This article was written by Jean Khoo and originally published by Vulcan Post.
Although Halloween is not widely celebrated in Malaysia, it has become increasingly popular in the last few years. Many companies can be seen leveraging on the celebration as a festive gimmick to draw customers. As regular folk, you also get to dress up as your favourite heroes or iconic personalities, attend parties and scary events. But if you find dressing up as Hollywood superheroes or characters too mainstream, there are also plenty of Malaysian heroes and characters who are just as amazing.
To help you to get some inspiration, we have compiled a list of Halloween costume ideas you could consider.
1. The Yellow Man From Digi
Digi’s yellow man is a pretty popular mascot in the telecommunication scene. To perfect this look, all you need to do is splash yellow paint all over your body, and draw some blue lines (resembling coverage bars) stretching from your stomach all the way to your chest.
For the sake of other party-goers, do make sure you wear something under that layer of paint. Alternatively, you can also opt for yellow spandex — and remember to paint your face yellow.
2. Cicak-man
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Most people would have probably heard of Cicak-man. He is the most well-known Malaysian superhero, drawing RM 350,000 at the cinemas when the film was released in 2006. His actual costume is quite expensive; it costs RM 100,000, according to a report by Cinema.com.my. Therefore, we’d suggest you put on a long-sleeved red swim shirt and bottoms or scuba diving clothing, then use a dark blue sharpie to draw the patterns on your clothes.
3. Kampung Boy
Photo credit: Youtube
It’s easy to dress up as one of the most iconic characters in the local comic scene. Just take a red sarong, a white singlet, and a pair of black slippers — and don’t bother combing your hair because it’s meant to be messy.
4. Upin & Ipin
Photo credit: Upin & Ipin, Facebook
If you are looking for Halloween costume ideas that you can coordinate with your friends or twin, dress up as Upin and Ipin. This is actually an easy costume to DIY. One twin wears a yellow singlet with a letter U on its front, while the other wears a blue singlet with the letter I. Both wear cute, baggy shorts, which will make for some comfortable trick-or-treating (and let you eat as much sweets as you can along the way).
5. Keluang Man
Widely known as the Batman of Malaysia, Keluang Man’s alter ego, Borhan is a mental patient. He only operates at night to fight crime, due to the heavy security over at the hospital. You might need some time to customize his purple superhero suit, but the brown cape should be simple enough.
6. P. Ramlee
Photo credit: Youtube
Any Malaysian will know the name P Ramlee. Not too long ago, there was a musical staged in Malaysia, called ‘P Ramlee The Musical,’ to honour this late icon. He was an actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer and producer back in 1947. He passed on in 1973, and is still remembered as a legend in the local entertainment scene. This costume is a classy one: white shirt, checkered blazer, brown trousers, and that signature mustache.
7. Hang Tuah
Photo credit: Cinema.com.my
Most people, especially Malaysians, probably know who Hang Tuah is — the name was pretty famous during our school days when we had to memorize various historical facts, and his race (Malay or Chinese?) was also a subject of debate for quite a while. Nonetheless, he is known as the greatest warrior in local history. To dress up like him, opt for a traditional Malay attire, a scarf on your head, and a keris.
8. Rosmah Mansor
Photo credit: Free Malaysia Today
The first lady of Malaysia has made her thick, shiny and bouncy hair a big part of her signature look. Her attire usually consists of floral baju kurungs, lots of jewelry and pearls, and a designer bag. Regardless of whether they’re authentic or faux, make sure your bag comes in a bright and vibrant colour so that it will draw attention from other party-goers. Other than that, you are good to go.
9. Yap Ah Loy
An important figure behind the development of Kuala Lumpur, Yap Ah Loy is often regarded as the founding father of Kuala Lumpur. He was responsible for developing KL as a commercial and mining centre during the 19th century. In fact, there is a street in the heart of Chinatown in KL that is names after him; Jalan Yap Ah Loy. You will need a Zhong Shan suit, a fisherman-like hat, and a fan.
10. Lee Chong Wei
Photo credit: Lee Chong Wei, Facebook
Speaking of Malaysian heroes, how can you possibly forget about Lee Chong Wei? Lee’s costume is a pretty easy one, considering that badminton jerseys can be bought nearly everywhere. All you need is a Malaysian flag around your shoulders and a badminton racket to top it off.
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