BuyCostumes.com Blog

Is She or Isn’t She?: The Royal 1st Anniversary

Dustin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:58:20 +0000

Crazy to think it, but it was just a year ago that the whole world was up in a tizzy over the royal wedding of William and Catherine. Heck, we even blogged about it on the special day last April 29th. As the new Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine, or rather, Kate Middleton stepped into the international spotlight with her exchange of vows to the heir apparent, Prince William.

So on April 29th, 2012, William and Kate will celebrate their 1st wedding anniversary – which, by all accounts is a momentous occasion for the royal family. There is one occasion, however, that would have that beat.

What’s that you ask?

When The Duchess gets pregnant!

Just like you, we’re wondering when Kate will have that famous baby bump, and we’ve got the costume kit to celebrate it!

British Royalty Baby Watch Adult Costume Kit

We’re Calling It: If Election Was Today Obama Would Beat Romney

Dustin — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:11:24 +0000

Stake in the ground, no joking – if the election were to happen today; Thursday April 12, 2012, Obama would win it. And, we predict that in that instance the losing GOP nominee would be former Governor Mitt Romney. That’s what we’re calling based on the numbers in our 2012 Presidential Mask Poll as they stand right now (you can read our official press release here).

With conservative Rick Santorum pulling out of the race on Tuesday afternoon, the path has been paved for Mitt Romney to receive the inevitable GOP nominee. Sure, Rick put up a great fight (and maybe they’ll be running mates), but much to Newt and Ron’s despair, it’s clear to nearly all involved that Romney is sure to finally have the GOP nomination he so covets. It’s for that reason, we’re comfortable in calling it that Mitt Romney will be the GOP nominee in the 2012 presidential election.

As of today incumbent Barack Obama holds the lead with 22% of the total votes. While Mitt Romney trails with 21% of the total votes, and Ron Paul is polling 2 percentage points lower at 19%. Newt Gingrich, the 3rd remaining GOP candidate is actually polling 2 percentage points under Santorum at 14% – despite Santorum withdrawing his candidacy.

Not pleased with the numbers? Well, unlike other elections, you have the power to change this one with $1, or $10, or $100. Every mask purchase counts as a vote, and voters displeased with the results can still make considerable change by buying more masks for the candidate of their choice until the poll is reset for the general election. At that point, it’ll be Obama & Biden vs. Romney & Santorum?

So remember: 1 mask = 1 vote, and this poll can be bought!

In honor of Easter, it’s halfway to Halloween!

Dustin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:52:31 +0000

I know, I know, Easter is over, but Halloween is just beginning. The day after Easter marks the extremely unofficial halfway to Halloween mark (give or take…well, in this case give a few extra days). So, in honor of the egg-hunting holiday, and more importantly, the halfway mark to our bread and butter (Halloween), I thought I’d take a moment to examine the darker side of the most bizarre of holiday ‘mascots’ – the Easter Bunny.

Before we get into creepy though, let me interject with some cute.

There, digest that adorableness, take it in. Because it won’t last long.

Easter bunny costumes are historically very, very unreliable. Too often is it far too easy to pick up a seemingly innocent Easter bunny costume only to find out that once it’s put “on to the field” so to speak, things all go to hell (and quite possibly come from there, too).

Think of the terrifying rendition of the Easter Bunny from Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey but without the benefit of Keanu Reeves (or, well, young not Keanu Reeves in the context of the video).

Anyways, my point is that there is no shortage of terrifying Easter bunny costumes in the world, and more photographic evidence of this haunting phenomenon than you can shake a stick at. The folks over at Buzzfeed have compiled a list of The 65 Sketchiest Easter Bunnies and I’ve handpicked some of my personal favorite creepy pics in honor of it being, again, halfway to Halloween!

Super Tuesday in The Official Presidential Mask Poll 2012™

Dustin — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:04:13 +0000

It’s Super Tuesday in the polls, and my Super Tuesday update is a lot like a mullet, business in the front (top) and party in the back (bottom). I’ll give you the four-one-one on where the poll sits, and later we’ll throw out some creative ideas that you can do with a presidential mask & some of our other costumes to support (or deride) your candidate(s) of choice.

Without further ado, it’s Super Tuesday, and that means that the following great states are seeing voters line up for both Primaries and Caucuses (depending on the state). As the contentious GOP race runs closer,

• Alaska (caucus)

• Georgia

• Idaho (caucus)

• Massachusetts

• North Dakota (caucus)

• Ohio

• Oklahoma

• Tennessee

• Vermont

• Virginia

• Wyoming (caucus)

“So?” you think.
“Why is BuyCostumes.com blogging about this? Why do they care?”
“Why that’s simple!” I respond vehemently. “Because of the 2012 Presidential Mask Poll!”

I’ll spare you too much historical diatribe about how our mask poll has been 100% accurate in the past three presidential elections and in determining the last democratic nominee (Barack Obama). And how with just a few clicks of your mouse, you can cast as many votes as you please in the only presidential election that can be bought.

Instead I’ll revel you with the fact that Inc. Magazine ran a great little article about the power of the BuyCostumes.com Presidential Mask Polls, and how, for much of the early part of the year Ron Paul had been dominating in sales. Well folks, for the first time in the 2012 Mask Poll, we’re seeing not two, but three candidates locked in a dead heat for first place.

Incumbent Barack Obama, along with challengers Mitt Romney & Ron Paul all hold 20% of the total mask sales. Along withRick Santorum & Newt Gingrich rounding out the numbers, respectively.

Below are the numbers as they stand, however, not how they will always be. Politics are volatile, and the mask poll is just as volatile, should some vehement supporter of Representative Paul opt to purchase 500 masks at 2am Central time tomorrow, the balance will once again be shifted significantly in his advantage. There are still months to go before the GOP national convention in August, and that means potentially months before a Republican nominee is decided. And it’s only then that the true race (and poll) begins, as the Obama/Biden ticket will face off with the xxxx/yyyy ticket. Who is xxxx? Who is yyyy? I don’t know – but you do. So vote. Vote once, vote twice, vote 500 times. You can buy this election, but only in the The BuyCostumes.com Official Presidential Mask Poll 2012™.

And after you’ve bought your mask(s)…share some pictures in costume on our Facebook wall…

Why not accessorize? Why not make a statement at the next political gathering you attend either in support of, or against your (least) favorite candidate? Here are just a couple of our ideas…hop on our Facebook page and show us yours!

The Amazing Spider-Man Costumes hit shelves soon!

Dustin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:18:46 +0000

♫ Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can.
Going places, swinging there. He might even – visit the fair.
He’s Spider-Man, Spider-Man, doing stuff that I spider can. ♫

OK, so you may have noticed – I don’t know the lyrics to the Spider-Man theme song. Well, I’m fairly certain that I got “Spider-Man, Spider-Man” correct. That’s about it though.
Do you know the words? Yeah, that’s what I thought, nobody does.

That’s OK though, because in light of The new Amazing Spider-Man trailer debuting yesterday, we’re pulling back the curtains on our new Amazing Spider-Man costumes too. They’re not available on the site quite yet, but that’s OK, you can peek at them anyways.

Enough with the commentary, lets get to the juicy bits. Check out the trailer…

This ‘re-imagining’ of the Spider-Man series forgoes angsty tap-dancing Tobey Maguire in favor of The Social Network‘s Andrew Garfield in the titular role. Emma Stone (Easy A, Zombieland) as Spidey/Peter Parker’s love interest Gwen Stacy (who was played by Bryce Dallas Howard (Terminator Salvation, 50/50) in Spiderman 3) and Welsh actor Rhys Ifans (The Replacements, The Boat That Rocked) as the Dr. Curt Connors, whose transformation into the Spidey villain The Lizard, will serve as the film’s protagonist.

It’s a different approach to the material than the last three films took, essentially restarting the series. I for one welcome this, as Mr. Maguire and co. were starting to wear thin in their roles (with the notable exception of J. K. Simmon’s portrayal of J. Jonah Jameson – which was SPOT ON)

And now, check out just some of of the Amazing Spider-Man costumes we’ll be offering up in the coming months…

Remember, this is just a taste. The Amazing Spider-Man 3D hits theaters on July 3rd, 2012 and The Amazing Spider-Man costumes hit our digital shelves soon!

The Florida Primary, An Update

Dustin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:13:23 +0000

1 mask = 1 vote. This poll can be bought! Vote for your favorites by buying one, ten, even 100 masks today!

It’s here. Can you hear it? The sound of tens of thousands of Floridians shuffling on down to their local polling station to cast their vote in the GOP primary. Oh what a marvelous feeling. Oh, what a glorious day.

Who knows, maybe Newt’s direct pandering to the space coast will pay off. While Florida is partial to NASA, we here in Wisconsin love our Green Bay Packers, I think Newt could win the Wisconsin Primary by promising to make all football teams in the NFL lose to the Packers, and make the team the 100% Official Designated Football Team of Earth. That’s a platform I could get behind.

After a roller-coaster of a election year month that saw Michelle Bachmann, Jon Huntsman & Rick Perry pull their figurative hats out of the ring and the ultra-conservative underdog Rick Santorum climb out to a striking victory (albeit by a narrow margin) in Iowa over ‘assumed’ front-runner Mitt Romney. Lest we forget about Republican rebel Newt Gingrich (sporting a name that is not in the least eponymous) sweeping up New Hampshire, and everybody’s favorite ‘so crazy he just might make sense’ curmudgeon (and willfully determined congressional member) Ron Paul holding fairly commendable ground in all of the races.

Just over a month since we launched the 2012 iteration of Americas Favorite Mask Poll, and I can safely tell you that I poll did not successfully predict the Iowa Caucus, the New Hampshire Primary or the South Carolina Primary – but, that was never our claim. We do wholeheartedly expect, The Official Presidential Mask Poll 2012, however, to be successful in predicting the future president.

So where does this leave us positioned for the Florida race? For the most up to date numbers, you can cue up our interactive infographic to see where your favorite candidate sits in the digits, including President Barack Obama.

As of this posting, with the incumbent POTUS included, the percentages are listing as follows (for active candidates):

Ron Paul – 25% of Total Sales
Rick Santorum – 18% of Total Sales
Barack Obama – 17% of Total Sales
Newt Gingrich – 14% of Total Sales
Mitt Romney – 13% of Total Sales

Will Ron Paul leap to the forefront of the polls after the Florida numbers begin to roll in this evening? Will Mitt take a back seat to Ron, Newt & Rick? And have his designated chair holder hold him up for a disappointing concession speech? How about Mr. Santorum. Will the former senator from Pittsburgh be awash in celebratory glitter after pulling out yet another surprise victory? I don’t know about you, but I for one would love to see former Speaker Gingrich ride his rocket to the moon and park it there. Maybe, and this is probably the most far-fetched of all of the theories, Governor Perry will toss his figurative hat back into the ring, and then pick it back up and continue on the campaign trail in a cowboy hat. Best yet! – Herman Cain/Stephen Colbert win as a write-in candidate!

Ultimately though, there’s no tale better than that which time will tell. So, please, I implore you, join us in The Official Presidential Mask Poll 2012, buy a mask, or two, or thirty-five in support of your favorite candidate(s). Unlike the rest of politics, we’re not afraid to admit that this poll can (and will) be bought!

Dr. Seuss & The Cat in the Hat – Read Across America

Ellen — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:02:23 +0000

“How did it get so late, so soon…”? It’s that time of year, when children will swoon.

When teachers of laughing, listening and yelling, will stop all their pointing and asking and telling.

And hand out a book, or two or three, and encourage their whos to climb up a tree.

To read about Sneetches, and Sneedles and fish. Or Grinches that steal a town’s Christmas wish.

With red books and blue books and books of all kinds, they will work to excite and expand childrens minds.

All across America, the children will read. Still, with all the Dr.’s help, this is no easy deed.

So the educators come, dressed like Brown bar-ba-loots. Or feline mischief makers, with Things in red suits.

In costume they’ll party, and to Seussville they’ll go, hoping to teach the children some things they don’t know.

Like why a Flustard eats custard or why Geelings love ceilings. Or what a super-zooper-flooper-do does, and what is the feeling?

Whether you read with your eyes closed or while your whoofing along, or listening to bagpipes and singing a Yawn song

Be sure to remember this Day of all Days, with limericks and stories and song time and plays.

Read to your child be it parable, poem or prose. They might even like it when hanging from their toes!

Foster a love of literacy, for now and all time. Whatever you do, remember – it’s better in rhyme!

Check out our entire selection of Dr. Seuss Party Supplies and Costumes.

NFL Postseason 2011: Wildcard Weekend Predictions

Dustin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:50:30 +0000

I’m not a betting man by any stretch, so I wouldn’t throw any dollars down on these predictions – but I figured I’d throw my hat into the ring anyways. Each week, from now until Super Bowl XLVI, I’ll be throwing out predictions for each winning team based on a complex set of calculations I’m performing using a combination of my abacus, my mind, which team plate my dog eats her dinner off of, and some other high-falutin’ technological ideals.

Feel free to weigh-in with a comment on what you think might be achieved this post-season. Is it going to be a battle of the 12’s (Rodgers and Brady) in Indianapolis? Maybe Big Ben will take the Steeler Nation to Lucas Field, battling Drew Brees and his team of Saints? Only you know for sure! Pick up a party pack, featuring your favorite team’s logo, and guarantee their spot at Superbowl 46! For more information, and to see how your team is doing, click here.

Plus! To sweeten the deal, BuyCostumes.com is offering 15% off any of your NFL party supplies, using the coupon code: TOUCHDOWN.

Take a walk on the wild side with this weekend’s match-ups:

In the AFC

Saturday, January 07, 4:30 PM ET on NBC
The Cincinnati Bengals vs. The Houston Texans
Prediction: Texans

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Sunday, January 08, 4:30 PM ET on CBS
The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. The Denver Broncos
Prediction: Steelers

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In the NFC

Saturday, January 07, 8:00 PM ET on NBC
The Detriot Lions vs. The New Orleans Saints
Prediction: Saints

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Sunday, January 08, 1:00 PM ET on FOX
The Atlanta Falcons vs. The New York Giants
Prediction: Giants

The Official Presidential Mask Poll 2012™

Dustin — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:43:13 +0000

1 mask = 1 vote. This poll can be bought! Vote for your favorites by buying one, ten, even 100 masks today!

It’s here! It has returned. Welcome to the The Official Presidential Mask Poll 2012™. For those of you who are uninitiated – since the dawn of the 21st century, BuyCostumes.com has successfully predicted the outcome of every US Presidential Election based on sales of masks featuring the candidates likeness. You read that correct. In 2000 we predicted GW’s victory over Al, GW’s re-election vs. Kerry in 2004, and President Obama triumphing over the veteran McCain in 2008.

In 2008 we took things a step further than we had in the years prior by extending our predictions to that of both the Democratic and Republican primary races. We also took steps to make the poll more accessible to the masses by producing $0.99 paper masks of all available candidates (previously we’d based our predictions on the sale of more expensive latex masks). This year we’re doing it again.

During primary season and continuing through the GOP official nomination, we’ll be tracking sales for Barack Obama Masks, Newt Gingrich Masks, Mitt Romney Masks, Ron Paul Masks, Rick Perry Masks, and Michele Bachmann masks, all available for $0.99 a piece. As a candidate pulls their figurative hat out of the figurative ring, we’ll grey them out from the rankings.

You’ll be able to visit our Official 2012 Presidential Mask Poll™ hub to see which potential candidate, including the incumbent president, Mr. Obama is in the lead based on percentage of total masks sold. You can also take Mr. Obama out of the mix and compare the individual Republican candidates excluding the incumbent, as seen in the screenshot below.

Finally, you can view a 60-day break down of each candidates percentage of total mask sales underneath the Flag graph.

I’ll be posting blog entries often, updating the process of the pull and an coverage we might have seen along with some other great tidbits throughout the election year. We’d love to see your mask photos on our Facebook page and you can check out our Twitter handle for periodic updates as well.

Most importantly though…

Vote early and vote often.

The 12th Day of Christmas: The 12 Days of Christmas Sale at BuyCostumes.com

Dustin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:52:11 +0000

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Buycostumes gave to me…12 rings for wearing.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, Buycostumes gave to me…11” bowls for filling.
On the tenth day of Christmas, Buycostumes gave to me…10 flutes for toasting.
On the ninth day of Christmas, Buycostumes gave to me…9oz cups for drinking.
On the eighth day of Christmas, Buycostumes gave to me…8 Ties for wearing.
On the seventh day of Christmas, Buycostumes gave to me…7” Plates for Serving.
On the sixth day of Christmas, Buycostumes gave to me…6 Puzzles for Solving.
On the fifth day of Christmas, Buycostumes gave to me…5” Gold Foil Stars.
On the fourth day of Christmas, Buycostumes gave to me…4” Elf Ears.
On the third day of Christmas, Buycostumes gave to me…3 Wiseman Cards.
On the second day of Christmas, Buycostumes gave to me…2 Glitter Bows.
On the first day of Christmas, Buycostumes gave to me…a Christmas tree with presents for feet.

Do you remember Captain Planet? Because I’m about to reference it, and you probably won’t have a clue what’s going on if you’re not familiar with the show.

“Snowman, Penguin, Santa, Reindeer, Bear with a Santa Cap, Christmas Tree! When your powers combine – I am Captain Christmas!” OK. That was a bit of a lame reference. Anyways, you can score 12 of these jazzy Christmas rings for 20% off on our twelfth day of Christmas. This package comes with 2 of each of the rings you see in the photo – so if you have to kids you won’t have to worry about them arguing about “I WANT SANTAS HEAD!” or something bizarre like that.

(man, did I just use the adjective “jazzy” to describe these? What year is it? 1977? Also, “twelfth” is a bizarre word, I mean, look at the letters “lfth” what a cacophony of phonetic chaos. Everytime I look at it I feel like I’m experiencing jamais vu all over again.

Merry Christmas!

This holiday season, we’re presenting our own rendition of ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’. Each day, Buycostumes.com will launch a new product correlating to each day of the song. All items will be discounted beginning the day they are added to the sale, through the remaining twelve days (through December 23). Save anywhere from 20 – 50% off selected items and stock up on some great gifts!