This Halloween, why not take your costume to the next level? With Halloween contact lenses (also commonly known as "special effects contact lenses" or "decorative lenses") you can do just that. As long as you adhere to the health and safety advice mentioned below, Halloween contacts could be the perfect finishing touch to bring the character in your costume to life!

Special effect contacts have been used in film, television, and theatre, even rock concert stages, for years, and now they're available at affordable prices to you, the consumer. You can find decorative contact lenses in all kinds of styles. From simple colors (ever wanted to be a red-eyed alien or a green-eyed reptile?) to elaborate designs (zebra stripes, stars, flowers, X's...) there are as many ways to use decorative contact lenses to enhance your Halloween ensemble as there are jack o' lanterns aglow on All Hallow's Eve.

Some of the great designs and styles of Halloween contacts available this year include: hypnotic spirals, cat eyes, wolf eyes, eagle eyes, bloodshot eyes, flames, all-white, all-black. It really gets your creative wheels spinning doesn't it? What are you going to be this year after all?

One variable you'll have to consider when poring through the choices is whether you want Halloween contact lenses that cover the entire sclera (that's the whites of your eyes) or just the pupil (the eyeball). There's plenty in either category, making it either harder or easier to decide, depending upon your viewpoint.

Knowing the kind of look you're going for will help a lot. Are you, for example, trying to transform yourself into a particular character (a Vampire, possibly, or even more specifically, the Vampire Lestat himself - because that's available too)? Special effects lenses that include the entire sclera often creates an all-encompassing, fully-transformative effect, incorporating more of the whole body into "becoming" this other figure. But maybe you merely want to accentuate a "look", the zeitgeist of an era, or an abstract concept. For this latter option, a cute design or a picture superimposed on your pupil alone, like a temporary tattoo, might be just the thing.

Some current favorites of the decorative lenses you'll find include those with the Biohazard /"Radioactive" symbol, symbols of poker suits, stars-and-stripes, Dune eyes, dollar-sign eyes, spider webs, smiley faces, both Predator eyes and Alien eyes, both Darth Vader and the Sith. You'll find styles and designs both timely and timeless as you explore all the options of Halloween lenses available.

Crucial in the safe and responsible use of special effect contact lenses for Halloween or at any other time, according to the FDA, is involvement by a licensed eye care professional. In fact, it's the law. Decorative lenses improperly made or used improperly have been known to cause permanent eye injury and even eventual blindness. Therefore, you must see your eye doctor before shopping for Halloween contact lenses to get proper fitting and instructions as well as the necessary prescription. You will need this whether you ordinarily wear prescription lenses or not. And don't even think of purchasing decorative lenses from any store (online or off) that doesn't ask for your prescription; it is illegal.

Some of the things your doctor will invariably tell you are that decorative contact lenses are not for everyday wear. Consider them for special occasions only. Never sleep or swim or bathe with them in, and don't use them while engaging in any activity that requires sharp visual acuity, for example cooking or driving or operating heavy machinery. In plain English - someone could get hurt.

Halloween contacts should not be worn unceasingly for long periods of time since prolonged use can cause strain and infection. And they should be clean and disinfected carefully before and after each use, according to your doctor's instruction. If after using Halloween contact lenses, you notice redness, swelling, or feel any sort of pain in the area, please contact your eye doctor immediately. Even if it turns out to be nothing, the joy in Halloween is that the danger is imagined, so let's keep it that way.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

To compare prices on Halloween contact lenses, visit http://www.contact-lenses-network.com/halloween-contact-lenses.htm

Halloween is probably the best time to impersonate your favorite stars and look through websites to order all your supplies for the costumes. Probably the one you are looking for may already be sold out, especially if what you are after is a Gene Simmons Halloween costume!

The official Kiss make up kit will help any fan reproduce a Gene Simmons personality well. Halloween is the evening of 31st October, immediately preceding All Saint's day and children dress up in costumes and masks. 'Trick or treating' house to house, collecting sweets, fruits and money, costumes are decided upon days in advance. School or home projects making your own costumes, thousands of online retailers selling or teaching you to make your 'look' for the evening occupy most children and even adults. From Spiderman to Flintstones, witches to ghosts, medieval costumes and Disney princess clothes, there is no dearth to the options available when you are looking for your costume. One of the most popular and sought after is the Gene Simmons Halloween costume.

A typical Gene Simmons Halloween costume should consist of a black stretch jumpsuit and a cape with silver trimmings and loop to fit around your fingers. A silver colored poly foam chest and shoulder piece with the black cape around the neck brings you closer to looking like your icon. A studded dog collar choker and arm bands with vinyl platform and boots in black with silver accents will make you the enviable Gene Simmons impersonator to the hilt! And of course, you can always use your imagination and make changes to the costume. Add the Gene Simons mask with the ever-famous tongue sticking or if you can really extend your tongue out, well, all the best!

Young boys, adults and girls dress up as members of the Kiss band, playing music and accessorizing to the hilt! Gene Simmons Halloween costumes, wigs and masks impersonating Gene, axe shaped guitars and some blood spitting - fire breathing make an interesting look for the evening. Thousands of fans dress up as Gene Simmons every year on Halloween and get a kick out of people's repeated reactions. Every tour has bought Kiss thousands of fans, all of whom remember them by all the memorabilia they can get their hands on. Besides, masks, wigs, t-shirts, Halloween costumes are a favorite.

Be it the music that the band belted out, the ear splitting amplifiers and lyrics that praised sex, the on stage persona of the members; fire breathing, blood spitting antics on the stage, the various business ventures from Gene Simmons, they have all been huge successes. Every year something new is added to the already multi-million businesses from Kiss franchises, authoring a book, featuring in movies and reality TV shows, everything Gene Simmons does is with flair! Of course, the humungous fan following and the amazing business sense that Gene Simmons possesses has stood the tests of time.

So, every time you don that Gene Simmons Halloween costume or mask, remember the persona behind the mask as well!

Christopher Schwebius is an entrepreneur who seeks out sharply defined, specifically focused topics to research. Upon finishing his research he provides relevant, un-biased information to his readers based on his discoveries and/or personal experiences. One of his latest ongoing projects can be viewed at http://www.genesimmonscostume.org

Fancy dress costumes are now available in a wide range of shapes and sizes and never has it been as easy to become someone new, to change your own persona, at least for a period of time. Fancy dress costumes are available for just about any theme.

But, it is true that the costume you wear will only be complete with the right costume accessories. It is possible to buy or rent an expensive fancy dress costume but for it to look incomplete or plain daft due to the lack of the right accessories. For example, if you choose a Roman toga or Greek Goddesses robes without the right footwear – or at least something in keeping with the costume, the total look could fall flat. You may play it for humor and wear black socks and slip-ons but this is probably not the look you set out to achieve – albeit a good recovery plan.

Similarly, who would want to be Santa without a hat or complete set of whiskers – including white eyebrows, a witch without hat and wand, pirate without eye patch and hook (although probably not suited for the young). There are hundreds of examples, but what is important is that this is our expectation when we think of these characters. It is the finishing accessories that make the fantasy come to life.

Most fancy dress retailers and fancy dress costume hirers will have a selection of accessories. The better ones will have these accessories grouped with the costumes to avoid unnecessary searching giving some ideas. It is always advisable when choosing a theme for your fancy dress to identify the accessories that you will want – this may save you wasting time and money. Here are some simple ideas for costumes and accessories that may be linked together;

Beach Party or Luau

This is a great fancy dress costume theme which is becoming more popular for those warm evenings during the summer months. Organise around a BBQ with tropical punches. Costumes are very relaxed but again the accessories will bring it all together; simply these will be from; sun glasses, bottle of sun cream, flip flops or sandals, Hawaiian leis, wristbands, anklets etc, tropical flowers for the hair, straw hat.

Fairies, Princesses

The most common mistake with these costumes is to forget the feet. Both themes normally include pretty dresses, and pretty dresses require pretty feet – unless you are trick or treating, in which case you want warm and sensible footwear.

Fairies have wands and these can be as elaborate or as simple as you want – it would normally depend on the age of the Fairy, the younger the fairy the more simple the wand (as it's more likely to be lost or broken). If you are making one, then a foil or ribbon covered stick – with padded end to protect eyes etc, with an oversized star made from decorated card on the top. Decoration with plenty of glitter and sparkle. Add a few thin strips of ribbon under the star for that final finishing touch.

Pirates

One of the greatest accessories for pirates is the gold foil chocolate coins that you can buy around Christmas. Cheap and cheerful, if it lasts long enough transfer it to a simple black cloth tie-neck purse and attach to the belt. Great for paying off the debts and also helpful if the buffet is a bit thin. Eye patches come in a variety of styles from simple black stiffened fabric to rhinestone encrusted for the glamorous look – your choice will depend on the overall look you are trying to achieve.

With the recent blockbuster pirate themed films there has been a real explosion in the popularity of pirates as a party theme. The range of pirate costumes available is huge and many cover the two themes of pirates and Halloween… Pirate Bones is a classic example of a skeleton suit integrated with a pirate's costume.

Wigs and Makeup

It would be impossible to leave this topic without some discussion on the incredible advances in fancy dress costume wig design and affordability. For very little money you can now purchase a costume wig for almost any theme. For example, for pirates there are pirate's wigs, buccaneer's wigs, pirate wenches' blond wigs, brown wigs, wigs with beads, wigs with hats attached, wigs with bandannas attached and this is before we look at mustaches and beards – with beads, without beads – the choice is truly amazing.

Makeup falls basically into two groups, face paints which are water soluble greasepaint which will require a greasepaint remover. Greasepaint is the more traditional and is what is used in theatre etc. it can also be messy to wear if incorrectly applied. Face paint offers fantastic results and is more easily applied by the amateur. Both are normally available in kits so it is possible to buy a kit that covers one theme or a number of similar themes.

Hopefully this short article will have given you some ideas and shown you that no matter the costume or theme, it is the accessories that complete the outfit.

Article submitted by: KV Sinclair. Keith Sinclair has over 35 years of business experience and in addition to being a part time University Lecturer on Business Studies, he is CEO of Cavalcade; a group of companies operating in the party sector. Cavalcade operates Karnival-House http://www.karnival-house.co.uk one of the UK's leading internet Fancy Dress Retailers. With massive stocks for immediate dispatch and an ever expanding range, Karnival-House continues to strive simply to offer outstanding service combined with outstanding value.

Karnival-House offers a complete range of fancy dress costumes; make-up and fancy dress accessories at http://www.karnival-house.co.uk feel free to browse our site to find a wide range of costumes, accessories, makeup and wigs. New costumes and accessories arriving all the time check the website for latest additions and information of our special offers. Extensive ranges of seasonal fancy dress costumes and party accessories.

The Halloween festival inspires people of all age groups to look cool wearing different type of costumes. It also provides the people with an opportunity to show their creativity in choosing costumes of their choices. However, the high cost of costumes may compromise some people of their preference of styles. There are also Halloween costumes that are economical and look cool. Different types of Halloween costumes differ in their prices in regards with the quality and the designs. Some of the most common Halloween costumes worn by many people and considered coolest are discuss below.

Ghost: For the upcoming Halloween party, choosing a ghost costume can be a great idea. On a Halloween night, most people want to look scary in one way or the other. Usually, the ghost costumes are the best Halloween costumes for them. They are inexpensive and are easily available in the market. In fact, if you want to look unique, you can also design and create your own ghost costume without haste.

Angel: These costumes look cool at night on Halloween party. Though they are quite common, this angel costume adds a sense of style and creativity to those who wears them. You can also craft your own angel costume with your favorite color and styles.

Clown: Instead of scaring people, some people love to look funny. For them, a clown costume or a joker costume can be very interesting. With a red ball on the nose, you can impersonate as a clown to cheer up your whole party. You can also make your own clown costume for your Halloween party using old clothes and accessories.

Cowboy: This cowboy costume is very popular among young boys. With leather boots and belts, caps and jeans and shirts, a little boy looks exactly like a cowboy. To make it more similar with the original cowboy, one can buy a toy gun. In most cases, the toy gun generally comes with the cowboy costumes.

Tourist: Dress up like a tourist with a handy cam and travel wallet and also with maps sticking out from your pocket. You can also wear caps and goggles to look more like a tourist. You can create your own tourist costume with your imagination.

It's just the right time of year to start making plans for Halloween. If you don't have small children, or if the weather just isn't right for trick-or-treating, you might want to consider hosting a fun and spooky Halloween party. Of course you'll want to use your own creative spark when hanging decorations and baking snacks, but here are a few basic ideas to get you started.

Decorations

You don't need to spend a lot of money to convert you house into the kind of creepy crawly locale suitable for Halloween. All it takes is a few supplies and a little imagination.

The first step is to choose a theme for your decorations. A little organization can lead to a much more appealing (and frightening) effect than simply taping scary images up. You can host your party in:

• · A haunted mansion
• · An eerie graveyard
• · A mad scientist's laboratory
• · A monster's lair
• · A meeting place for fairy tale witches
• · Any other place you can think of!

The next step is to gather your supplies. Of course, the kind of decorations you want to make will depend on your party's theme. If you're not sure what decorations would work best, or how to create the effect you want, there are plenty of websites with lots of great tips.

Refreshments

As we all know, refreshments are the lifeblood of a party. You don't want to serve any drab snack for a special night like Halloween. Fortunately, there are plenty of easy ways to dress up your favorite foods to create the perfect spooky snack.

For example, let's say you're serving deviled eggs - the perfect food for a scary party, right? After you've prepared the eggs, get some black olives and cut them in half. One half can be placed domed side-up on the egg yolk. The other can be cut into slivers and arranged around the other half. There is now a swarm of huge spiders on your food table.

As you can see, anything you may be preparing can be turned into an appropriately awful surprise for your guests. Simple cookies can become bones, fingers, eyeballs, and bugs. Gelatin can be easily molded into delightful shapes, from brains to space aliens to ghostly ectoplasm. Even harmless homemade breadsticks can become gangly skeletons or witches' brooms.

For more information about party hosting and refreshments, visit http://www.cdkitchen.com

Joseph Devine

To achieve just the right look, you'll need to prepare your Indy gear. Below is a list of must-have items to pull off the best Indiana Jones costume in town.

The Fedora - First and foremost, you'll need to secure Indy's signature Fedora. Indiana Jones and his Fedora is iconic and is known to rarely leave his head. This hat is integral to the character of Indiana Jones and designed to capture his essence.

The Jacket - Indy's jacket goes hand in hand with the Fedora. It is inspired by the leather jackets of the 1930s that preceded the advent of the famous A-2 jacket worn by American fighter and bomber pilots in World War II.

The Shoulder Bag - Although Indiana Jones used his shoulder bag to store things like pencils, maps and other props, this element of your Indiana Jones costume can be used to store the plans for your tricks or to collect lots of treats.

The Boots - Like Indy, your boots should have a strong tread and not be too heavy. After all, you need to be ready to run (in case you get spooked).

The Bullwhip - One of the oldest weapons in human history, Indiana Jones used his leather bullwhip to hold his enemies at bay and swing across ravines. This weapon will definitely come in handy to scare off any unwelcome ghost or goblins knocking at your door (and for the kids, the monsters in the closet). Although Indy used a 10 foot bullwhip, shorter replicas will fit the bill to top off this costume. But, whatever you do, don't get too excited about swinging your whip around. This weapon takes great skill to use efficiently and without inflicting unnecessary pain upon yourself or others.

The Pistol, Holster and Belt - The bullwhip is not Indy's only weapon of choice. Usually a World War I era revolver, this weapon is a great backup to defend against the scary creatures of the night. Replicas (not the real thing here folks) are available online and include the leather flap holster and belt.

Shirts and Pants - With your accessories in place, you must not forget Indy's signature khaki pants and Safari shirt.

The above items should make your Indiana Jones Costume complete. While you may need to substitute items here and there, remember that an adventurous attitude will bring your costume to life. Once you put your ensemble together, with attitude in check, the journey begins...

USA, the fifties. Danny and Sandy met at Rydell High School. They were in love last summer but Danny does not admit it to anyone. Danny treats Sandy as an unknown person. Sandy will be looking to win back the love of Danny and will spectacularly the day of the Rydell High School Fancy Fair.

In the year 1978, one of the most famous movie musicals in the USA is brought to the screen.

Grease is one of the events, the most significant film of the late seventies and will affect a worldwide generation of teenagers. We loved Grease; we wanted to look like Sandy, Rizzo, Marty, Danny, Keneckie or Fonzy. If you were a teenager thirty years ago, you surely sang "You Are The One That I Want" and "Summer Nights".

Halloween is the opportunity to realize our dreams. I dreamed to look like Rizzo. If I choose not to dress a witch costume for this Halloween, I probably will choose Rizzos' costume.

Grease is full of characters and then of different costumes based on the fifties teenagers clothing:

Sandy is blonde, naive and she fell in love with Danny.

Rizzo, leader of the Pink Ladies, is a teenager who lives free according to her own laws. She broke with Danny and is Keneckie's girlfriend.

The Pink Ladies: Frenchie, Marty, Jane are the Pink Ladies. They are generally frivolous, only interested by themselves and want to please the T-Birds.

Danny is the hero of the movie. He is the leader of the T-Birds, rebels of Rydell High School. He is in love with Sandy, but refuses to admit it.

Keneckie is the best friend of Danny; he is also the second T-Birds leader. He lives a passionate love story with Rizzo.

The T-Birds: Sonny, Doody and Fonzy.

If you want to dress like a Grease character for Halloween 2007, you can either buy costumes or make them yourself.

Here are some homemade Grease costumes examples.

Sandy Costume:

* A white short sleeve blouse

* Pale yellow waistcoat

* A long flared yellow skirt

* White socks

* White tennis

* Ponytail style blonde wig

* Mascara, pale pink lipstick

Note: Use a Crinoline in order to extend the skirt

Sandy at Rydell Fancy Fair:

* A black t-shirt

* Black leather or vinyl trousers

* A black leather or vinyl jacket

* High heels red shoes

* Curly blonde wig

* Eye liner, grey eye shadow, mascara, lipstick red

Rizzo costume:

* A black short sleeve blouse

* A narrow black skirt or black Capri pants

* A pink jacket ("Pink-Ladies" written on the back)

* Black shoes

* Eye liner, mascara, dark green eye shadow, black pencil on eyebrows
and red lipstick

Rizzo costume at Rydell Fancy Fair:

* A red short sleeve blouse,

* Pink shorts

* Red sandals

* A red scarf around her neck

Pink Ladies Costumes:

* A white short sleeve blouse

* A narrow black skirt or black Capri pants

* A colored scarf around the neck

* A pink jacket ("Pink-Ladies" written on the back)

* Black shoes

* Eye liner, mascara, eye shadow dark green, black pencil on eyebrows and red lipstick

Danny Costume:

* A black jacket

* A black t-shirt

* Black pants

* White socks

* Black shoes

* A 1950s-style black wig

* Black sunglasses

Keneckie and the T-Birds Costumes:

* A black jacket

* A white t-shirt

* Blue jeans with returned edges

* White socks

* Sneakers

* A 1950s-style black wig

* Black sunglasses

A fake cigarette behind the ear of Keneckie

Rydell Cheerleader Costume:

* A white short sleeve blouse

* A long red flared skirt

* A red jacket

* White socks

* White tennis

* Ponytail style wig

* Mascara, pink lipstick

Note: Use a Crinoline in order to extend the skirt

Your Halloween Grease Party may begin :)

More Info On Halloween, Halloween Costume Ideas, Halloween Crafts, Halloween Recipes, Halloween Traditions at Happy Halloween, Your Online Halloween Guide.

When I was a little girl, every Wednesday afternoon, I watched the animated serie Scooby-Doo on television.

I loved watching these four teenagers and a dog driving around the world in their Mystery Machine solving mysterious and frightening cases in evil cities.

These four teenagers are named Fred "Freddie" Jones, the smart and athletic boy; Daphne Blake, the pretty fashioned girl; Velma Dinkley, intellectual and a bit overweight; and Norville "Shaggy" Rogers the fearful beatnik.

At the end of each episode, Velma reveals the explanation of these strange cases; which, finally, are simple scams involving one or several local citizens.

One of the most sympathetic characters of this cartoon is a brown Great Dane. A cheerful, flippant, fearful, greedy talking dog named Scooby-Doo.

Scooby-Doo and Samy are the humorous side of this sinister atmosphere.

Scooby-Doo's characters have been redesigned. The characters have been brought alive; featured by Freddie Prinz Jr. (Shaggy), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Daphne), Linda Cardellini (Velma, who seems having lost weight after visiting my weight loss site), Matthew Lillard (Samy), and the computer technology for Scooby-Doo graphics.

Children and adults still love this cartoon.

Thirty years ago, Halloween did not mean anything in my country but since ten years TV companies organize Halloween themed shows and their first guest is... Scooby Doo.

Halloween is the perfect occasion to wear the Scooby Doo animated serie's costumes.

Here are the easiest homemade Scooby Doo costumes:

Fred "Freddie" Jones, the smart guy: A blue collared shirt A white sweater Blue trousers An orange scarf A blonde wig

Daphne Blake, the fashioned girl: A violet short dress An apple green scarf Pink tights Clear purple shoes (or clear purple boots to feature the new Daphne) An orange wig Add a purple ribbon in your hair Violet eye shadow, orange lipstick

Velma Dinkley, the intellectual girl: An orange turtleneck sweater A short red pleated skirt Orange Socks Red shoes Big glasses A brown wig

Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, the beatnik: A too large and too long light green T-shirt Brown flare trousers Brown shoes A brown goatee A brown wig

Scooby-Doo, the talking dog: If you have some skills for sewing, you can create your Scooby Doo costume. Here is the necessary material: a dog pattern, brown fabric, black fabric for the black patches. If you do not have sewing skills, choose a brown turtleneck sweater, brown trousers and a Scooby Doo mask. Do not forget a turquoise necklace and the golden badge.

Have fun: organize a Scooby Doo themed halloween party and invite lots of ghosts and monsters in order to recreate the Mystery Machine's team atmosphere.

More Info On Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Halloween Crafts, Halloween Recipes, Halloween Traditions at Happy Halloween, Your Online Halloween Guide.

Fans of the spooky season are probably well aware that Halloween contact lenses are must-have accessories that really take your costume to the next level. In fact, Halloween contact lens wearers are also something of collectors, never satisfied with just one pair. The range of lenses available now is huge, and you can look like virtually any monster, extra terrestrial, fiend or famous vampire from the movies.

However, most affordable and mass produced special effect lenses come with no vision correction, or Plano. Unfortunately, for those of us who wear glasses or contacts regularly, this presents a bit of a problem. Thankfully, there are a few styles of Halloween lenses that come in prescription powers.

Get an up-to-date contact lens fitting from your eye doctor and consider the following prescription Halloween contacts from Coastal Contacts:

• Manson - a white lens with black outer ring and large pupil hole
• Banshee – an orange and red cat eye
• White Cat Eyes – classic feline with white and black
• Red Cat Eyes – classic feline with red and black
• Vampire Red – blood red lens
• Temptress – sexy pink contact lens outlined and flecked with with pink
• White Out – white lens
• Black Out – black lens
• Darth – yellow lens with thick red outer ring
• Angelic – light blue lens with dark outer ring
• Black Wolf – black lens shot with gold around the pupil hole
• Vader – red lens shot with yellow highlights

Because these contact lenses are also the most popular, they work great for both men and women in a variety of costumes. Take Angelic, for example. The heavenly blue with a dark outer ring could be perfect for a sexy immortal or Vin Diesel’s Riddick. White Out can also work lots of ways, like the undead pirate of the Caribbean, Davy Jones, or the demented vampire LeStat.

If you can get away with Plano lenses, there are many more choices open to you, including glow in the dark contacts, and scleral lenses that cover both the iris and whites of your eyes. Black Sclera, for example is an all black lens that’ll make you look like a victim of alien possession (always handy), or Medusa, a reptilian fantasy lens fitting for X-Men fans.

Because dressing up for Halloween often means a lot of face makeup, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly before inserting your contacts. The same goes for safe contact removal. Make sure your hands are clean, and store your contacts in a clean disinfected lens case. Care for these lenses properly and you’ll easily get a few haunting seasons out of them.

Leanne Tremblay is a successful freelance technical writer and publisher of several successful web sites, including a site on colored contact lenses that features luscious new color contacts from brand names like Acuvue colored contacts, Halloween contact lenses and prescription Halloween contacts.

According to Marvel comics, gamma ray turns you green. At least that's how it's been since 1962 when the Hulk was brought to life by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. She-Hulk, Doc Samson, and the Leader all share origins with the Hulk from gamma ray exposure and they all have green skins.

So in 2003, upon release of Ang Lee's Hulk movie, lots of fans ran around in green bodypaint hopefully with purple pants (or any pants), and a bad hair cut. The 2003 Hulk movie really made a splash in the costuming world. There were plenty pictures of fans in conventions dressed up as the green goliath, although some were not so goliath.

The recent release of the 2008 movie, The Incredible Hulk, adds another version of the Hulk's costume in the mix. Although the differences are minor, there are enough variances between the two Hulks that are noticeable. Note too that we're only talking about Hulk movie costumes here. The Red Hulk and Gray Hulk will be subjects of another article at another time.

Can you use the old Hulk costume to represent?

If your child was a toddler or infant then, the answer is obviously no since he or she is five years older now and the costume wouldn't fit. But you should learn the difference in case they want to be the Hulk again for Halloween this year and they know the difference.

First, note that many fans regard the 2008 movie as more loyal to the comic books. This mainly means the storyline, the villain, and the supporting characters. The 2003 movie is so universally rejected that the 2008 movie was dubbed a reboot. Basically, the fans view it as a "do over" so that the 2003 movie can be filed away.

But, here's a caveat for costuming. The 2003 Hulk image resembles the comic book Hulk better than the 2008 Hulk. Mainly, the trademark green skin and purple pants are better represented in the 2003 Hulk.

The 2008 Hulk is not far off, but he has variances. First, he doesn't wear the traditional purple pants. But the purple pants made the movie as an easter egg. Second, he has a darker shade of green and his veins show as noticeable streaks of an even darker shade of green. And lastly, his muscles are shown to ripple. Both the veins and the rippled muscles remind me of roided out wrestlers when straining for attention.

The above bit of information is helpful to you if the 2003 Incredible Hulk costume still fits any of your children. Maybe the teen can pass down the Hulk costume to the younger boy (or girl). You may be able to save money and reuse the '03 costume by telling them that it's the better version because it looks just like the comic books. Just point them to the green skin without streaks and the purple pants

Planet Comic Book Radio is a weekly talkshow and blog on everything comic books. We discuss and blog on topics of comic book cultures including