Halloween is right around the corner- how are you going to celebrate the biggest day of the year? (Okay, it’s totally not, but it is the best excuse to wear a ridiculous costume.) Everyone has heard of the typical costumes. Sexy nurse, a mouse (Mean Girls shout out!), Mitt Romney. But for those of you who want to stay topical AND school-spirited, here are a few Cornell-themed costumes to make your Halloween a little more… unusual.
1. The Clocktower
Easy enough! The most important aspect of this costume is the clock face. Use face paint to recreate the clocktower across your visage, wear a cute dress and a pointed hat, and go around singing Disney songs all the time. (My favourite is hearing ‘Go the Distance’ right before a prelim to get myself pumped up.) To make it even more seasonal, stick a pumpkin on your head reminiscent of the famous 1998 incident.
2. Denice Cassaro
Okay, so nobody REALLY knows what our infamous email goddess looks like. But if you wear some basic office casuals, carry around a computer, and constantly tell people about fun board game nights going on in RPCC, you’ll be the hit of the party. Especially if you bring some of those board games with you! Nothing says fun more than a game of Twister. (Is that just me? Well, my fellow game lovers, hit me up.)
3. Dragons and Phoenixes
This is an opportunity to wear a costume that would be exciting anyway but can still be Cornell themed. Grab a friend and battle it out as the Architecture Dragon and the Engineering Phoenix. Bonus points if you actually parade around campus battling.
4. Cornell Basketball Team at the Sweet Sixteen
Only the seniors were here for this, but many of the underclassmen have heard about Cornell’s triumphant and exciting run to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in the spring of 2010. This would be a fun group costume, particularly if you have someone extremely tall (or someone who owns stilts) to play our star player Jeff Foote. Bonus points? If the people dressing up are actual members of the Cornell Basketball team. You’ll get ‘em this year, boys!
5. The 161 List
This one will take a little more creativity, but the average Cornell collegiette is more than up for the challenge! There are a couple different approaches you could take for this costume. You could dress up as one of the iconic entries, such as #28, Meet Happy Dave from Okenshield’s (a mop of curls and a smile!) or simply write the list all over your clothes and body. But use a washable marker, kids- nobody wants to have ‘Sex in the Stacks’ written on their arm for the big job interview November 1st.
6. Touchdown the Bear
Want a costume that’s instantly recognizable? This one’s for you (though a little more planning has to go into it.) First, put together a basic bear costume- whether you interpret bear as ‘lingerie with bear ears’ or an actual bear suit. Then just throw a Cornell jersey on top of it (somebody you know probably has, if nothing else, one of the free lacrosse pinnies or Newman Nation shirts they give out every now and then) and call it a day. Instant awesome!
7. Ezra Cornell
Perhaps you’re the history buff of your friends, or maybe you just like costumes that think outside the box a little bit. If this sounds like you, look no further than our esteemed founder, Ezra Cornell. Throw on some 1865-era clothing, a nice wig, and go around declaring that you believe strongly in, ‘any person, any study’. Bonus points? Get a friend to dress up as A.D. White and have them follow you around all night being disgruntled that we don’t currently attend ‘White University’.
8. Andy Bernard
He may not have actually gone to Cornell (though we can still dream), but he’s an important Cornell icon nevertheless. To pull off Andy Bernard’s signature style, make sure you look suitably preppy with a checked shirt, bright pastel tie, and a happy-go-lucky expression. (Well, unless you’re doing Anger Management Andy- but that’s not a welcome addition to most parties.) If you really want to drive the impression home, get a Stephen Colbert look-a-like friend to be Broccoli Rob and sing songs from their acapella group, Here Comes Treble, all night long.