It is impossible to identify the fi rst Halloween
costume and which masks the earliest celebrants
donned in eff orts to keep away the evil
spirits during Samhain, which historians believe
is the Celtic precursor to Halloween. According
to Lesley Bannatyne, an author who has written
extensively about the history of Halloween, masks
and coverups were designed to symbolize ghosts
and the souls of the dead, fi rst for Samhain and later
for the custom of “souling,” which was intended
to cut back on pagan infl uences. Costumes of saints
and evil spirits also were popular during this time.
When immigrants brought Halloween customs
to North America, early 20th century costumes
featured much of the same - ghosts and ghouls. It
wasn’t until the 1920s and 1930s that pop culture
began to infi ltrate costumes. In fact, one of the fi rst
costume companies, J. Halpern Company, began
licensing pop culture images like Mickey Mouse
and Popeye around this time. By the 1960s, costumes
were largely store-bought, spurring entire
industries. Many 1980s kids recall buying boxed
costumes that consisted of rigid plastic masks with
eye holes (and very small holes by the mouth and
nose) that stayed in place with thin elastic straps,
and a plastic sheeting costume that went over
clothes. Modern costumes have evolved into outfi
ts that are far more complex.
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