Transformers vs Harry Potter Costumes

Forget Alien vs Predator, the real battle this summer is Transformers vs Harry Potter.



Unless you have been living on a dark planet somewhere on another galaxy, I am sure that you are aware that both the new Harry Potter and Transformer films are soon to be released. What is exciting for me is both these movies offer an exciting opportunity for fancy dress with plenty of Transformers Costumes and of course Harry Potter Costumes available.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Also sometimes also called Transformers 2, The Transformers release date here in the UK is Friday 26th June 2009.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
This new Harry Potter (Harry Potter 6) film is due for release on the 17th of July 2009.

So like my previous posts of Battle of the Movie Costumes and the Sequel, Battle of the Movie Costumes 2, I have decided to pit the genius that is Harry Potter against those crazy robot car, helecopter, plane things to see who is more popular at the moment:

Google Insights: Harry Potter vs Transformers
Once again I have used Google Insights to see which film is being searched for more often (click image to resize):



And as you can see over the last three months, Harry Potter overall has been more popular, but just over the last few days, the Transformers have been fighting back hard, with both films gaining in popularity.

Harry Potter Costumes
I have already written an article on Harry Potter Fancy Dress Costumes that has links to where you can buy them both here and in the UK, which you can find here: Harry Potter Costumes >>

Transformers Costumes
With Transformers Fancy Dress, the most popular costumes are Bumble Bee and Optimus Prime costumes. Easily found in childrens sizes, but I have also seen an adult Optimus Prime costume. Read more about Transformers Costumes here.

Shoppers in the UK
Transformers Costumes on Amazon.co.uk

Shoppes in the USA
Transformers Costumes on Amazon.com

Tinkerbell Costumes for World Book Day

About Tinkerbell
Tinkerbell comes from the Peter Pan book written by J.M. Barrie. In the story, In the stories, Tinkerbell is generally kind to Peter Pan, but she also has a slightly wicked side to her and can be a mean and vindictive fairy. In some ways Tinkerbell has almost a split personality, this is said to be because of Tinkerbell's small size which prevents her from holding more than one feeling at a time.

World Book Day costume ideas: Tinkerbell Costume
I think that a Tinkerbell makes an excellent fancy dress idea, especially as a costume idea for world book day for girls. The story of Peter pan is well known. Most children only know about Peter Pan and Tinkerbell because of the Disney film, but if by dressing up, you can also get them interested in the book, then so much the better.

Tinkerbell Costumes
Of all the fairy costumes, Tinkerbell costumes are the most popular, most Tinkerbell costumes for children are green in colour and she has wings and often a wand as well. Most Tinkerbell costumes will come with the fairy wings, but as with the way many fancy dress costumes are sold these days, you may find that you will have to buy the wand separately.

UK Shoppers
Tinkerbell Costumes on Amazon.co.uk

US Shoppers
Tinkerbell Costumes on Amazon.com

Related Posts:
Fairy Costume Ideas
Peter Pan Costumes
World Book Day 2009

Zorro Costumes

The Zorro Fancy Dress Costume
Zorro is usually depicted in films and books wearing a black costume with a flowing Spanish cape and wearing a flat-brimmed Andalusian style hat. Zorro also wears a black face mask that covers the top of the head from eye level upwards.

For authenticity, you should use a rapier as the correct style of "sword" Zorro uses this to slash his famous "Z" as his mark. Most Zorro costumes come with the Zorro sword, or you can purchase it as a separate accessories. Zorro has also been known to use a bull-whip and some costumes come with one included. If you cannot find one being sold with the Zorro costume, you could check the accessories for Indiana Jones as their whips are similar.

Child Zorro Costumes - World Book Day Costume Idea
The Children's Zorro costume available is almost miniature replica's of the adult costume and for me makes an excellent fancy dress idea for World Book Day as not only has Zorro been featured in many books, but the costume is undeniably cool, which you know as well I do, is extremely important at school!

Why a Child Zorro Costume makes a perfect World Book Day Costume
Did you know that Zorro who was often called Señor or El Zorro in the original stories about him was first created in 1919 where he appeared in the serialized story of "The Curse of Capistrano" written by Johnston McCulley. The original story "The Curse of Capistrano" was reprinted by Tor books in 1998 under the title "The Mark of Zorro". ISBN 978-0-8125-4007-9 (see below for links to the books, DVD's and costumes)



Adult Zorro Costume

Of all the Zorro costumes, I think the official deluxe version is the best. The Zorro outfit comes with a one-piece black jumpsuit complete with a padded muscle torso, chest, bicep, triceps and deltoid muscles, that makes you look like you have spent the past decade in the gym! The costume comes with attached black knee-high vinyl boot covers that makes it look like you are wearing Zorro's boots. This costume also comes with the long black cape, Zorro's black Andalusian style hat has a 3D raised golden trim and Zorro logo. Finishing touches include a belt with printed decoration and Zorro logo and the Zorro face-mask.

To complete the look you will probably have to buy the Zorro sword and whip separately.

Other Zorro Fancy Dress Costumes
Other than the child and adult Zorro costumes, there are also infant Zorro costumes, Pet / Dog Zorro costumes and women's Zorro costumes (La Bandida) costumes available.


Where to Buy Zorro Costumes
To buy the adult, child, women's, infant and pet Zorro costumes, I would suggest the websites below:

UK Shoppers:
Zorro Costumes on Amazon.co.uk

The Mark of Zorro on Amazon.co.uk

Amazon have the adult men's and woman's Zorro costumes as well as the child and infant outfits. There are also the accessories like the masks and swords. As well as the books and DVD's!

US Shoppers:
Zorro Halloween Costumes on Amazon.com

The Mark of Zorro on Amazon.com

Like the UK site, Amazon.com have every Zorro costume that you could ever want including all the available accessories for sale.

Harry Potter Costumes

With the popularity of all the Harry Potter novels written by British author J. K. Rowling and then the film and merchandise spin off's, it is no wonder that one of the most popular fancy dress costumes for World Book Day was last year and will probably be again this year a Children's Harry Potter Costume.

For anyone who has been living in a cave, the story of Harry Potter is basically about the adventures of a boy wizard named Harry Potter during his struggle against an evil wizard named Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents. Even though you are born a Wizard, Harry and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, to learn the skills necessary to become a successful wizard.

Harry Potter Costumes
As you would expect, there are plenty of kids Harry Potter fancy dress costumes available, all of which consist of his basic costume, that being a robe. For the deluxe version pictured, the costume comes with the maroon and black hooded robe with clasp with an embroidered Gryffindor badge over left breast. Unfortunately as with many of the harry potter costumes that I have found you will also have to buy the Harry potter glasses, wand and possibly a wig and tie separately. (You could also just use you school tie)

Other Potter Characters Costumes
Other than Harry's costume, you can also find Dumbledore Masks and costumes, Voldemort costumes and masks, Hermione Granger costumes and Death Eater Costumes.

UK:
Harry Potter Costumes on Amazon.co.uk

USA:
Harry Potter Costumes on Amazon.com

Wrestling Costumes

A friend that I work with had what I thought was a great fancy dress idea: Wrestling Costumes. I thought that there would be hundreds of The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan costumes for sale, but doing some research I actually found the range of any sort of wrestling costume to be pretty poor. What wrestling costumes I did manage to fine are below:



Nacho Libre Costume
The Nacho Libre Deluxe Costume is for me probably the best commercially available wrestling costume on the market. The Nacho Libre costume comes from the film of the same name and is about a friar in a Mexican monastery played by Jack Black who secretly dreams of being a Mexican Wrestler or Luchador. The film is loosely based on the true story of Catholic priest Sergio Gutierrez Benitez.


Sumo Wrestling Costumes
I also managed to find a few Sumo wrestling costumes like the one below, which is pretty cool:


Where to buy fancy dress wrestling costumes:

I managed to find these costumes on:
Amazon
BuyCostumes.com

Other than that, I suppose as a guy you could always get yourself a tight little Speedo costume, cape and a mask and make your own Wrestling costume!! :-)

As for female wrestling costumes, I am afraid that I could not find any:

Sexy Womans Wrestling Costume
Here is a Fancy Dress idea for any Costume manufacturers out there: why not create some sexy wrestling divas costumes like the one pictured below as I am sure that they could become popular. Imagine a wrestling couples costume combination, what a tag team that would make - awesome!

Sexy Pink Pirate Costumes

If I asked you to think of pirates, and pirate costumes... the colours that would probably spring to mind tend to be black, gold and burgundy.

Now what if I said I had found a fantastic pink and blue pirate fancy dress costume! It is fantastic and for me has to be one of the best pirate Halloween costumes I have ever seen. (The fact that the model also happens to be stunning has nothing to do with it!)

So If you are after a pirate outfit to get noticed in, or you are off to a pirate themed fancy dress party then may I highly recommend this costume!


Where to Buy Pink Pirate Costumes

UK Shoppers:
Pink Pirate Costume on Amazon.co.uk


USA Shoppers:
Pink Pirate Costume on Amazon.com

Street Fighter Costumes

With the Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li due film for release on 27th February 2009, I though it would be a good opportunity, not only to take a look at what fancy dress Street Fighter costumes are available, but perhaps also to go over the history of Street Fighter.

Street Fighter Halloween Costumes & Outfits

Akuma Costume
My favourite Streetfighter costume is the Akuma Costume, that comes with the gi pants, gi shirt, rope belt, fighting gloves and prayer bead necklace. Unfortunately to complete the look you will also have to buy Akuma wig which is sold separately. The adult mens Akuma Costume comes in small, medium and large sizes and is made of 100% polyester. I could only find adult sizes and am not sure if there are anychildrens Street Fighter costumes available anywhere?

Chun Li Costume
For the girls there is the sexy Chun Li Costume that includes silky blue cut off dress, white waist belt, white hair accessories and black spike wrist bracelets and is available only in Adult Sizes Small, Medium, and Large. This is an officially licensed Street Fighter costume as are all the other costumes in this range.

Street Fighter Ken Costume
The officially licensed Ken costume includes pants, shirt, belt, and gloves, but like the Akuma costume, the wig not included. The costume comes in small, medium and large aduld males sizes.

Street Fighter Ryu Costume
The officially licensed Ryu street fighter costume includes matching white pants and ripped vest with black belt and red head band and is available in Adult Sizes Small, Medium, and Large. The good thing with this costume is that you should not have to buy a wig.


Street Fighter as Group or Couples Costumes
I think that if you are going to a fancy dress party as part of a group or couple, the Street Fighter costumes are perfect and something you should definitely consider.

Where to Buy The Street Fighter Costumes

Street Fighter Halloween Costumes for Sale in the US

Street Fighter Costumes on Amazon.com


Amazon.com have a whole range of Street Fighter Halloween outfits for sale with most of the main characters including the Ken, Ryu, Akuma and Chun-Li costumes and as with most things on Amazon they are selling them at pretty much the lowest price that you can get them.
Street Fighter Costumes on Amazon.com

Street Fighter Fancy Dress Costumes for Sale in the UK
At first I found it pretty difficult to find any Street Fighter costumes her in the UK, Amazon.co.uk only seem to have Street Fighter Action figures. Jokers' Masquerade Halloween & Fancy Dress Costumes do have costumes for the main characters from Streetfighter, including the Ken, Ryu, Akuma and Chun-Li costumes, so I would try them first.

About Street Fighter

The original Street Fighter computer game began in 1987 when you would fight as martial arts expert Ryu. Ryu would then compete in a series of fights against the other Street Fighter characters in a martial arts tournament. Street Fighter could also be a two player game as a second player could take control of Ryu's rival, Ken.

The first streetfighter game was pretty basic and you could only use 3 types of punches and kicks as well as three special attacks: the fight fire, Hurricane Kick and Dragon Punch. Street Fighter is still available on the most modern game consoles available today, including the new Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360.

What I find incredible is that over the years there have been eighty characters involved in Street Fighter series including the original game, Street Fighter 2, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter 3, Street Fighter 4 and Street Fighter EX. Some of the most popular and well known characters areRyu, Ken, Chun-Li, Edmond Honda, Blanka, Guile, Zangief and dhalsim. I have only managed to finf four of the 80 characters costumes for sale!

Street Fighter Films

The first Street Fighter film was released in 1994, directed by Steven E. de Souza that included Jean Claude Van Damme as the main character, Guile. It must be said that the film was probably not considered a success as they changed alot of the story line form the game and thus lost much of their core audience of the computer game fans.

The new film Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is due for relaease on February 27th 2009 and stars Kristin Kreuk as Chun-Li. The hope is that this film will win over the fans of the Street fighter computer games by sticking closer to the "story lines" of the games.

Official Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li Trailer

Friday the 13th Costumes

Did you know that the next Friday the 13th is in February, this also is the date when the new Friday the 13th (2009) film is due to be released. The plot of the film is the usual: A group of young adults (probably all good looking) discover a boarded up at Camp Crystal Lake, where they soon encounter Jason Voorhees (Mears) and his thirst for blood.

Jason Voorhees Costumes
The great thing is that the main character of Jason and his ice hockey mask make an excellent fancy dress costume, so would make an excellent choice if you are planning on going to a fancy dress party any time in February, but especially if it happens to be on the 13th. The Jason Voorhees costume also has the advantage in that you could use it again in October as it also makes an ideal Halloween costume.

There are plenty of commercially available costumes for sale, but it would also be pretty easy to make your own Friday the 13th costume, all you would need are some ripped overalls, a hockey mask, and if possible a Machete or you could make one.

The official Adult Deluxe Jason Voorhees Costume (pictured) is probably the best Jason costume available and as far as official costumes go it is not too expensive. The costume comes with the long sleeve green shirt and trousers, with printed blood stains. You also get the hand painted vinyl face mask that has one eye covered with a black mesh and elasticised straps to hold it in place. Unfortunately and it is something that slightly annoys me, the machete for the fancy dress costume is sold separately.

If you don't want to buy the whole Jason Friday the 13th costume, you could always just get the mask as they are pretty cheap and the use an old pair of overalls splattered with red paint for the rest of his outfit.

US Shoppers
Jason Voorhees Costume on Amazon.com

UK Shoppers
Jason Voorhees Costume on Amazon.co.uk

Friday the 13th Trivia:
So why do we assume that Friday the 13th is either unlucky or somehow bad? It may just be because many people consider that thirteen is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day. Did you know that In Scandinavia, Friday the 13th was at one point considered the luckiest day of the year. The word for Friday derives from the Norse Frigga, a major goddess in Norse paganism!

Official Friday the 13th Trailer:



You can check out the official Friday the 13th movie website here: http://www.fridaythe13thmovie.com/

Frankenstein Costume

I know I should probably write about Frankenstein costumes nearer Halloween, but I was flicking through the TV channels on TV last night and came across an old Frankenstein movie and it got me thinking about fancy dress and how great this iconic monster costume would be even as a non Halloween costume.

Frankenstein was originally written by Mary Shelley and was first published anonymously in 1818 in London, possibly because Mary was a woman and the fact that she was only 19 and at that time many people would have wondered how such a young girl could have come up with such a ghastly story! The familiar story is of how the life spark is brought into a creature constructed from scavenged body parts of different people and how this monster was hideous to other people and Frankenstein himself is ashamed of his ugliness and tries to run away from it and somehow looks for any form of friendship. After several bad encounters with humans, the monster becomes afraid of them and spends a long time living near a cottage and observing the family who lived there. Because he has been watching this family, he becomes educated and realises just how different he is from the humans he is observing. He eventually seeks friendship from the family, but because of fear, they too reject him, this is the last straw and the monster then seeks vengeance on his creator.

Frankenstein Costumes
There are many different Frankenstein costumes on the market, including the very cute toddlers Frankenstein costume pictured below, a pet dog Frankenstein costume, the popular Bride of Frankenstein costume for girls and women as well as adult male Frankenstein costumes.

US Shoppers:
Amazon has a large selection including the toddler costume, pet costume and Bride of Frankenstein costume: Frankenstein Costume on Amazon.com


UK Shoppers:
Frankenstein Costume on Amazon.co.uk


Make Your own Frankenstein Costume
If you don't want to buy, I also managed to find this video on how to make your own Frankenstein Halloween costume. This first video only shows you how to apply the latex rubber, there are more videos in the series, just click through the link below for the rest of the make your own Frankenstein costume series:
How to Make a Frankenstein Costume for Halloween

Similar Costumes: Fancy Dress Ideas
If you are looking for an outfit similar to Frankenstein, you could also try an Uncle Fester costume from the Adams Family.

Pink Panther Costumes & Inspector Jacques Clouseau Fancy Dress

The Pink Panther 2 film is due for release in February and I thought that it may be fun to see what fancy dress Pink Panther costumes there are available and where you can find them.

About the Pink Panther
If anyone has ever watched any of the previous pink panther films, you will know that a "pink panther" as an animal does not feature anywhere in the films other than in the credits. The Pink Panther is actually the name of a diamond which is being tracked down by the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau, who in the original 1962 film is played by Peter Sellers. Because of the popularity of the cartoon Pink Panther character in the opening credits, a series of short animated films was produced and that is how we have come to know the Pink Panther and is what the costumes look like.

The new pink Panther film has an impressive cast featuring Steve Martin, Jean Reno, John Cleese and Andy Garcia and we can only hope that the film is as good as the cast.

The Pink Panther Trailer

Inspector Jacques Clouseau Costume & Pink Panther Fancy Dress Costumes
There is the obvious choice of wearing a Pink Panther Costume, which are available in both children and adult versions. Another fancy dress idea would be to dress up in a Inspector Clouseau costume.
I also think that as a couples costume combination you could consider dressing him in a Pink panther or Inspector Clouseau costume and her in a diamond costume.

Where to buy your Pink Panther Outfit:
The USA
Amazon.com have a good selection of Pink Panther costumes and Inspector Clouseau costumes available.

Pink Panther Costume on Amazon.com

You could also try Buycostumes.com although as of today they do not have any in stock.

The UK
Amazon.co.uk also have a good selection of Pink Panther costumes at great prices, also try Jokers' Masquerade fancy dress

Pink Panther Costume on Amazon.co.uk

Fancy Dress Films in 2009

My last post on events before April 2009 where dressing up in fancy dress is not only acceptable, but encouraged: Fancy Dress & Halloween Costumes 2009 got me thinking into what other fancy dress ideas for the coming year are there? Films are always great for fancy dress themes, so here are the films that I could find that will be showing at a big screen near you that can also be used at a fancy dress party:

Films Due For Release in 2009
Another great fancy dress idea is to dress up in blockbuster film of the moment, here are a few films that also have great potential for fancy dress in 2009:

The Pink Panther 2 (February 2009)
With an all star cast that includes Steve Martin, Jean Reno, John Cleese and Andy Garcia, there is hope that this return of the Pink Panther could be really good. What is always strange is that there is no actual Pink Panther in the film, it is in fact a diamond! Still there are plenty of really Pink Panther costumes available that I think make a fun fancy dress costume.

Shoppers in the USA:
Pink Panther Costume on Amazon.com


Shoppers in the UK:
Pink Panther Costume on Amazon.co.uk



Star Trek: May
A new Star Trek film id due for release in May this year, to be followed by a TV series. Winona Ryder will play Spock's mum, Amanda Grayson. Simon Pegg plays Scotty, and Zachary Quinto from TV’s Heroes plays a young Spock. With the new star Treck film, you can expect tricky time travel shenanigans, freak transporter accidents and a clever, ubiquitous and ultimately slightly annoying viral marketing campaign. There are plenty of Star Trek costumes out there already and I expect, the closer we get to the release of the film, the more we are going to see.

Shoppers in the USA:
Star Trek Costumes on Amazon.com


X-Men Origins: Wolverine: May
Superhero costumes are always popular and the release of a new superhero film always makes that particular superhero costume sell like hotcakes. This year instead of Batman costumes, will we see everyone wearing a Wolverine costume? The new film follows the early years of Logan, the indestructible mutant who will one day be X-Man Wolverine. Cameos from future X-Men and the chance to see how Logan acquired his deadly claws and curious hairdo suerly make it worth seeing alone!

Shoppers in the USA:
Wolverine Costumes on Amazon.com



Shoppers in the UK:
Wolverine Costumes on Amazon.co.uk


Terminator Salvation: June

Yes!, the much anticipated ‘future war’ part of the Terminator series, which was previously only hinted at in the first three movies will hog the storyline of this killer robot film. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said he was too busy running California to play the main part of the iconic cyborg killing machine, which will be taken by Roland Kickinger. A Terminator costume makes an excellent idea for a fancy dress outfit, lets hope they bring out a few new ones this year. For more info check out the Official site & Trailer

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: June

Let's hope that this year with the new film, that somebody out there creates some Transformers costumes. Thissequel to last year’s film is said to offer even more action, more laughs, and more shape-shifting robots.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: July

Harry Potter fans are eagerly awaiting the sixth film in the hugely popular series of films adapted from JK Rowling’s incredible books. Harry Potter costumes have always been popular and I predict that they will get even more popular this year.. sometime around July!

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra: August

G.I Joe is big name in the US, just think of Action Man and you will get the idea, this film could be interesting and if they don't develop an official G.I Joe Costume, it should be pretty easy to create an army or action man costume.

Nottingham: November

Robin Hood costumes are great and I think in some ways are timeless. The release of this new film where Russell Crowe will play the role of Robin Hood.

Fancy Dress & Halloween Costumes 2009

January is a pretty quiet time in the fancy dress costume world, everyone has had their fill with Halloween costume parties in October, Christmas themed parties in December and the big bash at the end of the year, New Years where any sort of costume goes. So whilst it is still quiet I though it would be interesting to see what lies ahead in the fancy dress world for the first few months of 2009 and what excuses I could find that we have for dressing up!

Major Events with a fancy dress theme in the first few months of 2009

Valentines Day Costumes: Saturday 14th February 2009
The traditional gifts of roses, a card and chocolate for valentines day is so..... well I will leave you to fill in what you like there! As a unique valentines gift idea why not get a sexy fancy dress costume for your partner or even better and as a surprise, dress up in a sexy fancy dress costume for your partner for Valentines day? Thee are plenty of very cool sexy fancy dress costume out there at the moment for both males and females. Quick ideas for valentines gifts of sexy costumes include my favourite sexy cop costumes, a playboy bunny costume, a sexy nurse costume or how about a flight attendant costume? Make valentines day 2009 a day really to remember!

Shoppers in the USA:
Sexy Costumes on Amazon.com

Shoppers in the UK:
Sexy Costumes on Amazon.co.uk



World Book Day Costumes: Thursday 5th March 2009
This event is aimed at children, where on this day they dress up in a fancy dress costume, usually in a theme taken from a book. The event was created by UNESCO as a way of promoting and developing reading throughout the world, World Book day is now entering its 2nd decade in the United Kingdom and gets more and more popular each year. So a few world book day childrens costume ideas could include a Dennis the Menace Costume, The Cat In The Hat Costume or even Peter Pan & Tinkerbell Costumes. I think the most popular costume in 2008 for World Book Day were unsurprisingly the Kids Harry Potter costumes. For more information, see the World Book Day Costume post I created last year.

Shoppers in the USA:
Children's Costumes on Amazon.com

Shoppers in the UK:
Children's Costumes on Amazon.co.uk


Saint Patricks Day Costumes: Tuesday 17th March 2009
St. Patrick's Day is generally held on the 17th March but is occasionally moved to avoid it coinciding with Palm Sunday, as happened in 2008. The St. Patricks Festival 2009 in Dublin will run from Thursday 12th – Tuesday 17th March 2009. The parade will be held on Tuesday 17th March 2009. This is an excellent time for some great stereotypically Irish fancy dress costumes with everybody dressing up in green and gold Leprechaun costumes. There are some great Irish themed fancy dress costumes out there and I feel this is one of the funniest fancy dress parties of the year, so don't miss it!

Shoppers in the USA:
Irish Costumes on Amazon.com

Shoppers in the UK:
Irish Costumes on Amazon.co.uk


Easter Costumes: Sunday 12th April 2009
Every year we see more and more people dressing up over Easter and i say why not. The kids really enjoy dressing up in an Easter bunny costume or how about for older "children": why not a sexy Easter bunny costume to surprise your partner on Easter morning, that is sure to bring a smile to his face! If you are going out over Easter a set of bunny ears is always fun.

So there you have it, plenty great reasons and a few ideas to dress up in 2009!