10:31 am - Warning: Pictures of me in a dress ahead.
Okay, here are pics of me as Minnie Mouse.

I had to make the ears myself because the ears at the Disney store were baby-sized. I used wood screws through the plastic head band to mount the ears and stuffed the bow with some padding to make it plush.



Not that I needed it, but the bloomers were stuffed with padding so the skirt stood out. The bloomers were big and bulky and I used suspenders to keep them up. I sewed ballerina tulle in the skirt to make it stick out straight. I searched five fabric stores for large polka dot material but none had it. So I cut out polka dots out of felt and glued them on. I was surprised that none of them fell off.
 



The gloves were the only thing I didn't make. For some reason my brother's friend Doyle just happened to have a pair. I figured out how to drink and check my cell phone with them on, but I had to take them off often and getting them back on was a bitch because they were made for little girls I assume and I have big hands. When Sarah took off her Kim Jong Ill wig and glasses she looked like an animal handler in her khakis so it was fitting that she played the part of Minnie Mouse's Personal Assistant getting me gum and pulling my gloves on.
 



Its all about the mother fucking shoes. Like with the Annie costume last year, they are $15 men's dress shoes from Walmart. They have a Velcro strap across the front. I cut out the tongue and top part of the shoe to make them look like Mary Jane's and spray painted them yellow. I had to go to Catherine's Fashions (fat lady store) and buy size 5XL black opaque tights. I wore two pairs because they weren't opaque enough for my comfort level. The top is a Danskin woman's workout turtle neck.
 



Most people didn't notice the tail, but I figured it was the subtle authentic touch that kind of made it for those who did.
 



All total my costume cost me around $100. Not bad considering it was fucking brilliant and I won the contest at Nicholby's so it was a good return on my investment, but seriously the best part was that it made people happy. I like the dichotomy of the very large guy (with facial hair) in a costume that is traditionally reserved for young girls. its instantly funny, and instantly recognizable. It bothered me a little that Sequoia was so gung-ho about me being Cher from the "If I could Turn Back Time" video. I think he was so fixated on how grotesque it might be, but that wasn't my point at all. I'm not trying to make a joke out of myself, but simply engage in the absurd and unlikely. And also I wanted to make an impression, to give something for people to talk about the next day and indeed the next year. And every costume I've made for the last four years has succeeded in that. Thank you to Marie (The Panda); I stole these pics from her LJ.
 



The most unexpected thing that happened was that a few people were genuinely affected as if they were little kids at Disneyland. Absolute strangers ran up to me and hugged me. Posed in pictures with me. Travis at one point said, "You know Bob, I think the best part is is that everywhere you go, you are fucking making people happy." Now granted this Minnie Mouse had a goatee and smelled of Jack Daniel's, but shit, you know, it was something.
 



So now the question becomes...how the fuck am I going top this one next year?
 



Oh by the way, my absolute favorite costume all night, that topped everything I saw and I laughed at every time I saw it was a dude with a red wig on and a t-shirt that said, "STEPCHILD" Now that's fucking funny.

Halloween 2004