And it's not in the box either. The hubby has welders at his company who could have helped in that department. Can't build without it. The electrocution box was partially open when I took it out of the box. It's supposed to open to show a skull inside. Well the darn thing makes loud knocking noises and won't do anything. Argh!!

We have been house hunting but stopped because, well HALLOWEEN. So of course, a house we like is now within our price range. Realtor says we need to have the house up for sale to appear "serious." Well that's not going to happen unless people want to live in a cartoon DC universe. I mean, I would, but that's just me. So I'm trying to decorate with minimal pin holes in walls which is a major annoyance. It's really messing up my decor and lighting. I want to put a real stuffed warthog head in my Wayne study and that's just not going to happen now. I love that thing! And if by some grace of God, the house is still available after our party date, that means a super fast tear down plus getting a home ready for sale right on Halloween. But you know what? This party is going to be awesome and then I'll deal with this other stuff. Bring it on, world. Up for the challenge!


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## offmymeds

How disappointing about your props  Hope they can be salvaged enough to work for the party and as for the house, stop worrying......it will be fine!!


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## dawnski

Several of you were asking if my Joker bomb had a countdown clock. Well here it is. There are quite a few comic geek engineers at my husband's work. One saw a pic of my "bomb" and just had to take on the challenge. It continuously counts down from 30 seconds upon which it says HA HA several times. He also made it a plug in because he was afraid batteries would run out too soon.

This is going to sit in my bank vault among the Gotham City loot bags. Because it's not about the money, it's about sending a message.


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## dawnski

I love this piece! I picked this item up years ago when the Warner Bros. stores still existed. It's animated and has the original voices of Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin and Mark Hamill.


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## KimandRob

Hope your party was amazing cuz it sure looks like it would be-can't wait for pics!!!!


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## dawnski

So sorry to leave everyone hanging. Usually post all the set up pictures by now. My hard drive crashed. That's fixed but I still need to install more memory b4 I can upload all the pics. Party was crazy. Everyone from teens on up made a point to tell me how amazing and detailed everything looked. So that felt really nice to hear. 90% wore costumes to theme with some nice, cosplay worthy outfits. I added a garage haunt and that seemed to be a big hit with kids and adults. Many of my inside props have moved in there today for the trick or treaters. 

I had to sacrifice our family room TV to watching the Cubs play. And the husband set up a TV in the backyard. We are in Illinois so everyone is Cubs crazy right now. Weather was perfect so much of the overflow was out on the patio. I'd estimate 80 people attended. Hopefully I'll have lots of photos soon.


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## PMTT

Looking forward to your photos!


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## dawnski

Finally, the party pics! Here are photos of the front entrance. Ended up not needing a base for my bat signal. It is sitting in one of my large urns. This was a great visual for guests walking up to the house.

















I set up a dead security guard leaning against an electrified fence. For effect, there's one stuck through his shirt. A little note from the Joker says, "I've got a live one. HA HA!" I was a little disappointed in these live wires from Spirit Halloween. You had to shake the fence to get them to go off. Apparently it's motion activated.


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## dawnski

The Wayne Study - The study is in our living room (to the right of the front door). The Count filled in as Alfred Pennyworth.















To the left of the front door is my office which was converted to the Batpoles. My two adult kids are demonstrating. Fun picture op. Gothic clock and Wayne Manor sign leading down the hallway. If anyone remembered my hotel party, I had 3 styrofoam boards turning this space into the reception area. I was working in this tiny little space. This was one plywood board with material on the side. I could actually squeeze around the side and still had the entire space of my office. This was a luxury!


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## dawnski

Gotham Museum of Modern Art - This section is further down the hallway. Quite a few people took pictures of this area. You never know what ends up being popular with the guests.























The staircase has various DC super hero and villain capes along with an accessory. Bane's face mask, dynamite for Harley, Batman's cowl and Riddler bowtie. I had signs for doors I didn't want opened. Wish I took a picture of Dick Grayson's Dark Room.


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## dawnski

The Riddler room - We have a small first floor powder room which is difficult to decorate and take pictures of. Edgar Allen Poe doubles as my Riddler. Wall of riddles, some Riddler pics and eyeballs on the mirror. For one of my scavenger hunt questions, guests had to find the answer to one of these riddles.


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## dawnski

Arkham Asylum dining room - This is our dessert room. It had green lighting. The TV showed Batman '66 TV episodes. I wish I had remembered to take pictures of all my comic quotes for the various rooms. Batman had said, "Sometimes it's only madness that makes us what we are." Many people came in here to take pictures with nurse Joker. In the room, I placed the 2nd table the long way so people wouldn't hit their head on our chandelier. I used to use zip ties to put our chandelier out of reach. But we picked up this new one and it's way too heavy. Oops!

























This asylum wall scene setter really worked out nice. It took up the entire wall space and came in 3 pieces.


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## dawnski

The room bathed in green light. 

















I was all excited to recreate this TV bat trap with a cake. This is the one where the Riddler made a giant quicksand cake. But then no one ended up eating the cake! More for us! The QR code took you to that part of the episode.


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## dawnski

Harvey Dent campaign headquarters - This room has the most traffic so I'm only able to have one prop in the room. Everything else has to be on the walls.

















People really liked these political posters. I can't believe I forgot to get a pic of my bowl of campaign buttons and stickers. Nearly all of them were gone by the end of the night. That was a big hit with the guests. QR codes here took you to actual campaign speeches of Harvey Dent, Oswald Cobblepot and Batman from the movies and TV.


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## dawnski

Harvey Dent sign









Gotham security service - I had three of these on top of our cabinets.









Keep Gotham tidy - These were on all of our garbage cans.


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## dawnski

Do you recognize the Gemmy Frankenstein monster hiding behind the Two-Face mask? This one was fun to put together. I even found a replica Two-Face coin. His hand was perfectly turned to look like he was going to flip a coin!


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## dawnski

I had three of these Super hero signs as a centerpiece on our table. They were to be used for photo ops. This was one of those great ideas that no one noticed and I was too busy to run around and make it happen. I think it got used twice by me. Oh well.









The tarp separating Harvey Dent's area form The Joker funland. My husband's friend gave this to me along with all the cardboard freebies. It's huge and I have a whole roll of it. Yay!









The refrigerator is set up with all of Batman's personal reminders.


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## dawnski

Well apparently I'm done for today. I tried to upload some more pics but received a message that I can only do 20 files per post. I hope that doesn't mean I have to start a new thread. Try again tomorrow.


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## dawnski

Can someone tell me if you are seeing photos from Harvey Dent and onward? The photos stopped appearing and now I only see the word attachment, but it doesn't go to anything.


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## dane82

the last pic i see is the asylum wall, from 11-05-2016, 02:30 PM


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## dawnski

Thanks Dane82, I edited all those photos and it looks like it's showing up now. Now sure what happened there.


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## dawnski

Harley Quinn's bedroom - Ugh, I can't believe I forgot to take photos of all the comic headers leading into each villain's room. These are quotes from the character. This one said, "Don't cha knock before entering a lady's boudoir?" You entered through a cute orange and pink stringy entrance. The table held her personal items, killer stuffed animals, her hyenas, eye mask and hand sleeves, a wedding photo of her and Joker. The fish tank is a homage to the "Mad Love" Batman Animated Series episode where she captures Batman and is going to feed him to the piranhas. The door to the left leads into our Fear Zone garage haunt.

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## dawnski

Joker's Funland - This is the black light room that is on the other side of that tarp by the Harvey Dent room. I had planned to show the grittier animated films Assault on Arkham (Suicide Squad was based off of this. Much better than the movie!) and Killing Joke. But alas, the darn Cubs game put the kabosh on that. It was probably the most unusual viewing area to watch a Cubs game, that's for sure.

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Joker's desk had his "bang" guns, assorted jokes like chattering teeth and an airhorn. It also had his to do list. The QR codes took you to videos of some of those items he accomplished.









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## dawnski

I had two Joker in the Boxes. These are Christmas snowmen that open and close. I put Joker faces on them. For such a simple thing, it was a fun effect.

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Pictures were colored with neon ink so show up in black light. My Suicide Squad Joker skull.

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My three banners, a homage to the old Batman '66 TV show cliffhangers. This is landscaping fabric. Did a nice job covering my framed magician art. They reference my Robin death trap of being on fire in the carnival drum.

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## dawnski

The room under black light. I got a lot of compliments on this room. By the way, this is a 19'x20' room. I had good black light coverage from two 48" lights taped back to back standing up. You can see it in the first picture.

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The banners took me so long to make. It was a bear of a project. But they really set up the atmosphere of the room.

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Originally, Robin was going to hang from our our paddle fan with his feet hovering over the flame. But with people wanting to watch the game, I had to opt for it in a corner with him actually in the flames. Otherwise he would have been in everyone's way.

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## punkineater

Not sure if it's me, but I can't see any of the pics


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## dane82

i now see all the ones from before my most recent post, but none of the ones after it. (except, randomly, for the "things to do" pic.) everything i see looks awesome though!


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## dawnski

This is so frustrating. I edited all those previous posts and re-entered all the pics (same as I did it the first time). Then they showed up. Then I added the new posts. I saw the pictures show up. But then they disappeared again into "attachment" text. I sent a note to the powers that be. Don't know what's happening. Waiting for word back. I may just have to open an album up instead of putting them here in the thread.


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## coxboy316

Dawnski,

I didn't even try to upload all my photos to my thread that I took because it would take to long so I just created an album for night time shots and daytime photos. It wasn't to bad of a process since you are able to upload multiple at a time.


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## dawnski

Thanks Coxboy316, I just made an album for this party. Sorry I couldn't get these on this thread. Here's the link: http://www.halloweenforum.com/members/dawnski-albums-2016-gotham-halloween-party.html

I wanted people to feel that they were walking into a comic world. I think I accomplished that. I did not count on the Cubs/Indians taking place on the night of the party. We are in Illinois so the game was a BIG deal. We had to devote a room inside to the game (our Joker funland). And we had to have a TV outside in our patio. Since it was so nice out that night, everyone was outside watching the game. The house actually felt empty, especially the basement where everyone usually congregates. That part was a bummer.

However, the flip side of that is that because it thinned out, there were some people that really got into checking everything out. I received more compliments than ever on this particular party with people just amazed at how much detail I put into the party. My college age daughter said two friends ignored her group the entire time. They spent the entire evening just checking it all out. 

An unexpected hit was my garage haunt. I just had too much to show so I created Scarecrow's fear zone in there. Kids and especially adults had so much fun in there. People were having fun daring each other and sneaking around the opposite end to scare someone.

The villain drinks were also a hit. This was the first time we had people actually try out ALL the drinks. And the urine specimen shot was the talk of the evening. 

After the party, I did a quick tear down and rotated my garage haunt so I could open it up for trick or treaters. We have a subdivision FB page so I was able to post it. Got a lot of kids and compliments from parents saying how much their kids talked about it. There really aren't any big displays in our neighborhood so I was glad to give the kids a little extra fun this year. I'll post those pics soon in another album.

I actually took some video this year. When I get that all spliced together I'll post that too.


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## dawnski

Here are some highlight pics. Hope they show up here.


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## dane82

yep, all those show up for me.


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## offmymeds

Wow wow wow!!!!! 

I hope your guest appreciated all the hard work you put into this, it is simply amazing!!!!!

going to go check out your album cause I couldn't see any of the attachments as well


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