42 thoughts on “Happy Halloween, everybody!”

  2. I had that exact same costume growing up. I’ll do you one better too. I wasn’t allowed to go out Trick or Treating in my neighborhood, so I went door to door in my house while my mom ran behind me to run into the bedrooms ahead of me so I could knock and get candy.

    1. I did too! My mom replaced the Star Wars suit part with a plastic garbage bag, we got it for the mask. I, to this day, never understood why they put a picture of what you were supposed to be on the costume instead of making it look somewhat like it was supposed to be.

      1. That always bothered me too. I had a really cool (to 4-year-old me) one of a skeleton, where the mask was actually hinged so the jaw would move. It had bones on the legs, but the torso was an entire skeleton in an “action” pose! Ruined the illusion.

      2. Thank you! That has always been one of my pet peeves since I was little! Fortunately I always got to wear one of homemade costumes my Auntie Pearl originally made for her kids and they were awesome! Except the time I was a pumpkin; that sucked.

  7. We never had store bought costumes as kids, my parents refused to do it…so we learned to sew * very poorly* and make our own!!! My fave was my vampire bride costume which consisted of a dress I hated and was forced to wear on easter and lots of red food coloring…ahhh yes… the death of that dress made it a good year!

  10. I had the same costume – I really wanted to be Luke, but this was the only Star Wars costume my mom could find. Still a good memory – thanks for bringing it back, Wil.

  13. Wonderful! I was Vader that year as well, but ended up making my own costume. I did the helmet and mask of papier mache and it was so huge it made me look like the Peanuts do Star Wars version. I forced my friend to be Leia.

  14. “I don’t think the real Radioactive Man wears a plastic smock with a picture of himself on it!”
    “He would on Halloween!”

  15. The neighborhood must have been terrified!!! Maybe if you wear the same costume to “Tabletop”, you will fare better … young Wheaton-walker….

    PICARD: Mr. Crusher! That is not a regulation Star Fleet Uniform!
    BEVERLY: Oh, Jean Luc, lighten up! He’s just a kid!
    TROY: I sense an urgent need for candy!
    WORF: Well, at least I’m not the only one who has to dress up silly!
    Q: Wesley, you look like a giant piece of licorice. Here, have a Twizzler!
    PICARD: Don’t encourage him, Q!
    Q: But encouraging weirdness, is my best talent!

  16. As I recall, I was Obi-Wan that year with a lightsaber my dad fashioned for me out of a flashlight and a semi-opaque plastic golf club tube. Good times…

  22. Well, it’s Halloween and also that day…I was living on Larrabee, just down from the Viper Room. Sitting there when it happened, instead of running up the hill, scattering all those “friends” standing by whimpering, administering CPR, saving the day. Of course it was a feckless, futile fancy.

    But it never left me. Today, my niece, who was only a little girl then, posted a heartfelt remembrance on her FB timeline. And it all came crashing down again. This is, after all, the 20th anniversary.

    Then, I went to your wonderful blog entry for March, 2011. I agree completely, that he was cast adrift. His parents were well-meaning and loving in their way. But that wasn’t enough. There’s still that empty chair….

    So, should we not pause for just a moment and quietly remember River?

  23. Every good costume isn’t complete without ladies gloves. In fact, I feel like singing… I feel pretty ! Oh so pretty !

  24. Grandmas have the best stuff. Mine had a stretchy rhinestone bracelet that I turned into a Buck Rogers Ray Gun every Saturday morning.

    1. Those were custom made for me. I feel like a monster because I misplaced the information from the lovely young woman who made them.

  26. Hey Wil!

    I was just watching the episode of Startalk you did with Neil deGrasse Tyson and I was wondering if you’re going to have either NDT or Kristen Schaal on a future episode of TableTop? Besides seeing Sir Patrick Stewart on TableTop, I think NDT would be the coolest guest.

  27. I remember the Wonder Woman costume I had at about the same age. I love how they had to advertise who you were on the front of the heavy plastic onesie. But then I suppose that maybe a badly rendered bustier on a 5 year old is not a great idea, so the badly rendered drawing of Wonder Woman was a better option. Though I still don’t know why the mask had blonde hair and the drawing had black.

    The cool thing? I didn’t pick the costume, my dad did. Why? Because he wanted his daughter to have strong female role models. It’s the same reason that I got to watch Alien at age 5. But “shhhhh!”, don’t tell my mom.

  28. My favorite costume was one I came up with all by myself. I think i was 14 or so, and I decided to go as the lady who fell and couldn’t get up. People laughed so hard at it walked down the street I got self concious about it. I should see if my mom has a picture of it

  30. If 1977 Wil had any idea that he’d grow up to be a part of a sci-fi franchise that would threaten Lucas’ dominance over the collective mind of fandom, he most likely would have peed that costume.

  34. I saw Star Wars when I was six for the first time, with my Dad, in San Francisco. The movie has stuck with me ever since, much like TNG did in later years. I had the album, I wore the costumes (though I always identified with Luke, not Leia, for no particular reason except that I perceived him as “the kid”, much as I identified with you on Star Trek), and I owned the comics, light saber and other Star Wars geeky sundries. I just wanted you to know that I appreciate the honesty in “Just a Geek,” which I’m currently in the middle of, but I think you always sell yourself short. I’ve loved you in “The Guild” and on “Big Bang Theory.” You’ve really got something there, and it’s nice to know you’re embracing the character you played on TNG and owning your past successes and not-so-successes (they are not failures, whatever you think). It’s also nice to know that you’re succeeding now, I hope as you would like to. I’ve wished that for you through the entire book so far. Cheers, and keep making me laugh and cry. 😀 <3

  35. On not the flog, you had forgotten one of my very favorite Halloween/Horror cardgames. Z-man’s own Graverobbers from Outer Space, really, it is an outrageously fun game for up to 6 people. To bad it is out of print, would love to see an episode of Tabletop devoted to this, thank you. Loved Toy Soldiers.
    -James

  36. I remember the lovely smell from the plastic costumes, I miss those days. I told my teenagers the other day– about my costumes when younger, my son said “Oh, I feel sorry for y’all!” from the mouth of babes*O*

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