Halloween costumes inspired by tech
It took a while for Halloween to take off in Australia, much to the dismay of keen cosplayers like myself. Personally, I just couldn’t understand why anyone would deny themselves a holiday that meant they got to dress up, throw parties and eat candy!
We are now beginning to accept this fun holiday, and I for one couldn’t be happier. There’s only one hurdle left to overcome: choosing a costume.
If you’re tired of generic costumes made with the devil horns that came in some old show bag, why not get creative by using tech to up your costume game?
You can see right through me
An ingenious use for the FaceTime function on your tablet or phablet is to make it appear like you have a hole in your body! If you love your zombies, this is the perfect costume for you, and the best part is, it’s incredibly easy to do.
- Start by ripping two holes in a shirt: one at the front, and one in the same spot on the back.
- Splatter fake blood around the holes to make this open wound look more gruesome.
- Sew in a pocket on the inside of the shirt around each hole to place your tablets/phablets in. You can try securing the tablets/phablets another way, just make sure they’re safe and aren’t going to fall out and smash in the middle of your trick or treating!
- Start a FaceTime chat between the two tablets/phablets. This will make it look like you can see right through a hole in your chest.
This idea was inspired by Mark Rober’s YouTube video below. He has since used the original hole-in-your-chest idea to create a whole range of costumes you can insert your tech into and play an app for the ultimate combination of technology and spookiness. You can check them out at morphsuits.com/digital-dudz/tshirts.
Get touchy-feely
If you’re a social media addict, why not try a costume inspired by your favourite social media sites? These costumes are quick to make, cheap as chips and bound to attract attention. All you need is a large piece of card and very basic artistic skills.
- Draw the logo of your social media platform of choice on the top of the card (e.g. Tinder, Instagram, Youtube)
- Write a username on the card and follow the design of your chosen platform (e.g. glue a cross and a tick on the bottom for Tinder, draw a loading bar for YouTube, etc.)
- Cut out a square in the card to make it into a photo/video frame
- Hold the frame in front of your face or tie it around your neck with some string to hold it in place.
People will be wanting to press your buttons and pose for photos with you in your frame all night. Not only that, but this costume can be easily ditched if you decide to hit the town after the party and you don’t want to be caught out in an elaborate costume with full face paint.
The lazy-man option
If you love tech but have zero motivation, artistic talent or dollars in your bank, don’t think we’ve forgotten about you. Just follow these steps for the easiest, cheapest costume, inspired by Paul Laudiero.
- Acquire a cardboard box
- Cut out head and arm holes in the box
- Slap a piece of paper on it with the name of your favourite piece of tech and the word box e.g. “iPhone box”
- Tada! You are now the box your favourite tech comes in.
Have you made a techie Halloween costume? Let us know in the comments below.
Credit:
Cahli is the iiNet blog editor and works with the social media team. A lover of science and technology, she has been an early adopter all things computers since her first childhood console: The Super Nintendo
3 comments
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I didn’t do it this year, but am thinking about next year getting one of those 18th or 21st birthday keys that people sign for birthdays, and writing out a faux cryptographic hash – then going as The Encrypt Keeper! Thanks iinet, for generally being awesome xx B
p.s. Mike B, if you don’t appreciate the chance to dress up, have fun and be creative or clever, it’s simple – don’t! -
Some fun and clever ideas :). Thankyou for your hard work. I for one appreciate it.
BTW, this is American and NOT an AUSTRALIAN custom. Shame on you for helping make us more like the USA and less individual.