What Disney Princesses are dressing up as this Halloween

Ever wonder what costume Disney Princesses would wear for Halloween?

Artist Isaiah Stephens decided to to give it a try and has come up with a fun collection of Disney characters dressed up or the holiday ranging from Wonder Woman to Hermoine Granger to Sailor Moon.

© Isaiah Stephens

"I've always been a fan of heroines. Female heroes tend to be far more interesting than their typical million dollar smile, eight packed, steroid freak counterparts. I feel that a lot of the time, they don't get the respect that they deserve. And for me, drawing these was just a fun way to pay respect to some of the heroines that I've been a fan of over the years," he said.

When deciding what costume these princesses would wear, Stephens said he writes down a list of characters he thinks the Disney heroines would be a fan of in our universe and also takes suggestions from followers on Tumblr and deviantArt.

Of the 21 created so far, Stephens said his favorite is between Mulan as Xena and Alice Liddell as Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

And, there is more to come. The last few pieces, he said, will be the men of Disney. He has already uploaded one version -  Aladdin and Abu as Ash Ketchum and Pikachu.

You can find the complete gallery here.

Here are some examples.

SNOW WHITE AS WONDER WOMAN

Disney Halloween: Snow White by ~IsaiahStephens on deviantART

BELLE AS HERMOINE GRANGER

Disney Halloween: Belle by ~IsaiahStephens on deviantART

WENDY AS PRINCESS LEIA

Disney Halloween: Wendy by ~IsaiahStephens on deviantART

MULAN AS XENA PRINCESS WARRIOR

Disney Halloween: Mulan by ~IsaiahStephens on deviantART

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Dad makes Disneyland his Halloween costume

What's the one place everyone loves? Disneyland.

From YouTube

So Rob Cockerham said he decided to create a wearable version of the theme park.

"My plan was to wear a map on my shoulders, not parallel to the ground, and not perpendicular to the ground either. I'd wear it at a steep angle, so that kids would have a better view of everything," he wrote on cockeyed.com.

On the website he also describes in detail how he made the costume. This video shows the costume off.

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Smile of the Day: Jack Skellington - The Pumpkin King - on a pumpkin

Here he is. The Pumpkin King - Jack Skellington - from "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas" on a pumpkin at Disneyland.

© Steven Liebman

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Smile of The Day: Mickey Mouse on Pumpkin

As Halloween approaches, we start to show some fun Disney Halloween photos. Here's one from Disneyland of Mickey Mouse on a pumpkin.

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Halloween 2013: Disney trick-or-treat bags

Now that you've decided on the costume for Halloween, don't forget the one accessory everyone needs for the night - a trick-or-treat bag. 

Here are some goodie bags from Disney featuring Sofia the First, Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Disney Princess characters, Minnie Mouse and Spider-Man. They are all available at the Disney Store for $12.95 each.

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Halloween 2013: Disney, Marvel, Pixar costumes for adults

Halloween costumes are not just for kids.

From sparkly princess dresses to muscular Super Hero bodysuits, or if you prefer to be a characters from Oz or Star Wars there are plenty of costumes available for adults for this Halloween. Here are a few offered by Disney:

There are a number of Avengers costumes, including Iron Man, Captain America and Thor (pictured here). The costume at $49.99 is available at K-Mart, Spencers, Party City and Buy Seasons.

Or for those who want to be more monstrous, there's a Sassy Sully costume from Amscan for $49.99.

Men, keep an eye on your Sassy Sally with a Mike Wazowski costume from Amscan for $69.99.

Ladies, if you don't like Sassy Sally, how about a different type of Sally. Here's a Sally Glam look for all the "Nightmare Before Christmas Fans" from Disguise for $59.99.

And for those accompanying this Sally, is a Jack Skellington costume from Diguise for $59.99.

If you want to look out of this world, try a Jawa costume from Rubies for $74.99 and available at Amzaon, Buy Costumes Online, Spirit Online and Costume Super Center.

Here's another out of this world costume for women giving them a Stormtrooper look from Rubies for $59.99 and available at Amazon, Party City Online and Buy Costumes Online.

But ladies, if you prefer the dark side, you can try this female Darth Vader costume from Rubies for $59.99 available at Amazon and Party City online.

Then there is a crème de la crème costume. This Wicked Witch of the West costume is a limited edition of only 300. This cost on this Walt Disney Studio Authenticated costume is $399.50 and available at the Disney Store.

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Dress your baby up for Halloween as your favorite Disney or Star Wars character

Halloween offers the parents of babies and young toddlers a very special opportunity: the chance to go cute-crazy before the kids are old enough to realize what you're doing.

For Disney fans, that traditionally means dressing your baby as a mini Mouse or a petite princess. But the Wonderful World of Disney is much bigger these days.  

Here are a few of our favorites this year. 

Star Wars 

Now that the Disney universe includes a Galaxy Far Far Away, Buzz Lightyear has to make room for the Star Wars cast of characters.   

Each Star Wars baby is cuter than the next, from Yoda to Darth Vader. Still prefer to stick with a princess? There's always a self-rescuing Princess Leia, complete with cinnamon bun headpiece. Also available but not pictured here: stormtrooper, Ewok, C3PO, Obi Wan Kenobi and Chewbacca. 

The costumes are available at a variety of retailers for $19.99-$24.99.

You love them? We know. 

Marvel superheroes

Of course your adorable baby has superpowers -- likely including the power to bend you to his or her will. They can wear them on their sleeves with Marvel superhero costumes.

Mini Captain America and little Hulk are available for $24.99 from Official Marvel Costumes. The site carries costumes for all ages, so the whole family can join in. 

And superhero costumes aren't only for boys. Party City carries a "Spider Girl" outfit ($29.99). 

Winnie the Pooh

For pure, unadulterated cuteness, you can't go wrong with a Disney classic: Winnie the Pooh and pals. Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet are available at Party City for $39.99. Pooh is a little harder to find, but is available now for $35.95 at CostumeSuperCenter.com. Parents, you'll earn extra "awwwws" if you dress up as Christopher Robin. 

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Bring home a Disney Halloween

Christmas has been so thoroughly merchandised, it should be no surprise to see Halloween trees and Halloween village sets sprouting at retailers.

The folks at Disney, masters of merchandising that they are, have really embraced Halloween, going far beyond costumes and candy. And why not, when they can work with the Haunted Mansion and "The Nightmare Before Christmas"?

Here's a look at some of the creative Halloween decor from Disney:

In the dining room, set a spooktacular table with a 15-inch candelabra ($39.95) and Haunted Mansion-inspired wine glasses ($19.95 each). In the living room, add a Haunted Mansion throw ($54.95) or a pillow ($32.95) or two ($22.95) to your couch.

If your family enjoys an Advent calendar, you can count down the days until Halloween with a Mickey and Minnie countdown calendar ($29.95).

If you don't get enough of tree-decorating at Christmas, you can start collecting Halloween ornaments:

• A set of six Faces of Jack Skellington ($39.95)
• Glass Mickey Mouse pumpkin ornament ($16.95)
• Ear hat ornaments, including seven from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" ($22.95 each)
• A set of five Haunted Mansion busts  ($22.95). I don't know about you, but I'd keep these around to hang on my Christmas tree.

What's a Halloween tree? I'd suggest collecting a strong branch from your own backyard and hanging it horizontally on the wall or using a pumpkin as a vase. Branches look suitably spooky au natural, or you could spray paint it a glossy black and add a little glitter. Too much work? it's getting easier to find tabletop trees that will fit the bill.

Dress for spookcess

For grown-ups, Halloween is a great time to scare up some festive clothes and fashion accessories without donning a full-on costume.

The latest addition to the lineup, announced this week by the Disney Parks Blog, is a Haunted Mansion-inspired Dooney & Bourke bag that will retail for $330. The bag will be available starting Sept. 13 at locations in Disney World and Disneyland and online at the Disney Store later this fall.

You can also buy parks merchandise keyed to the season, including a Hitchhiking Ghosts t-shirt from Disney World ($29.95, adults) or a glow-in-the-dark Mickey Mouse and Friends t-shirt from Disneyland ($29.95, adults).

Of course there's no better time of year to fill out your Nightmare Before Christmas wardrobe. A personal favorite from the NBC line is this men's heavy-duty, black Jack Skellington zip-up hoodie ($59.95). On a sweeter note, this lavender women's T celebrates the true love of Jack and Sally ($32.95).

If adding your hard-earned money to Disney's coffins -- I mean, coffers -- isn't for you, try these ideas for a DIY Disney Halloween.

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A do-it-yourself Disney Halloween

Halloween is in full swing at Disney World, which means normal people have about a month to get ready before we have to start decorating.

So get out your paint and your craft paper and pull up a chair. We're going to help you add some Disney flair to your fall with a few simple ideas.

MarthaStewart.com

Of course we all love one particular mouse, but mice overtaking your house? That's a different matter. You can easily add the creepy factor to your front foyer with this clever idea from MarthaStewart.com. Give it a Disney twist by adding your own hidden Mickeys. Just download the pdf mouse templates and add a few silhouettes of our favorite mouse, which you can find easily through a Google image search. The lesson here: Almost any Halloween craft idea can be given a fun Disney spin.

Everyone loves visiting the Haunted Mansion graveyard while they wait in line for the ride, so why not add a pre-show in your own front yard? It wouldn't be difficult to make your own using styrofoam sheets and an inexpensive styrofoam tool kit. Can't find sheets thick enough? Glue more than one together. Paint the finished product a splotchy gray and add your favorite epitaphs: "Here lies good old Fred; a great big rock fell on his head" or "Rest in peace cousin Huet, we all know you didn't do it." Or make some up for your friends and family.

Sticking with the Haunted Mansion motif, you can add the hitchhiking ghosts to a window or mirror. Just blow up these guys to the size you want and cut them out of black construction paper (windows) or frosted window film (mirror).


Of course, Disney wants to help you get your craft on too. DisneyFamily.com has 31 days of Disney Halloween Crafts & Recipes, including a cute Mickey Mouse bat that can fly individually or in a flock -- or, if you're adventurous, you can string them together to make a garland of bats. Another one of my favorites, for the adult who wants to show some Halloween spirit without wearing a costume, is a pair of Malefecient's black and green horns.

Mission: Pumpkins

DisneyFamily.com

You also can count on Disney to provide a variety of spectacular Halloween Pumpkin Carving Templates. These have a high degree of difficulty. But if you don't want to try all that precision carving, consider using the templates to paint pumpkins.

One of my favorite simple projects is to buy several white pumpkins and paint different Jack Skellington faces on them. All you need is black paint, preferably something waterproof if you plan to put your pumpkins outside.

The best thing about this is that the pumpkins last for weeks -- you can paint them now and they'll still be good for Halloween. And if you don't have any artistic talent to speak of, that's ok; just print the faces out and use them as templates. The white pumpkins aren't cheap, so as an alternative you can paint an orange pumpkin white before adding the face.

Can't get enough of the Pumpkin King's many faces? Try this variation on another idea from MarthaStewart.com: Buy some white balloons and some eight-hour glow sticks. Just before your party, snap the light-sticks so they glow and insert one or two in each balloon. Then inflate the balloons and tie them off. Instead of painting generic ghost faces on the balloons, give them Jack's smiling -- or grimacing, or groaning -- mug.

If DIY isn't your thing, you can also bring home a Disney Halloween.

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New surprises planned for Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Holiday edition

Ever since the Haunted Mansion Holiday edition at Disneyland was created 13 years ago, Imagineers have made changes every year.

© Steven Liebman

But this year, on the 13th anniversary, Disney is planning on a lot of new surprises, according to Brian Sandahl, Senior Designer, Show Development and Productions.

For those not familiar with this transformation, each Halloween into Christmas, the regular ghosts who occupy the Haunted Mansion are evicted and in their place are characters from "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas."

The plans for the 13th Haunted Mansion Holiday started about a year ago, Sandahl said in the Fall Edition of the Disney Debit newsletter for Disney credit card holders.

The first change begins in the Stretching Portrait Gallery "where a new animation effect will stretch imaginations to the screaming point."

That is the only small preview Sandahl gives.

The new mansion debuts on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013.

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Tickets for 2013 Disneyland Halloween Party go on sale this month

Considered by many to be the unluckiest day of the year will actually be the start of a celebration at Disneyland.

© Steven Liebman

The  Haunted Mansion Holiday 

Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, will mark the beginning of Halloween season in California as Halloween Time returns, complete with Mickey's Halloween Party, a revamped Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Ghost Galaxy and a new event at the Tomorrowland Terrace -- the “Monsters U Dance Party.”

The Halloween season at Disneyland lasts through Oct. 31.

Disneyland gets all decked out for the holiday with Main Street, U.S.A. transformed into a Pumpkin Festival, with hundreds of pumpkins on display. Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland will host the Disney villains and Disney characters. Frontierland will also observe Dia de los Muertos with a traditional skeleton display.
The 999 ghosts who normally inhabit the Haunted Mansion leave for a few months to allow Jack Skellington and his friends from “Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas" to take over the mansion for the Haunted Mansion Holiday

Space Mountain is also turned into Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy with ghosts appearing out of the darkness.

The big celebration is Mickey’s Halloween Party, expanding to 13 nights. Tickets go on sale starting July 8 for annual passholders, Visa Rewards card holders and Disney Vacation Club members. The general public can start purchasing tickets on July 15.

The party includes:

© Steven Liebman

• The “Halloween Screams” fireworks spectacular.
• “Mickey’s Costume Party," , performed twice nightly.
• Disney villains arriving amid thunder and lightning to transform Town Square, Main Street, U.S.A., into Villains Square
• The Cadaver Dans ghoul quartet, perform Halloween-themed tunes aboard a drifting graveyard-themed raft on the Rivers of America
• Photo locations with some popular Disney and Pixar Pals, and Disney Villains
• Complimentary parking for one standard-size vehicle

The tickets range in price from $59 to $74 depending on the date. The date's for the parties are:
Friday, Sept. 27
Tuesday, Oct. 1
Friday, Oct. 4
Tuesday, Oct. 8
Friday, Oct. 11
Tuesday, Oct. 15
Friday, Oct. 18
Monday, Oct. 21
Wednesday, Oct. 23
Friday, Oct. 25
Monday, Oct. 28
Wednesday, Oct. 30
Thursday, Oct. 31

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