# Old School Halloween costume collection



## sandman78 (Apr 21, 2010)

Here is my collection of old school Halloween costumes by Collegeville, Ben Cooper and Halco


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## sandman78 (Apr 21, 2010)

Here's a few more


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## tupes (Sep 18, 2011)

That's an interesting collection. Ive never thought about collecting costumes.


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## osenator (Nov 3, 2009)

are they remakes or originals? I am guessing originals, from the boxes. Did you get them all from the same store?


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## sandman78 (Apr 21, 2010)

They are all originals I have been collecting over the years I have a lot more than I have pictured. Some of them are extremely collectible. The pumpkin mask with the Trick Or Treat costume is very rare and worth considerable money to collectors. It's a very desired costume. Thanks for lookin guys.


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## pondscum35 (Oct 13, 2012)

Very cool collection. I remember glow in the dark and flame resistant being hugely important when I was a kid. At the risk of aging myself by saying they look familiar, what years are these from?


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## Rumsfield (Dec 8, 2011)

Those old costumes are the coolest ever. I remember looking at many of them as a kid wishing I could have one. I grew up on a cattle ranch in BF Nowhere so there was no Tot. Thanks for sharing


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## The Halloween Lady (Jul 17, 2010)

Oh wow do those bring back memories! Very nice collection.


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## sandman78 (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks most of these are from the 50's and 60's. The two pictured with vinyl costumes (Frankenstein 1979 and Matt Trakker MASK 1985) are the newest ones I have. The oldest one I have is the pumpkin Trick Or Treat costume from 1955. I love the artwork on the costumes as much as I do the masks. I started collecting these a couple of years ago. We even have a facebook page dedicated to collectors of these costumes. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coll...ask-costume-collectors/229579747092005?ref=hl


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## riverswampboat (Sep 20, 2010)

I really like your costumes.....They sure bring back memories!! I went to school at Terrajoin Air Force base in Spain from 1969 - 1974 (military brat) and had several costumes like those. My mom would buy them at the Thrift shop , a second hand store on base for .25 to .50 cents each. Sure wish we would have taken care of them and kept them........Prob. worth a lot more now then what my mom paid for them!


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## xxScorpion64xx (Oct 15, 2011)

Wow, that instantly brings back memories, very nice, wish I would have kept one that I owned. Awesome collection Sandman


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## Ween12amEternal (Apr 15, 2006)

That's a really cool collection, everything's in such good shape! 

^Agreed, brings back memories of shopping for a costume at Ben Franklin's before Halloween .


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## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

Ween12amEternal said:


> That's a really cool collection, everything's in such good shape!
> 
> ^Agreed, brings back memories of shopping for a costume at Ben Franklin's before Halloween .


LOL, haven't heard of Ben Franklin store in a long time, right up there with Mott's five & dime! 

WOW, great collection! Thanks for sharing..


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## Shadowbat (Sep 27, 2009)

Love these. Great collection and thank you for sharing them.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

Wow! Nice collection. Bring back a lot of memories.

I wore that Devil costume more than once when I was a kid.


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Fantastic! I loved seeing those. I was a kid TOT'ing in the 60's and remember seeing some of those. I remember sweating like a pig under that plastic mask and the staple they used to hold the elastic string mask band. Thanks so much for posting this and please post more as time permits! I'm all warm and nostalgic inside now!


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## xxScorpion64xx (Oct 15, 2011)

If I'm not mistaken, I think RCIAG is a big Ben Cooper fan, she is gonna flip when she sees this thread


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## vampyrespro (Dec 29, 2011)

Absolutely LOVE these. My favorite costume styles, for sure.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

jdubbya said:


> I remember sweating like a pig under that plastic mask !


I always hated how the spit would collect between your mouth and the mask. Bleccch! Makes you wanna just take it off! LOL


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## Kelloween (Jun 8, 2012)

I love them, great collection!


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## 22606 (Aug 11, 2008)

Quite a collection, sandman78. Very nice.


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## sandman78 (Apr 21, 2010)

Here's a few more pics


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## dbruner (Aug 23, 2012)

Great collection. Thanks for sharing


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## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

i think there are quite a few collectors on here. besides rciag, i think gris is another one. you have a very nice collection. i have a few. all packed away. can't remember what i have. mine are from garage sales. as a kid, we could never afford anything like this, but we sure would have loved to.


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## weeping angel (Oct 27, 2012)

These definitely bring back fond childhood memories. And some spooky ones too. This may be where my clown phobia originates! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome collection.


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## RattandRoll (Sep 6, 2007)

Very cool collection I remember when costumes were like these in the late 70s and mid 80s. I had a Spider-man and Hulk Hogan.


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## sandman78 (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks for all the kudos. I collect a lot of horror stuff but these are by far my favorite collectibles.


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## kurtnotkirk (Nov 17, 2012)

These are incredible!! They bring back so many memories! I need to find the pic of me in kindergarten wearing the skeleton costume in 1973!


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## The-Dullahan (Feb 26, 2011)

I remember these from my youth (Born in '87, most people would say these were before my time. My town is...uniquely historic, vintage, antiquated and traditional. If the only five ToT's there (my siblings and I) hadn't moved, I bet children would still wear these)

Today, we like to joke about the way they always used neon colours, or how we would sarcastically imply people were stupid by saying "They had to put a picture of what you were trying to be on your shirt, or people couldn't tell what you were" or how they were all flame "RETARDED"

These go hand-in-hand with the posable 2d cardstock skeletons and cardstock neon flaming skull decorations or the blowmold orange "Haunted House" plug-in light and blowmold Ghost and Jack-O-Lantern electric light garland.

Definitely brightened my day opening this thread.


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## Shadowbat (Sep 27, 2009)

Wow. Love the Collegeville sign. Looks to be in really good condition.


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## Evil Elf (Jun 16, 2013)

I've only known today's costumes, but these make me think of just before Halloween started to turn into what it is today. As someone else mentioned, just like the kind of time that cardboard cutouts of skeletons and witches bring to mind. 
Also, I really like these things, although I've never really seen any on person.


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## kprimm (Apr 3, 2009)

I'm sooo jelous of your awesome collection. I started collecting the old Ben Cooper & Collegeville costumes just last year. I have 3 Star Wars and the Collegeville skeleton so far. I just love these old costumes, they just scream Halloween Nostalgia. Throw in some Beistle decorations and the 70's will live again.


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## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

I have a few of these costumes. when I see them at garage sales, they're usually pretty cheap, I grab them. you don't see them to often. I don't remember which ones I have. when we were kids, pretty much the rich kids had these. I always envied them, but we did the homemade costumes, and we always had fun doing them. so it's all good.


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## StacyN (May 26, 2013)

sandman78..your collection is so cool! I am a child of the 70's and remember costumes like these fondly. It was so much fun to go to the store and see what the selection for the year was. Will I be a witch? A gypsy? Nope...this year it's the Bionic Woman! Then , on Halloween night, putting on your costume right after dinner... and then having to keep lifting your mask off & on until you went out the door because you couldn't breathe well through that tiny airhole in the mouth and your face felt hot and sweaty. Man, it was great! 
I would love to have a great collection of them like you. I am currently trying to simply re-buy some of the costumes I had growing up.

I found the Lion costume from my first TOT when I was 3 ( and don't my cousins look amazing in their Casper and HR Puffenstuff get-ups?)

















Still looking for this Gypsy (one of my favorites...I felt so exotic..haha)


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## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

and stacyn, just look at your cute blow mold pail. and you guys look so cute all lined up and decked out. cute costumes


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## Trinity1 (Sep 5, 2009)

I absolutely love your collection!! You brought back SO many great memories from my childhood! Also a child of the 70's....I remember getting so excited when we would hit the store and the costumes were finally put out. Then it was a matter of deciding what you wanted to be that year. Someone had mentioned how the masks were hard to breath in and how sweaty you would get wearing them. One wouldn't think that that would be such an awesome memory...but man...I remember that feeling...it was great when you'd finally lift your mask up and all the cool Halloween air rushed in. Ahhhh...such awesome memories!

Thank you for posting this.......it put a smile on my face for sure!


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## DeadMonique (Feb 21, 2013)

Awesome! I wish I had some like this! Unfortunately I only have some masks, not complete costumes.


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## moony_1 (Sep 25, 2009)

Those are amazing! Before my time, but most people that know me say I was born in the wrong time period anyway lol I've alway been drawn to vintage things. I can't lie, I'm super envious of these. Amazing collection!


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## Wyatt Furr (Aug 27, 2005)

Somewhere in my photos is a picture of my brother in a very un PC Indian costume. I rarely had a store bought costume. Always wanted to be something you could not buy in a store. My poor mother..........


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## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

wyatt, maybe you could find that picture and share


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