Costume creations
11/5/2025When it comes to Halloween, some people like to pull out all the stops. They turn their yards into haunted or cartoon landscapes. They carve pumpkins, bob for apples, and offer the best treats to their trick-or-treaters. And, they put their energy and holiday spirit into making sure their costumes — or their kids’ — make others “ooh” and “aah” … and perhaps shudder.
Katie Allgood
Costume contest winners
From gnomes to corn on the cob, Katie Allgood’s unique costumes outfitted the entire family —including their dog.
When she began having kids, she donned the whole family in costumes. When she was pregnant with her second child, the family dresses as gnomes, which was an easy way to incorporate her baby bump.
“I had a baby three days later,” she laughs.
Another year, they dressed as chickens, caterpillars and ears of corn.
“I hot-glued hundreds of yellow pompoms on our outfits,” she explains.
Allgood discovers ideas after seeing a movie and keeps a running list of ideas on her phone. Pinterest also offers inspiration. Her hot glue gun keeps items together, and she tries to repurpose and reuse items from previous years. Most of her costumes are made for one use only.
“There’s no guarantee of it lasting past one day. It’s only made to last one night,” she explains.
Her family members — including her husband — are willing to dress in family-themed costumes.
“He’s put up with it for the past 11 years,” she laughs.
Being crafty brings her joy.
“I love anything with a creative outlet. It’s fun to see it all come together for the family,” Allgood says.
Source: Jordan Creel Living, October 2025; by Jackie Wilson
Andrea Capaldo
More than costumes
For many years, Brenda Hummel-Foreman has made Halloween costumes for her daughter, Andrea Capaldo, for one simple reason: Andrea is a wheelchair user, and there just aren’t many options available.
For Andrea’s first three Halloweens, Hummel-Foreman bought store costumes like candy corn, a bunny and a zebra. They were easy to get on because Andrea was still small.
“However, I felt we needed to do something bigger, something extra because she deserves it, and the wheelchair somewhat hid what she was wearing,” Hummel-Foreman explains.
So, in 2012, she dreamed up a frog on a lily pad costume in memory of her own mother.
That year sparked a tradition — and a following. Each Halloween, people began asking what Andrea would be. Hummel-Foreman always kept it a surprise until the big reveal.
Over the years, Andrea has been everything from Velma in the Mystery Machine to a gumball machine, a butterfly, a tissue box and a crayon box. One of Hummel-Foreman’s most memorable projects was dressing Andrea as Ellie from the Pixar movie “Up,” while her brother, Sal, played Carl.
“I just want others to see my daughter having fun and doing activities her peers do, not her disabilities,” Hummel-Foreman says.
Source: North Polk Living, October 2025; by Lindsey Giardino
Scotlyn Greene
The spookier the better
Not all costumes are created equally, and sometimes the convenient option of a costume off a rack is considered subpar by potential customers. Scotlyn Greene is of this mindset. The 16-year-old began making her own costumes in 2019, right before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’ve always been into spooky Halloween stuff,” she says. “I was always picky about my costumes, and the ones in the store were not up to my standards. Storebought costumes always seemed basic, cheap and did not give dimension to the costume. I used to complain about how cheap they were and their lack of scare quality. When I got old enough, I realized that, if I made my own costumes, I could make them how I wanted them and give them the scare quality I wanted them to have.”
Greene’s first costume creation was a possessed doll inspired by some of her favorite YouTubers who did a Halloween series. She found a dress that she liked as well as a doll from Menards. She used the doll to guide her costume. The following years, she created a spooky version of Little Red Riding Hood, the female character from the opening scene of the first “Scream” movie, and a clown.
Source: Bondurant Living, October 2025; by Rachel Harrington
Jason Park
Imagination transforms walker
When Ian Pak was 3 years old, he enjoyed watching “Blaze and The Monster Machines,” a cartoon on Nickelodeon. The show featured a boy who drives a monster truck named Blaze. The pair go on adventures together, fighting villains and saving the day.
As Halloween time rolled around, Ian’s dad, Jason, wondered how he could make a costume such as Blaze. Yet, he had one requirement. Any idea needed to incorporate Ian’s medical walker.
“I started looking at his walker. I thought it’d be cool if we could synergize some ideas and give the walker a ‘cool’ factor,” he recalls.
One year, Ian was a Hot Wheels racer. The walker was colored blue and included a spoiler on the back. A racing driver’s outfit completed the look.
As Ian got older, he wanted more say in what characters or costumes he wore. A Godzilla costume was flanked by a miniature cityscape of tall buildings with working lights.
Jason says it’s important to make costumes that help his son feel special.
“It’s important for him to be inclusive,” Jason reflects. “It’s a lot of fun. We’re trying to figure out what to make for this year.” ♦
Source: Waukee Living, October 2025; by Jackie Wilson
