Does That Pol Pot Costume Come in Size 2T?

We've written about writer/dad Joel Schwartzberg before. In a positive way, even!

This time, Joel is taking on graphic/scary/violent Halloween costumes that are marketed to pre-teens and younger on a website called tooscarycostumes.com. Schwartzberg, an avid horror fan (anyone who gets taken to The Shining as a 12-year-old deserves a medal) offers his services, delivering a "compelling show & tell illustrating how both retailers and parents can better protect children from inappropriate Halloween costume marketing."

I understand the concern, but I don't know if I'm all that bothered if a 7-year-old wants to dress up as something gory. Perhaps it depends on the context. Or the amount of blood, and the source of that blood. Or whether the 7-year-old wants to wear the costume all through November.

I will grant Schwartzberg one point: that many of these costumes, some of which are made in size 4 (and not likely for midgets), are of characters from movies that these kids are too young to be watching anyway. Imagine the uproar if they made a Joe Camel costume.

Schwartzberg cites the following offensive costumes:

• Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre


• Pinhead from Hellraiser


• Jason from Friday the 13th


• Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street


• The Joker from The Dark Knight

Curiously, he also mentions Mike Myers from Halloween, but when I hear "Mike Myers," I think of this:


...and that really gives me nightmares!
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