It’s become a tradition in Japan to dress up in mundane costumes that depict everyday situations for Halloween and once again Johnny Waldman of Spoon & Tamago has collected some of the best and most creative efforts for 2021. Here are a few favorites. “Guy who leans in as his Mario Kart character turns a curve” (I am 100% this guy when I play):

“That person who showed up for the free trial lesson”:

“That cashier who looks away as you enter your debit PIN”:

“Girl who started decluttering but ended up on her phone”:

You can see the rest here or check out the costumes from 2019 and 2020.

• Halloween
• holidays
• Japan

Each year since 2014, a group in Japan holds a Halloween event where people come dressed not as witches, Avengers, or zombies but in everyday "mundane" costumes. This year's costumes include "woman who forgot to take out the trash" and "woman who showed up to a BBQ with no intention of helping out". My personal favorite is "guy who face-swapped with a Starbucks cup":

You can see more costumes from this year on Twitter #DPZ or Spoon & Tamago. See also some of last year's costumes, including "a girl who just gave blood and now can't do anything for a few minutes" and "guy at the office whose turn it is to empty the shredder".

I'm not much for Halloween, but this I could get into.

• Halloween
• holidays
• Japan
• Starbucks

Real Kitchen, a small Chicago eatery that mostly does take-out food, dressed up as Michelin 3-star Alinea for Halloween. Some genuine LOLs here, especially the table-side dessert to-go.

• food
• Halloween
• Real Kitchen
• restaurants
• video

Got this from several people yesterday: are these people dressed up for Halloween or just live in Williamsburg? It's surprisingly difficult to tell.

• fashion
• Halloween
• NYC
• weblogs

This might be the best Halloween costume I've ever seen: a real-life version of Banksy's Flower Thrower stencil.

• Banksy
• Halloween

Here's the story from a blogger at Nerdy Apple Bottom: her five-year-old son dressed up as Daphne from Scooby Doo for Halloween and mom & boy get shit from some of the other moms at their church preschool, thinking that the boy's gonna catch The Gay for dressing up like a girl. The mom's not having any of it:

But here's the point, it is none of your damn business. If you think that me allowing my son to be a female character for Halloween is somehow going to 'make' him gay then you are an idiot. Firstly, what a ridiculous concept. Secondly, if my son is gay, OK. I will love him no less. Thirdly, I am not worried that your son will grow up to be an actual ninja so back off.

Right on. Without really thinking about it this year, we dressed my son in a "girlie" costume (he was a butterfly, at his request, and not a knight or robot or Batman like most of the other three-year-olds I saw) and our daughter was a Frenchman. Not an eyebrow was raised, which is unsurprising as lower Manhattan is pretty much ground zero for It Gets Better. (via @choire)

• Halloween
• LGBTQ

A bunch of creatively carved pumpkins. Preemptive strike: yes, I know about the Obama pumpkins, no need to email.

• halloween

"Every Halloween in Lexington, KY, they block off the streets and recreate Michael Jackson's Thriller video."

• halloween
• holidays
• Michael Jackson

Pumpkin carved with winky emoticon ;) Awesome.

• emoticons
• halloween
• holidays