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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

World book day - superheroes, disney princesses and film characters

151 replies

BeyondTellsEveryoneRealFacts · 03/03/2016 09:53

We'll just start by me acknowledging that i know i abu!! I also know it has been done before, probably on this day last year and the year before that, and the year before that

But its annoying me, so there. It probably wouldnt bug me if only a few did it, but it seems to be nearly everyone

Its not an effort thing, the costumes i have used required zero effort, nor is it only cost when there are people in books who wear normal clothes!! And if its that people want to pick up a costume in asda, they have book related costumes there!

So, unanimous iabu thread? Grin

OP posts:
exLtEveDallas · 03/03/2016 10:59

Oh, or the post doing the rounds right now of the girl in school uniform holding a toaster - apparently dressed as Page 165 of the Argos catalogue. Hold on, see if I can find it.

Here we go! Grin Grin Grin

World book day - superheroes, disney princesses and film characters
AnnPerkins · 03/03/2016 11:01

What about Minions? My friend's kids have gone as a Minion and a superhero.

Who cares? It's just a lame excuse for the kids to dress up. Any teachers who are Hmm about children's costumes should consider whether dressing up for every bloody thing is of any educational value at all, and maybe leave it out next WBD and focus on books instead.

DS's school doesn't do dressing up. Thankfully.

Original poster
BeyondTellsEveryoneRealFacts · 03/03/2016 11:01
Grin
OP posts:
CakeNinja · 03/03/2016 11:02

You already know yabu. If you're really thinking this hard to work out why you're bothered about other children's costumes, I imagine you have too much time on your hands!

Dds school set the theme of literary villains which I think is great, despite absolutely hating fancy dress with a passion. I'm not in the least bit creative, don't own a needle and thread, always end up buying a costume that never ever gets worn again. dd went as demon dentist, yes I bought a costume from the fancy dress shop.

She loves the book, made herself a couple of props (took ds' toy drill and decorated a tube of toothpaste) and we did her hair and makeup. She looks brilliant. They all have to take in the book and read a paragraph to the class which depicts their villainy.

Really, schools probably need to do something completely different for WBD, but I can't think what!

ThankGodItsAlmostSpringTime · 03/03/2016 11:02

DS's school themed it just to make it harder! He went as Olaf with his Olaf book. School said they had to take a book in with them featuring the character they were dressing as.

Does it really matter if Frozen was a film first? There are plenty of books of the movie and spin offs. Same with all Disney characters and Superheroes.

Some kids love these characters and and use their imaginations very well pretending they are them. Why shouldn't they be their favourite character?

You must desperately search for something to be judgey about OP!

Twistedheartache · 03/03/2016 11:04

This is dd's 1st wbd.
I personally drew the line at Elsa & Anna because it's world book day & whilst technically books with the film story in have been written fundamentally they are not book characters, and I would like dd to learn about classics as she grows up as well as modern things like frozen.
Of course Cinderella, Aurora & Belle were originally fairy stories from 17th/18th/19th centuries and to me perfectly acceptable.
I also looked at what we already had and figured out which books would be appropriate, so dd is Meg from Meg & mog. I suggested winnie the witch,and she chose Meg.

Do I care if other children go as frozen - nope, although I am now slightly worried about DD1 who's 4 & can be v black & white loudly telling all the elsa's that they are not real.

Having seen the excitement of all the children at breakfast this morning if it gets them listening to stories all the "hassle" of wbd totally worth it.

Original poster
BeyondTellsEveryoneRealFacts · 03/03/2016 11:17

"Desperately searching for something to be judgy about" is a bit much Grin
I grew up making a lot of mistakes with things like this, this leads to a tendancy to overthink decisions i need to make now. When my interpretation isnt the same as someone else's (so now where i think certain things dont 'count' for wbd), i wonder if i have messed up.

OP posts:
Everythinggettingbigger · 03/03/2016 11:17

I am a very creative person and would have loved to make my DS (5yo) a costume, we read 2 different books every night, and interactive one while we sit on the floor together then he gets in bed and I read a "night time" one to him while he goes to sleep. I asked him what he wanted to go as.....Captain America.....he has a set of gorgeous superhero books bought for him as a present as to how the superheros were created, each one of them.....I cant argue with that....its a character out of one of his books!

His bestfriend in school was crying because he wanted to be a superhero but his mum wouldn't let him and made him go as the mad hatter......he didn't even know who the mad hatter was!

I think you are being VERY unreasonable and a bit of a snob!

AliceInUnderpants · 03/03/2016 11:20

Who the hell cares? If nothing else, it gets the school talking about reading, and books.
Our school are doing it in conjunction with an Usborne Ready, Steady, Read sponsored read this week to raise money for the school library. If the books are available for them, I couldn't give a shiny shit if they're dressed in a Minion onesie, or a costume that mum spent 437 hours painstakingly hand-sewing.

thecatsarecrazy · 03/03/2016 11:27

I didn't make any effort. I wasn't going to make a costume because I can't Grin and I wasn't going to spend money for fancy dress outfits because its gone the first of the month, my bills have all come out, my washing machine needed replacing so I'm skint. There were lots of Darth Vader's and storm troupers at my sons school. There was even a scream mask bit strange Hmm.

passmethewineplease · 03/03/2016 11:29

DD went as a fairy, her favourite book is one about fairies that's aimed at 3 year olds, DD is 6 the only outfit we could find was a tinkerbell one. She's happy. That's enough for me.

I don't understand why you give a damn tbh OP. I couldn't muster up the energy to be bothered about WBD costumes.

supermariossister · 03/03/2016 11:29

My son went as a wwe wrestler, he is in his wrestling books and he was happy, suits me! We had a good time looking for the bits and pieces and putting it together and it gets them talking/enjoying themselves. I could not give a shiny shite if it's not technically a book character.

attheendoftheday · 03/03/2016 11:31

I agree with you Op!

I don't really believe any kids love Elsa or Spiderman as book characters, I think they know them as film/TV characters. So not in the spirit of WBD.

Not saying I loose sleep over it!

SomedayMyPrinceWillCome · 03/03/2016 11:32

DS (3) refused to go as anything other than Spider-Man. What am I meant to do, force him into something else?
His costume, his choice.
I pick my battles & this wasn't one worth fighting

FattyNinjaOwl · 03/03/2016 11:32

I made very little effort. DS1 is 7. He's almost at the end of harry potter and the goblet of fire. So he desperately wanted to be dressed as harry potter. I bought him a harry potter outfit. He's happy, I'm happy who cares? I didn't make it because I don't have a sewing machine and there's no way I'm doing it by hand. Especially when I'm knackered as I have 2 younger children (2 and 7 months) who are both teething.

TheWitTank · 03/03/2016 11:34

I think it's fine if kids go as Elsa, Minions etc if that's what they actually like reading! I think it's worse to send your child dressed up as a literary character from a book they have never read or even looked at in their life just because the costume is impressive and it makes you look like an uber parent. My son doesn't like stories. He only enjoys fact books and non fiction, so he has gone in with the guiness book of records and normal clothes with a medal round his neck! Genuinely is his favourite book. I wasn't go to lie and send him as Harry potter when he can't stand it.

onemouseplace · 03/03/2016 11:36

The disney princesses/ superheroes argument really doesn't bother me that much.

My one criteria is that DC have to have actually read the book they are going as (or have had it read to them).

ghostyslovesheep · 03/03/2016 11:41

DD3 had decided her 'book' would be You Choose - she had chosen a mermaid costume, pet monkey and princess castle (if you know the book this makes sense) then the school and teachers started telling the kids NO princesses and NO super hero's

so she went in normal clothes as 'Lola' from Charlie and Lola because I had 12 hours notice of the change!

The school is in a fairly deprived area and I think it's hard for parents to magic up costumes - I am cross they banned it

Original poster
BeyondTellsEveryoneRealFacts · 03/03/2016 11:44

I do agree with that - i should have included "characters from books the kids havent read" in my op

I also agree that sometimes battles arent worth fighting!

OP posts:
resipsa · 03/03/2016 11:44

At our school, the children had to go In PJs with their favourite book. DD took The Little Mermaid and wore her Ariel nightie. No cost, a book to read and Disney. Result!

Original poster
BeyondTellsEveryoneRealFacts · 03/03/2016 11:45

I'm also not losing sleep over it Grin

OP posts:
Happyrouter · 03/03/2016 11:45

You choose! That takes me back, I had to read you choose with both my two night after night!

exLtEveDallas · 03/03/2016 11:46

Oh OP, I think you would have liked the post that just appeared on my FB - it was a parent moaning that her 6 year old had been told off by her HT about her WBD costume.

Further posts revealed that the school had specified that books had to have been actually read by the child. Her DD was dressed as Hermione Granger and the Head asked the girl if she'd read the book or watched the film. Of course it was the film.

Mum was frothing, big time.

Whilst I think that was a pretty rotten thing for the Head to have done, it did make me smile Smile. Mum was pure ranting!

oldestmumaintheworld · 03/03/2016 11:51

I'd really love to know why teachers think that getting children to dress up is a good idea. I should admit that mine never did. The eldest hated anyone dressed up having been frightened by a witch on Halloween when very small and point blank refused to go to school on dress up days. The youngest just thought it was pointless and just wore his school uniform. I loved making costumes and would have happily done so for them, but no way.

So teachers what is the educational value of making children dress up?

alltouchedout · 03/03/2016 11:53

DS1 went as a musketeer, which was fine with me (and I think he looks fab). DS2 insisted on being Superman. I made numerous attempts to get him to choose something else something unarguably originating from a book, but he argued so strongly, even producing a book he owns that has Superman in it, that I gave up. And tbh who cares? It's dressing up day as far as the children are concerned. DS2 is an enthusiastic little reader anyway, going as Superman rather than Bilbo is not going to change that.

I made the enormous effort of ordering two cheap costumes from Amazon. I have three dcs and a job and various current life stresses, if anyone wants to judge me for the lack of handmade, creative costumes, they can, but I won't care. I feel like I have accomplished masses just by getting us all to childcare/ school/ work on time and with the things we need each day :)