To think Halloween costumes for small children are..

[meekenough]

becoming far too grotesque?

I have a four year old and costume shopping is becoming limited increasingly as IMO the costume faces are either too frightening/disturbing/gory for children that age, and that alot of the decorations are going the same way,
I am by no means a prude I like my horror films, but horror film imagery is for adults not kids, I love halloween but when I was a child it was a bin liner cape, witches hat and then watched hocus pocus...., things seem to have changed a lot ...

Or maybe I', gerrin' old and joyless.....

AIBU..

YANBU.
What is wrong with an old sheet for a ghost?
Hate the whole Halloween thing, and won't be dressing up my son, as the whole thing makes me feel very uncomfortable.
Wish people would think of the origins more.

56 inches tall (on that link) is not a 3-4 yo. I say that as someone with an enormous 2 yo. And, it says 9-12 for manufacturer's age recommendation.

YANBU. I can cope with a bit of mummy or vampire, even if a bit of actual blood is involved, but anything that references films that children can't watch (Friday 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, etc) just doesn't make any sense.

That said, I'm one of those who refuses to let my child out of the house with a store-bought costume on such a night. I dunno, I akin it to the risk that I might show up at a party wearing the same dress as another woman (which is why I wear either stuff I've made or inherited or found in a vintage shop).

This year DS (3.5 yrs) will be Reboot Captain Kirk (in a store-bought) for a party we're attending tonight, and a scary Viking (home made, which will be used Next Season) for Trick-or-Treating on Thursday. Oh, and one of the reasons for the Viking one is it's nice and warm!

ScaryGhoul refers to the Scream trope - yes, that's the main culprit - man, even Poundland has a version of it.

Catsize - how about you explain the origins, as you see them?

I typed in 3-4 and that came up , odd ...oh well.

I've had to make a hige hypocrite of myself, I think costumes for Halloween which aren't halloween related, i.e fairies,heroes are really naff.
But was relived now, when my DS wanted to be batman instead of zombie, evil clown.

*huge

we all go as zombies - every year - complete with fake blood and wounds - because I love zombies and I win

DD3 wanted to be a cat last year so she went as a cat ...zombie

Blood and gore is kind of part of Halloween for me - it was when I was a kid in the 70's