Important SERIOUS World Book Day costume question.

[RatOnnaStick]

School theme is Disney. Does this mean everyone will be dressed in random superhero costumes (Disney or not)?

I'd be happy sending him as Woody or Hook or Prince Random from Any Fairytale but if everyone else is going to be in Batman/Hulk/Captain America/Spiderman costumes he will sulk, because if I make him dress up (which he hates) and its the wrong costume and all his little playmates are wearing whatever they already own I will be in trouble.

I love Disney and everything about it, will be visiting Disneyland for the 3rd year running later this year...
HOWEVER I too am appalled at a WBD being Disney themed, as a pp wrote "that well known author!" He was a cartoon maker and genius but his place is surely somewhere like a film day or something else artistic.
World book day should be based on imagination and what children get from the written word and their costumes should reflect this.
As an outsider looking in would say the school have sold out, possibly thinking that they're doing parents a favour as most little girls will be Anna/Elsa and boys superheroes as previously stated. However it's sad that in doing so society have lost sight of what the say is about! Shame

My son is 9 and decided he is going as steve from minecraft! He has a minecraft annual lol but is easy enough so won't argue with him.

Well, we've just been told ours is 'dress as your favourite book character'. Which is great if you favourite character has some kind of notable costume, but not so great if it's, for example, Lucy from the Lion the Witch ... - how many girls will want to go to WBD dressed as - a girl. Not DD, that's for sure!

Well yes you don't pick the favourite character you pick the one you have costume for. However lots of girls at our school go as Matilda, who is just a girl carrying some books. And our HT always says, lots of children have amazing adventures in books without wearing special costumes. So Lucy from barbican or Charlie bucket etc etc are fine!

well said that headteacher!
other easy costumes (from BOOKS)
Arthur Dent (dressing gown, towel, cup of tea)
Katie Morag (wellingtons)
Stig (sew some furfabric to a pair of shorts)
Lost boys (pyjamas)
Mowgli (sew a red towel to some shorts)

I'm terrible at creating costumes or anything remotely crafty so if DD wanted to dress in everyday clothes and go as Matilda or D'S wanted to go as Charlie Bucket then that should be equally as acceptable as a home-made all singing, all dancing, Cat in the Hat costume. Limiting children to a theme, when we already have the 'theme' of WBD is particularly daft.

Letter from boys school says if children don't dress as Wally then they need to come in normal uniform. That's how you stifle imagination right there.

Having said that, I'm looking forward to all the kids dressed up at my school. Last year we had Gandalf playing football at lunchtime. It was epic even if I did initially think he was meant to be God

Yes Rats and the first Disney stores selling Disney costumes opened in the 90s so no it wasn't "ever thus"

Lilac, my niece's school did the where's Wally thing last year, and that's in a deprived area too. I thought it was a really awful idea then, I can't believe another school are doing it.

I know a lot of ks1 children will go as a Disney princess or a superhero regardless of book theme, but surely most ks2 children would be embarrassed to dress like that so the Disney theme doesn't even cover all bases easily.

Y6 are definitely too cool for dressing as Disney characters. My older D'S is Y6 and no way would he or his friends go in 'dressing up' stuff. That's for younger kids. He's already done a massive eye- roll at 'Where's Wally'. Last few dress-up days (Children in Need, Red Nose Day, etc) the older ones have gone in onesies. That was at my boys school and the school I work in.

Too many dress-up days by half in general though. Egyptian day, Greek day, Viking day, Victorian day, Roman day. Fuck off with the costume days unless you're going to provide them yourselves, schools!

SnowBallsAreHere

If dd's school did a Where's Wally theme I'd send her as a crowd person, if everyone's Wally what's the point? You need at least a couple of other characters!

I suggested Katie Morag last year but for a 5 yo dressing up means a costume! So yes, it's looking at our costumes and making them fit any book in our possession. Nowt to do with your favourite character (well, not at DD's age, anyway).

Oh my God crowdsperson is inspired for Where's Wally. They can just wear their normal clothes.

I'll send them with a note each so they don't get into trouble.

ds would love to be a crowdsperson. Something nondescript.

We've been reading Stinkbomb and Ketchupface and the badness of badgers. So decide to direct DS yr2 towards Stinkbomb, young boy dressed in slightly eccentric clothes, perfect for Ds, easy to do. He wants to be a badger. At least that's still quite easy.
Glad they don't do themes, DS doesn't like disney, he thinks disney is frozen. He actively enjoys being different. But if he wanted to be the same as his mates I'd support him all the way.

moaning myrtle easy to do
Mr Men characters easy to do
insect from any book with an insect in easy to do (2x black tights stuffed with newspaper sewed on to pair of black leggings / trousres: add blacklong sleeved top for spider / redtop with black dots for ladybird / yellow top with black stripes for bee etc.. you get the idea)
Mr Stink - easy to do

DD's special school decided to do Alice in Wonderland. This produced 8 Mad Hatters, one Playing Card and my DD was the only Alice! What puzzled me was no indication was given of whether they remotely knew who they were! Certainly no one in that class was capable of reading! DD was perfectly happy to charge around in her Sunday best with a ribbon in her hair and my old Alice frilly apron that had been begged for. Mother has all the sewing talent!

DD usually goes as Goth Girl . Black wig, long folksy skirt, red military jacket, and carrying one of the books for those that have yet to read it.

Has he got a suit, if so pink bathing cap, suit - he is Professor X.

We had a letter from school requesting that the children take in their favourite teddy bear dressed as a book character. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry.

By the time world book day comes around I'm done with dressing up. There's been roald Dahl day (a witch & a George), Halloween (a vampire and a monster high girl), superhero day (supergirl and captain America) and something else where the DC went as a skeleton and Rapunzel. Dd has grown so no dressing up clothes fit her anymore and Ds (at the grand old age of 6yrs) is too 'cool' to dress up.

Oh shallishanti, thank you so much for the Arthur Dent idea! DS1 has just read the Hitchhiker's Guide so I shall sneakily suggest that to him I think this will be easier than Percy Jackson!
DS2 will go as Kipper, from Biff Chip and Kipper fame - jeans and stripy Tshirt, and small golden retriever soft toy (Floppy!) in arm.
I think they should go as characters from books they've actually read, because otherwise what's the point? I remember when DS1 was in reception there was a boy dressed as Harry Potter, surely he had no clue who he was supposed to be

Have to agree with everyone who says Disney is inappropriate for WBD - yes, some of them are based on books; but what they really are is a giant marketing machine films. The beauty of books is that you can imagine the characters, the setting etc in your mind, not have it 'prescribed' to you by some film makers / animators.

Lucy from Narnia could be Queen Lucy though, with a princess dress and crown and a bottle of bath gel healing vial.

DS was persuaded into a rabbit costume for Alice in Wonderland for book week last term. He only consented to it when we got out of the car and he saw everyone else had a costume on of sorts. It was just a shrug thing over his school uniform so nothing too scary (to him). He said he would wear that again.