Halloweens Past and Present

Wendy sent us a picture of the costume that Wyatt was going to wear for Halloween a couple days ago. And when Lance and Cherise brought the kids up to show us their Halloween costumes I thought this would be a perfect topic for my blog. Coupled with that, I was looking through some old photos and there’s some fun stuff to see.

This is how Rachel and Ben looked this year. Rachel was Wonder Woman and Ben was Superman.

Rachel as Wonder Woman and Ben as Superman, Halloween 2008

Wyatt had toyed with being Superman also, but in the end decided to go with Batman instead.

Wyatt as Batman, Halloween 2008

Here are some pictures from some Halloweens in our past. Our memories of these times are often limited by the photographs we have taken. Readers with young trick-or-treaters should keep that in mind. I remember one or two other costumes but most of them are lost in the mists of time.

I don’t think this is the first costume that Lance had, I think that was a Cracker Jack box, but this is the first one I know I have a picture of. Wendy was still too little to go out trick-or-treating when this was taken.

Lance, Halloween 1973

Before we left our house on 21st Avenue, Wendy had started going out to get her yearly share of candy. This year she was dressed as a pink princess but had to have her costume partially covered because it was cold and she had to wear a jacket. You can see Lance doing his part for the continuation of history, but more on that later in the blog

Lance as Superman and Wendy as a pink princess, Halloween 1974

Wendy makes a great carnivorous clown doesn’t she? Lance’s robot outfit had a battery pack on the chest and I cobbled it up to make the lights flash.

Lance as a robot and Wendy as a clown, Halloween 1976

Wendy told me a story about this other great costume that I made for her, but I have absolutely no recollection of it whatsoever. She said I did her up as a radio. When I cut out the speaker holes, I covered them with cloth and put on a couple of knobs taken from one of her kitchen appliances or something. Then I put a label on the radio that said Philco. She said she had absolutely no idea of what that was, but when the teachers at school saw it, they laughed and laughed. She also said that I had equipped her with a tape recorder inside the costume. When they turned the knob on she would hit the play button on the tape deck. When they turned the knob off she would turn the tape deck off.

Two out of these next three pictures are Halloween related, but the one of me is not. Mom said she made me my costume which was in 1955, just because I wanted one. She said I told her I would fly to England and she could hang on if she wanted to. I guess it never occurred to me that if I were Superman I could carry her. Lance makes a spooky Superman in his designer mask and Ben has no mask whatsoever. Just like his grandpa. Three generations of superheroes at your service.

Three generations of Thorpe Supermen defending truth, justice, and the American way

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6 Responses to Halloweens Past and Present

  1. Wendy says:

    What a cute bunch of superheroes we have in our family.

    I wonder though…Why in the heck are Lance and I carrying around trick-or-treat bags endorsing a Republican for Attorney General??

  2. Jessica says:

    How cool is the three generations of Superman picture? REALLY COOL!!!!

    What cuties.

  3. GADoo says:

    I agree with Jess! The superhero generations are great! It is clear Lance prefers being Superman to being a library book!

    Happy Halloween all! How lucky we are.

  4. Diane says:

    Cute! What memories. I agree with Wend. Granpa, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

  5. Jeff Kragskow says:

    What fun! Like Wendy, the Republican bags popped right out at me, too! I’m glad that she’s changed her ways!

  6. Linda says:

    I had to have a good laugh when I read the comments about the Republican treat bags… they popped out front and center for me too. The picture of Lance and Wendy (a.k.a. superman and princess) is one of my all-time favorites.

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