TBT Halloween Edition

I'm taking to the Stinkydog Blog to address a childhood injustice. I keep seeing this photo (about seven times today)

It brings up an ancient hurt in my heart. You see that Snoopy one right in the middle. Yeah. Long about 1977, I wanted that damned costume so bad I could taste it. Spoiler alert: I never got it. 

Growing up in the 70's, these were THE SHIZZLE. (is it ok to still say "shizzle?").  Yes, the edges of the mask were razor sharp and the nose holes so small that if you wore it for more than five minutes, you'd start feeling faint, but you wore your plastic sheeting bodysuit that ripped when sat down with pride. Everyone and I mean EVERY. ONE. Had These.  The Bell Children did not. 

I will tell you what the Bell Children had: the Goodwill Store. Back before the Goodwill Store embraced its role in Halloween, you could buy discarded suits or evening gowns for like, 25 cents, (50 cents if sequins were involved.)  I think things were so cheap because they didn't really bother with hangars in those days. When we went to the Goodwill, you had to burrow through bins. None of this organization shit they have nowadays. 

Every year my mom would take us in October and we'd borrow through those bins til we found something we could turn into a costume. There were no masks to be had. We used Mom's old makeup and our imaginations, dammit. And you know what? we did pretty ok. 

1978 or 9, I think

I have no idea whether I was going for Bride of Frankenstein or Zombie Bride here, but I can tell you that I'm wearing a Goodwill Wedding Dress, my veil from my First Communion and a hell of a lot of Avon.