Transformers Costumes
Transformers is one of the first things that comes to mind when you think of 80's television. The original animated show that introduced the epic battle between the Autobots and the evil Decepticons is still watched by many children and adults today. Because of the overwhelming popularity of the new Transformers movie franchise starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, you can still find costume versions of the characters today. Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are the most popular with both children and adults. There is even an Optimus Prime bib and hat available from BZANY if you want to dress up your infant! Transformers costumes are available from many different stores and websites, including TV Store Online.
Rocky Balboa Costumes
Another character/movie that is still popular today and would make a great Haloween costume is Rocky Balboa. Many of you will remember watching the original Rocky movie and it's sequels in the 80's and 90's. With the release of the most recent sequel Creed starring Sylvester Stallone as Rocky once again, there is definitely a renewed interest in this franchise. Various Rocky costumes, including his boxing outfit and his robe, are available on eBay, Amazon, and of course the typical Halloween costume stores. If you wanna look tough on Halloween, pick up a Rocky costume!
SNL Costumes
Saturday Night Live has a wide range of hilarious characters that you can dress up as. This long running live sketch comedy show started in 1975 and is still going strong. Because the characters are mostly wearing relatively "normal" outfits, it's easy to put together a costume out of clothes you already have in your closet, or pick up a few cheap pieces. If you don't want to bother with making your own costume and would prefer a pre-made one, rest assured. There is a large number of Saturday Night Live costumes for sale out there, including the Spartan Cheerleaders, Ace and Gary, Hans and Franz, Lunch Lady, and Garth Algar.
Hulk Hogan costumes
Hulk Hogan costumes are eternally popular with both kids and adults who admire wrestling and want to show off their manly man side. As one of the most popular and successful WWE wrestlers of the 80's, it seems Hulk Hogan will never go out of style. There are many variations of his outfit, which essentially boil down to the same 5 items- a yellow top, red tights, a belt, sunglasses, and a bandanna. For those who want some more ooomph in their costume, muscle shirt costumes are also available to give you some abs and pecs.
Ferris Bueller Costumes
Ferris Bueller, the infamous high school wise guy and star of the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, has an extremely easy to put together costume. Don't even bother buying something from a store, all you need is a plain white t-shirt, a hideous sewater vest, a white jacket, and some baggy grey pants. This movie is often called a "love letter to Chiacgo", as it takes place in the Windy City and features many of it's landmarks. While Ferris and his friends galavant through the city trying to avoid their principal, the Sears Tower and Art Institute of Chicago serve as backdrops. The movie is probably not popular with younger children, but adults who watched the movie when they were young and teenagers who enjoy older films will have a ball dressing up as Ferris Bueller.
TMNT Costumes
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a franchise that is still popular with children, teenagers, and adults today. Starting off as a comic book, this series reached it's peak of popularity during the 80's and 90's when the animated television series was produced. With the recent movies made in the 2000's that combined motion capture and live action, you can bet Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is still going strong. These ninja turtle costumes are a tad complicated to make yourself what with the gigantic turtle shell, but the good news is that Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo costumes are widely available in virtually any store that sells costumes.
Ric Flair Costumes
Calling back to Hulk Hogan, another popular wrestler of the 80's was of course Ric Flair. He is regarded by some wrestling fans as one of the best professional wrestler of all time. Accordingly, there are various Ric Flair costumes available for children, teens, and adults who want to emulate their hero. His "Nature Boy" robe comes in a wide variety of colors, the most popular being red, green, yellow, pink, and black. Add a nice white blonde wig on top and voila! You have the quintessential Ric Flair outfit.
Double Dare Costumes
Double Dare was an extremely popular Nickelodeon game show that ran from 1986 to 2000. The show involved pitting two teams against each other with trivia questions and physical challenges that often ended in hilarity. The famous outfit that all of the contestants wore is still seen today as a fun throwback Halloween costume. This costume includes a Double Dare t-shirt and pants in either blue or red (depending on what team you're on, of course), a yellow helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, and gloves. It is available from retailers such as SpiritHalloween, but can be easily put together on your own as well. If you are an adult who is nostalgic for the fun game show of your childhood, this costume is the way to go to relive those fond memories.
WWE wrestling Costumes
We already mentioned Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, but there are other WWE wrestlers that you could potentially dress up as- John Cena, Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, Sin Cara, Undertaker, Bret Hart, Kane, and many many more. All of the above mentioned wrestlers have costumes widely available from a variety of stores such as Walmart, eBay, Finley Storehouse, and HalloweenCostumes.com. WWE has been eternally popular with all age groups since it's inception in 1979, with it's extremely entertaining and dramatic fights. Now you have a huge variety of choices if you want to try being your favorite professional wrestler for a day.
Teen Wolf Costumes
With the recent TV series remake of the old cult classic movie Teen Wolf, there has been a spike of popularity and interest in the original version. It's unique comedic combination of supernatural fantasy and every day high school drama appeals to many people. All fans will remember the werewolf version of Scott Howard dominating on the basketball court in his Beavers 42 jersey. While the body hair and werewolf head would be hard to make at home, the good news is that various versions of this costume are available for sale for at reasonable prices from a couple online shops.
Macho Man Randy Savage Costumes
Macho Man Randy Savage is yet another WWE wrestler whose fame peaked in the 80's and 90's. Fans of old school WWE probably still remember his distinct voice, flamboyant clothing, and signature catch phrase (OOOHH YEAH!) This Halloween you can dress up in one of his many eye catching outfits with his signature cowboy hat. Some of his simpler costumes, like the tie dye tank top or purple Macho Man tank top, can be bought for cheap on Amazon and eBay. If you want to really go all out, you can also buy his sequined cape and long fringe jackets from Walmart or eBay.
Wonder Woman Costumes
Wonder Woman is a character that has had a resurgence of popularity with the release of the 2017 movie and the upcoming Justice League movie. From her beginnings as a feminist counterbalance to the ever so prevalent "damsel in distress" trope in American comics, Wonder Woman has been inspiring and empowering girls since the early 1940's. Whether you want her dashing leather costume from the recent movie or the more traditional red, gold, and blue outfit, Wonder Woman costumes are some of the most popular costumes for Halloween this year. Want to fight evil and the patriarchy? Go for a Wonder Woman costume this Halloween!