Halloweens of the 70s, 80s, 90s & 00s | That Was The News Then

When it comes to Halloween, you can never be too outrageous, too over the top, or too scary. All right, from the most popular kid costumes of the past to the world's biggest Halloween parade, this is what Halloween was like in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. Do you remember your first costume? Mine was Cinderella, but my favorite costume was when I glued a ball cap to my head and put moss on my face, and I was Beetlejuice. Yeah, that was horrifying. I remember that one from social media. I think my favorite one I can remember is like a young kid. I grew up in a small town, so I was an ear of corn. Outfitting. Made by my parents. That was very creative. Well, we're going to head back even further to 1978 to see what kids were wearing back then. Halloween fever has also gripped an elementary school in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Stuart Klein reports. On this day, a mild-mannered second-grade teacher turned into Wonder Woman, and a usually reliable second-grade teacher became a Raggedy Ann. I love your nose. Oh, well, thank you. Thank you. And who are you, dear? For at the Reynolds School, in preparation for the annual Halloween parade, the teachers and the students don costumes. What are you supposed to be? A bride. A bride? Mm-hmm. What does a bride do? Well, she marries a man. I did. Okay. You got a husband? No. Wow. Then outside for the big parade with a brass band, excited mommies and daddies, and a reviewing stand containing some celebrated residents of Upper Saddle River. Roy White and Chris Chambliss of the New York Yankees. They were presented with plaques, warm-up suits, silver cups, and cards signifying associate membership in the local fire department. Some other impressive faces in the crowd. A devil, a cowgirl sucking her thumb, and a Spider-Man sucking his thumb. What's your name? Matthew. How old are you, Matthew? Seven. What are you supposed to be? A Navy soldier. A what? A Navy soldier. A Navy soldier. Yeah. And what is this lump in your stomach? A pillow. It's a pillow. Well, what is it supposed to represent? Something from falling down. I'm very honored to have been a part of the whole thing and hope to participate in it every year. Wasn't the... Not quite as maddening as the thing down at City Hall in New York. Well, on a smaller scale, that's all. What are you doing to my microphone? One, two, three, four, five. I think that sums it up. This is Stuart Klein at the annual Halloween parade in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. In 1978, as inflation hit the city, even masks weren't safe from rising prices. There was a time when you could go out trick-or-treating and enjoy the booty collected on Halloween. But things have really gotten so bad that this year you'll probably have to sell the booty to pay for your costume. According to Aida Alvarez, the price is even more frightening than some of those masks. You might say the three stores constitute a lucky mystical triangle. At the crossroads of 78th Street and 3rd, they're selling Halloween masks. They're charging the highest prices ever and doing a booming business. There was a time when making a Halloween costume meant little more than punching three holes in a sheet for a ghostly effect, but things have changed. Now, if you don't mind flimsy plastic and you're about six years old, you can buy a cheap mask at Mr. Kim's store for about 80 cents. But chances are that even the six-year-old will prefer the rubber masks, costing $25 on the average. And with more adults shopping for Halloween, Mr. Kim even does well selling Star Wars masks at about $60. I learned one thing. Some people have money spent for that much amount, you know, for those kind of things. Across the street, the paper house was doing a brisk business. This year, the Halloween season started earlier than usual. More time to spend money on some of the most expensive masks ever. Are you planning to buy that Darth Vader mask? Yes, yes. It's quite expensive, isn't it? Yes, it is. And he's, it was either that or the $30 one. And I guess that he's more thrilled by this one. So it's $15 difference. $15. He's spending that much. You don't mind spending that kind of money? Well, if it gives him a large thrill. While the prices are soaring, competition is so keen that one of this country's top rubber mask companies is moving to Hong Kong to cut costs. But the merchants in the mask business are staying right here. Some people think of Halloween as an opportunity to reveal their true inner selves. But this year, the mask you wear may just be an indication of what you can afford. From the Paper House, this is Aida Alvarez, Channel 5 News. From politics to drag, let's take a look at some of the Halloween trends of 1982 and 1984. You know that tomorrow is Halloween, and by the time it's over, you'll probably be E.T.'d out and over-yoded. But interestingly, the most popular masks are not the characters from science fiction movies. They're from real life. Eight years after being driven from the White House in disgrace, Richard Milhouse Nixon still remains a popular American figure, at least in Halloween week. News service reports say the Richard Nixon mask is among the nation's most popular this Halloween, but that isn't entirely the case here in the nation's capital. At Rona's Costumes, just a few blocks from the White House, the winner is clear-cut. We have more calls for Reagan than anything else. Nixon would be second, Carter third, I guess. How do you account for that? Well, Reagan is a very popular president, personally. He has wonderful charisma. Well, they all just love him. Presidential masks have been popular since the Kennedy days, although Sims admits they're bigger with older folks than with young. But young or old, Sims thinks his customers this Halloween seem to be looking for an escape, perhaps a chance to forget the troubles of the real world. Gives people a chance to shed their everyday worries and all and get into a different character. And I think it'll always be very popular. Simms reports his Halloween business could set all-time records, thanks to the popularity of Ronald Reagan. But then, of course, we won't know until next week how far that popularity really extends. In Washington, I'm Andy Cassels for the 10 o'clock news. Well, tomorrow night is when youngsters, many of them boys and girls, transform into witches on brooms and goblins with horns. But as Steve Powers reports, Halloween 1984 also produces a share of animals, clergymen, and rock stars. The real magic of Halloween is it's the one night of the year that you can be anybody or anything you want. Whether it's a Pasha, Carmen Miranda, or beyond. Now, every Halloween, you find people who dress up as clowns. And then there's always someone ready to make a monkey of himself. What are you going to wear for Halloween? Yeah, I went. Baseball player uniform. Baseball player uniform? Is that why you're here, to get one? Yeah. Obviously, there are endless numbers of ideas on what you can dress up as. There are kinky outfits galore, skimpy outfits, ghoulish get-ups. This costume would kill him at a party. Yeah, it is on walks. And while old fads sit on the shelf, new fads come to life. You're the penultimate Cabbage Patch Kid, right? Yes, if you'd like to adopt me, I'll give you my address and number. And if you're rich. Shh! Among all the costumes available now, nuns' habits seem to be very big this year for some unknown reason. But every year, there is a new trend. And this year, it's a drag. How are you going to go tomorrow night? Well, I'm not sure yet. I was planning on going as a man, but it looks like I'm going to come out here a woman. Uh-huh. I don't know what else I'm going to wear, but I'm going to have to find a good compliment for it. Full drag. I think I might have to go full drag, yeah. Why? Why? Because I guess it's the one time of year you can do it. I was just browsing around looking for costumes. See anything else I could find? This is the ladies' costumes. Oh, I was just looking through it, you know. I got what I wanted. No, I understand a lot of guys are going in drag this year. Not me. Okay. So androgyny, this male-female look seems to be in, huh? Exactly. We have women that will dress up in a prince-type outfit, and they look very well in it, as a matter of fact. And men who dress up as women. Yes. What do you make of all this? I don't. I don't. I just give them what they want. And fantasy mixes with rock and roll reality. So from year to year the trends change, but the one thing that remains is the fantasy of Halloween. Steve Powers, Channel 5 News. New Yorkers love a good parade and there's no other parade like New York City's Village Halloween Parade. Here's what it looked like back in 1985 and 1990. And children across the country are trick-or-treating tonight, but Halloween isn't just for kids. In Greenwich Village, thousands of adults turned out to dance through the streets in what can only be described as New York's answer to Mardi Gras. Dave Browdy reports. We'll be right back. There may be other parades like Greenwich Village's Halloween Eve Parade, but if there are, they annually, some might say mercifully, escape memory. It is at once a display of exuberance, talent, and tastelessness that is uniquely New York. It is an event in which many gays participate, a fact for which neither organizers nor participants feel need of any apology. And even in this, the year of AIDS, enthusiasm was undampened. It's not one thing, it's another. That's all I got to say. So here we are, enjoying ourselves. That's why we're here. We are who we are. We're New Yorkers. Seriousness aside, as it was aside for most of the evening, one couldn't help but wonder who or what was inside these costumes. Killer bees? That's right, we're killer bees. Have you killed anybody tonight? Not so far. Is there any intention of killing anybody tonight? You might be our first victim. We're going to kill ourselves tonight. Things don't pick up. How did you get from being an investment banker to here? Halloween. What do you do in real life? This is real life to me, baby. This is it. If there were any traditionalists at this decidedly untraditional event, they would recall that this is not the normal route for the Halloween parade. It was changed by the organizers, which include UNICEF, the UN Children's Fund, to allow for more spectators and in forlorn hope of lower insurance rates. And now the task of trying to get this neighborhood back to normal. If it ever can get back to normal, if it ever was normal, it's something we go through every year. It's something that every year most New Yorkers sit at and stare. I just really can't believe. Dave Browdy, Channel 5 News, at the Halloween parade in Greenwich Village. New Yorkers are out in force this evening for an annual ritual. The eye-popping crowd of Halloween revelers strutting their stuff through Greenwich Village. Steve Powers is at 6th Avenue and Houston Streets where the parade's just getting underway. Steve? You bet, Jack. What a parade it is. As you can just see, all of the police escort marching in front of the parade. 17th Annual Village Parade, and for some reason the theme is Endangered Species, Antarctica, and the Primal Forest, which has nothing to do with any of the costumes that I could see. We took a preview just before the parade got underway. Take a look. You look absolutely very fetching. Thank you, thank you very much. This costume represents what? Grapevine. Well, you look absolutely grape to me. Man, you are lighting up the parade. I hope so, Steve. 1659. Exactly, huh? If you don't mind me saying it, you're probably the ugliest thing in this parade. Thank you so much, that makes my day. This is a hell of a costume. Oh, thank you very much. Me thank you very much. This is hot. This is what I call hot. That's good. This is hell. This is hell. Yes, it is. It is. Excuse me, would you have a few words for me? Yes. It's very nice evening here. Nice of you to come out. Thank you very much. It is very nice neck you have. My neck? See you later. How are you? Where do I put the microphone? Where do you put it? Yeah, where? On here, yeah. What are you? You're very, very good looking. Thank you, you too. If the evening goes on, maybe you won't short out. Tough assignment. Tough assignment. Oh, if it was been that way, very rough time, I got to tell you. This parade will go on right until about 9 o'clock. If you want to dash down, you can get over to Union Square and see these fabulous costumes, hear the great music, and have a great time here in Greenwich Village. Now let's head out of the city and take a look at some of the houses that were tricked out for Halloween 1995. With Halloween less than a week away, visions of tricks and treats are dancing in the heads of kids and adults, Lynn and me included, and some people go all out. Fox 5's Una Kwan is in Oceanside where the ghouls are in the air. What are they wearing, Una? Well, Mario, not only are they in the air, they are on the streets right here, and you can see what they're wearing. These are some of my buddies here at Dee's Nursery in Oceanside, Long Island. Halloween is getting big, getting bigger every year. Not quite as big as Christmas, Mario, but getting there. Walking up to the door of this house is like walking through a gauntlet or a graveyard. Spooky ghosts and goblins take over the lawn of this Oceanside house every year. It's gotten bigger and bigger. Just around the corner on Widener Avenue, scenes of ghoulish destruction abound. But they don't faze this little guy. Not even one inch, Dad. Not one inch? Not even the dots scared. It takes weeks of careful planning and setup to achieve this look. Neighbors say it draws folks like a magnet. Well, I think it's great, except sometimes the traffic gets like crazy. You know, people stop at Triple Park, passing the house. Now, some of the big costumes this year are from the Batman series, the movie, of course, being very popular, Batman, the Riddler, and Robin, and you're seeing some of the hottest costumes right here. You see Mr. Skeleton, Mr. Lion, and ghosts and goblins of all sorts, and my good friend here, Brunhilde the Witch is here, and I think she has a question for me. I also know she can come in for an anchor audition, guys. I think she's got... Personality, what do you think? It looks like she's already green with envy. I think it's for you, too. Look at this. It's an apple. All right, that's a good start. Thanks very much, Una. In 2000, the Village Halloween Parade welcomed a new millennium full of wild, weird, and crazy costumes. You know, if a woman runs up to you on the street and offers to spank you, you know you're probably in the village. If she looks like Hillary Clinton, then it's most likely Halloween in the village. And this year is as wild and crazy as ever. Harry Martins has 6th Avenue near Spring, covering the big parade for you. Good evening, Harry. Good evening, John. Yeah, it is all over, just about. Well, yeah, it is all over. The 6th Avenue is behind me, and you can see that the cars are beginning to come up. But this place was packed just a couple of hours ago, and it's all over now, except the partying. Good boy, Harry. Good boy. Good boy. Good boy. It's a parade that's clearly gone to the dogs, with its share of weird bands as well. From the hussies from hell to dancers who may be a little bit deceiving, it's all in a night's work. A parade with its share of political statements as well, Debbie Cash swears she is not with any political party and came up with this rendition of running for a Senate seat. Hillary's in the news, and so I decided to put Hillary on my Senate seat here. Thank you. Thank you. Sorry, Rick Lazio, all we could find is George W. Bush Thank you. Thank you. like no one's ever seen him before. And this political T-shirt that you would never find at a Republican convention. Yes, it's what makes the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade an all-American institution. This woman came from Scotland to see it. I think it's fantastic. I've seen nothing like it ever. We don't do this back home. Hillary and Bill were big hits this year, along with their sidekick Monica. And the 2nd Avenue subway shared the stage with skeletons of every description. This is just the beginning. You never know what you're going to see down here. That's right. You never know what's coming up next. I met up with the mistress of knowledge. I thought she was a college professor. She introduced me to a strange Halloween custom here in the village. Mucho caliente, papi, is what I'm looking for, and I think I want a little piece of that. What do you say, huh? Thank you. You want to spank me? Really? No, that's okay. Is that a quaint tradition here in the village? For the record, I said no. The parade is over, and so am I. Reporting live from Greenwich Village, Harry Martin, Fox 5 News. In 2001, the Village Halloween Parade became a quiet act of resilience as the city was still healing after 9-11. You know, despite all that's been going on around here, despite it all, the Halloween Parade was as wild as ever. As Bob DiCastro found out, New Yorkers still know how to party. The K Crusader made an appearance with his famous sidekick, but the comic book characters took a backseat to New York's bravest. It says, Fire Department New York, Ladder 5, the real Band of Brothers. God knows that's true. A tribute to the real heroes, this steel worker took a break from ground zero to march. You know, you can hold it in, anger, but you can't hold it so long. You have to enjoy yourself. You've got to let it out. You've got to let the free spirits rise. If you don't, it's like cancer. If you don't enjoy yourself, they'll sneak up behind you and attack and kill you in a minute. Ah! Crowds cheered for this guy in a camouflage costume. He honored the National Guard. See that bin Laden guy? You point him out to me. Thank you. We found Osama bin Laden behind bars. We also found a president and Mrs. Bush walking with someone who looked like Mayor Giuliani. Nice to see you guys make an appearance. God bless America. Despite warnings about new terrorist activity. Patriotism and pride prevailed. It's great. It's really great. There's a lot of enthusiasm despite everything. That's what the city needs right now. More than 200 police officers were working this year's parade and while the security was a little tighter, most of the people we spoke with didn't seem to mind it. In the West Village, Bob DeCastro, Fox 5 News, Linda John, back to you. Now let's take a look at some of the city's haunted hot spots and what some say is New York's most haunted block. We sent Fox 5's Cheryl Washington out to look for a real scare for you and she turned up some haunted hot spots in the Big Apple. This may sound a little bit spooky, but some say they've seen sightings of ghosts in and around New York City. In fact, right here in the landmark hotel, the Chelsea. This is where legendary writers like Thomas Wolfe slumbered and called home. The lobby is still a spiritual gathering place for contemporary writers to channel the creative souls of those who have crossed the other side. Does this freak you out? Ghosts in the hotel? They've been very helpful to me. I find it very inspirational. It's sort of a weird psychic ground that it's built on or something. but I've seen A shadow of a man wearing a hat and nobody with it. Stanley Bard, who managed the Chelsea for over 20 years, says the walls and doors tell their own stories, but in them are friendly ghosts. These are friendly ghosts. We've had angels here and we've had friendly ghosts here and they continue to roam our friendly building. Are they like Casper? Well, exactly. Legend has it, the ghost of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas downed his last drink here at the White Horse Tavern and where he holds court at his favorite corner table. At 1 o'clock in the morning on Dylan Thomas's birthday, the porter would come up in front of the chairs, turn down with two empty glasses of whiskey and have him every single October 27th, probably 10, 15 years until the porter passed away. Now that doesn't occur anymore, we just have to look at the clocks on his birthday. They just happen to always stay at 12 o'clock or 1 o'clock in the morning. Of all the places that are possessed in New York, this block on 3rd and Sullivan is considered the most haunted. It's where the ghosts of Edgar Allan Poe and a Depression-era firefighter are still present. Cheryl Washington, Fox 5 News. In 2002, scary gave way to sexy as Halloween costumes became more provocative. When it comes to Halloween this year, scary is out, sexy is in. Fox 5's Diane McInerney has been out and about getting the skinny on those skimpy costumes. Diane, what do you have for us? I sure have, Rosanna. And this year on Halloween, when you see folks parading up 6th Avenue for the parade, you might see them dressed up a little bit sexier. Here we go. This year, Halloween isn't scary, folks. It's sexy. Definitely. Halloween is sexy, fun, fantastical this year. So before you get decked out in that scary costume, let me show you what's really in. Costume stylists swear that outfits like this futuristic Vegas showgirl are really hot for Halloween. Hot costumes are always the sexy costumes. The women want to be beautiful and sexy. They can dress for a party the way they would never dress in real life. At Creative Costume Company on 36th Street, get-ups like this belly dancing costume are all the rage, but that's not all. They will wear our lingerie, their lingerie, the period costumes where they could have that hourglass figure push up, push down, push in. And if you can't fill it, fudge it. Check out this can-can costume with its own built-in cleavage. Oh, and fellas, how about playing the part of a pimp this Halloween? But if that doesn't fly, anything macho will do. Men want to be macho. Men always want to be macho. Zorro, pirates, whatever they can wear boot tops with, that's their costume. And before I let everybody go, I want to introduce you to my really scary black cat, Boo. Isn't that scary? I thought it was adorable. I had to pick it up. Anyway, we're live in Greenwich Village. I'm Diane McInerney, Fox 5 News. And that was Halloween in the past.