Trick or Treat! Smell my feet! We’re sick of seeing these costumes on repeat. Every year, we always see the same exact costumes. What may seem like a good, last-minute idea turns out to be just another overplayed outfit. So without further a-boo, here are thirteen of the most overused costumes of all time.

13. Clown

Coming in unlucky number thirteen is the clown costume. There are a few things that fueled this increase of clown costumes, including the 2016 clown epidemic and one of the highest-grossing movies of 2017, It. But this costume has been around way before then. Back in Ancient Egypt, African Pygmies, known as Dangas, would amuse the royal court by dressing up in leopard skins and masks. They would dance and mimic their gods to entertain those of a higher class. Today, many people have a fear of clowns—also known as coulrophobia, which makes it one of the easiest ways to scare someone, adding to the popularity of the costume. Yet, as scary as they can be, seeing nine of them on one street is even more horrifying.

12.Where’s Waldo

Looking for a last-second costume? Throw on a red-and-white striped shirt, a hat, some glasses, and voila! You’re officially dressed up in a cute, clever costume, perfect for people of all ages to enjoy. Where’s Waldo is a series of children’s puzzle books, in which the goal is to find the iconic character, who is hiding in a crowd of people, buildings, and random objects scattered throughout the picture. It was started in 1987 by Martin Handford, a British illustrator. It would take up to eight weeks to finish a single picture, and some even contained three to four thousand people in one image! The book was published in nineteen different languages. Depending on what country you live in, Waldo’s name changes; he goes by “Waldo” in the U.S. and Canada, “Wally” in the U.K., “Charlie” in France, “Walter” in Germany, “Ali” in Turkey, “Efi” in Israel, and “Willy” in Norway. Whether you dress up as Waldo, Wally, or whatever you choose to call him, you’ll be sure to know that all night, everyone will point at you (and a dozen other “Waldos”) and shout, “There he is!”

11. Powerpuff Girls

    Sugar, spice, and everything nice. These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect, little girls. But Professor Utonium accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction—chemical X. Thus, thousands of these costumes were born. Let’s be honest here, we’ve all seen someone dressed up as the Powerpuff girls before. The Powerpuff Girls is a famous series about three artificially-created girls—Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup—who fight crime using their superpowers. It started as a short and was created in 1992 by Craig McCracken. At that time, the trio didn’t even go by the name of “Powerpuff Girls.” Cartoon Network changed the name after it was labeled as too offensive and aired the pilot in 1995. The series dominated the cartoon industry from the late 1990s until the early 2000s. The show met its end after the producers decided not to do a seventh season, but the series got a reboot in 2016. Today, the Powerpuff Girls are a popular costume choice and a perfect way to dress up with a group of friends.

10. Morphsuit

If only this actually counted as a costume. A morphsuit is a costume that covers the wearer from head to toe in a mixture of polyester and spandex. It hides all features of the wearer, including their face, which allows them to remain completely anonymous. While some morphsuits are used for other costumes, such as Slenderman and Spiderman, many people use morphsuits for showing school spirit, opting to wear them in their school colors. However, some people wear these suits on Halloween to “dress up.” For a lame, unoriginal idea, it’s astonishing how many people wear these boring outfits.

9. Wednesday Addams

Whether you are familiar with The Addams Family or not, chances are you know this iconic character. Wednesday Addams, the youngest girl in the crazy, creepy family known as the Addams, is the epitome of a typical teenager. Moody and apathetic, she brings everyone back to that stage when they were a seventh-grade, emo kid. She’s dark in all the best ways, and you can’t help but to be in awe of her. She’s a legend, an icon, and a mood. So why does everyone dress up like her? Because many people already own a black dress and can easily tie their hair into braids. It’s so easy to become one of the most legendary characters of all times. What a shame hundreds of people had the same idea.

8. Scarecrow

There are two different ways you can go when it comes to a scarecrow costume: scary or cute. Both options, however, are equally easy. Just slap some face paint or makeup on, throw on a flannel (and maybe even some overalls), and tug on your straw hat to get a simple scarecrow costume. Scarecrows are human-shaped figures that are usually made from hay and are dressed in tattered clothes. They started as a way to scare or discourage birds (hence the name) from eating seeds and crops. With time, birds will get used to the dummy and continue to eat the seed anyway. Likewise, the same goes for humans. The effect wears off.

7. Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn is one of the most famous female characters in the superhero world. She’s brassy, bold, and brazen, as well as the Joker’s self-proclaimed girlfriend and henchman. Harley Quinn made her way into the spotlight in September 1992 on Batman: The Animated Series. She was supposed to be nothing more than a one-episode character, but she grew to become a well-known, well-loved character that changed the Batman series forever. She even became famous enough to earn herself a backstory; her real name was Dr. Harleen Quinzel, and she was a psychiatrist who fell in love with the Joker. Harley Quinn is a play on the word “harlequin,” which inspired her jester-like outfit. However, with the arrival of the 2016 movie Suicide Squad, this villainous villainess got a reboot. This also sparked the beginning of a Halloween of thousands of Harley Quinn costumes from all over the nation. Although it’s been a few years and the movie has since lost its appeal, you can still find that Harley Quinn is one of the most popular costumes to date.

6. Anything Disney-related

While the most famous one is Minnie Mouse, it’s safe to say any Disney character is an insanely popular Halloween costume. From the pretty princesses to the talking animals and all in between, Disney costumes are seen on people of all ages. Sheridan Hildreth, a junior and a member of National Spanish Honor Society, states, “I believe that Disney costumes are so popular because children at a young age, especially girls, are exposed to princess movies. They become attached and want to be like a princess, so when they get the chance to dress up as one during Halloween, they won’t pass it up.” The monopoly started in Los Angeles, California, on October 16, 1923, by Walt Disney. His first cartoon character was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but after learning he didn’t own the character and losing the rights to him, Disney created Mickey Mouse. This famous rodent attracted hundreds of people and became immediately popular. Today, the Walt Disney Company owns many iconic assets, including Marvel, ESPN, and Pixar. You can’t go into a store without seeing something Disney-related. The same goes for Halloween night.

5. Nerd

And as we finally reach the top five most over-boo-sed costumes of all time, we come across number five: the nerd costume. A simple, last-second costume, this outfit consists of anything from glasses, ties, suspenders, braces, pigtails, long socks, collared shirts, and more. It allows for creativity while still being incredibly easy to accomplish. The “nerd” started back in 1950 when Dr. Seuss used the word in his book If I Ran The Zoo. The following year, the word appeared once more in teen slang in Detroit, and it was used to describe someone who was uncool and untrendy (also known as a “drip” or “square”). In the 60s, the spelling became “nurd” and spread amongst the younger generation, but the word itself was still mostly unknown. In 1965, it was somewhat connected with the intelligent, dorky type we currently know, especially at MIT, where the majority of people wore backward clothing styles. However, in 1975, the “nerd” really took off when National Lampoon issued a poster that established the “nerd” we know and love today. This poster accurately shows a model of a boy wearing “geeky” clothes and has the caption “Are You a Nurd?” Today, it seems everyone dresses up as the boy on this poster, but with their own unusual take. However, as much as they combine their wardrobe and their own personal style with the stereotype, we still see hundreds of the same cliché costume.

4. Skeleton

Skeletons are symbolic of Halloween, so we can’t be too mad at seeing them on the streets. They have roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, the celebration that Halloween originates from. Skeletons are also symbols of death, and sugar skulls are often used in Day of the Dead (or Día de Los Muertos) celebrations, a holiday in Mexico which celebrates the lives of deceased family members through parades, parties, and the decoration of alters. They also believed the dead could temporarily return to the living world on this day. Because skeletons are such a huge part of Halloween, we can’t get upset about it. But because we see multiple variations of these bony beings (cute, scary, cartoony, and realistic, just to name a few), these spooky, scary skeletons aren’t impressing us anymore.

3. Superhero

From a young age, many people fall in love with superheroes from every universe. While some prefer Marvel and some prefer DC, we can all agree that superheroes have become a large part of our culture. Because of this, everyone sees them every year. Men and women, adults and children, everyone dresses up like a superhero. There is a common misconception that Superman is the oldest of all the superheroes; however, this is incorrect. There were actually a quite a few, including Zorro (whose first appearance was in 1919), Buck Rogers (1929), and Mandrake the Magician (1934). The Golden Age of Comics occurred within the 1930s through the 1950s. Superman, the supposed king of the superheroes, first appeared in Action Comics #1, which was published on April 18, 1938. This was the spark that ignited the explosion of many other superheroes, including Batman, Captain America, Captain Marvel, The Flash, The Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman. Since then, America has fallen in love with these characters and the action-filled comics that house them. Movies and TV shows now replace these old-timey picture books and appeals to more and more people, and the majority of people have become familiarized with these characters. Because everyone is so acquainted with these heroes, it makes sense to see many costumes at stores and on Halloween night. But they still aren’t anything we look forward to seeing. You may think you can save the world with this costume, but thousands have already beat you to it.

2. Cat

Let’s be honest: we all expected this one. You cannot go without seeing someone dressed up like a cat on Halloween. But why? What makes this animal so appealing compared to others? Bree Chance, a junior and a clarinet in the band, states, “It was easy because I didn’t plan on doing anything until five minutes before I made it. So I made some ears and put it on a headband. […] I felt like I wasn’t wearing a costume, and that was good because I hate wearing costumes.” Many others agree and believe that it’s such an easy, last-minute costume, and it allows you to wear your everyday clothes. As long as you draw on a nose and whiskers, you can classify as a cat. Many people associate cats with femininity (particularly because of a cat’s gracefulness), so this costume is often used when someone wants to look more sensual. Cats have always been popular and have been an important part of culture and media since the olden days. In Ancient Egypt, cats were held in the highest esteem, and they even worshipped a cat goddess named Bastet. In June of 1940, Catwoman made her debut in Batman #1 as his love interest. In 1980, Cats, a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and T. S. Eliot, first premiered. Today, the cat has become one of the most popular Halloween costumes of all time. This is because, according to Disney, “Everybody wants to be a cat.”

Before we get to number one, let’s point out some honorable mentions.

Regina George

Couples Costumes

1. Anything with a Tutu

No matter what costume someone chooses to wear, you can guarantee that a tutu will be seen. Whether it’s for a superhero, a cat, or even a dinosaur, everyone wears tutus. Tutus made their first appearance in 1832 at the Paris Opera and were introduced by Marie Taglioni during the production of La Sylphide. It quickly became popular and became known as the Romantic tutu. In the 1940s, wire hoops were used to make the skirt stand out, and tulle replaced tarlatan. Today, tutus are still associated with ballet, but many people wear them to show off school spirit and enhance Halloween costumes. However, they have become so popular that we’ve become sick of them. So let’s say it louder for the people in the back: Tutus are not costumes; they are overplayed, overused, and overdone.

There are so many creative costumes to choose from. Between characters from books and movies to creatures (both mythical and realistic), the options are endless. Halloween is the one day a year that you can dress up like anything you want. Lexi Atilano, a junior and an active member of FBLA, HOSA, National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, Beta Club, Science Club, and Academic Team, states, “My favorite part of Halloween is dressing up. I like dressing up in my costume because I get to express the parts of me I don’t get to express on a regular daily basis.” However, when everyone is “expressing” themselves the same way, it loses its meaning. So next year, when you’re trying to find a good costume, just remember that even though an outfit is popular doesn’t mean we want to keep seeing it.