5 Very Malaysian Things To Dress Up As This Halloween

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It’s that time of the year again where we grown-ups take some time off the serious track to let our hair down to have some wholesome fun.

It’s Halloween and this is the season that you’ll be getting invites to the office dress-up party, or your apartment’s in-house trick or treat.

You’ll probably see a host of costumes like the Jedis from Star Wars, maybe a Stormtrooper or two, Disney princesses, witches, Jack Sparrow, etc. If you’re cracking your head and want a more original costume that everyone can identify with and remember, why not consider some of these:

There’s no better way to pay tribute to our national athletes than dressing up as one of them. After all, there are a few things that bring all of us together as Malaysians; one of them is sports and the other, delicious food. This costume will be very easy to put together. All you have to do is put on the things you’ll probably already have lying around the house.  Dato’ LCW is probably one of Malaysia’s most recognisable faces, so once you go around in a sports get-up and badminton racquet, you’ll get tons of selfie requests.

What you’ll need:

• A sporty sleeveless top, preferably with matching shorts. Get a black marker pen and write ‘ LEE C W ‘ on the back in thick bold letters. 
• Some medals to hang around your neck ( time to bring out those medals you won from school)
• A close cropped hairstyle
• A badminton racquet 
• A comfy pair of sports shoes with socks
• (Optional) A Malaysian flag to drape around your shoulders

A couple of weeks back, this adventurous crocodile (a real one, big jaws and all) swam up the Klang River near the Batu 13 toll on the LDP, which is somewhere near One City Mall and Puchong. It caused a standstill when everyone began to park their cars by the side of the road just to catch a glimpse of the creature. Soon after, the unsuspecting croc went on its merry way with no harm done. 

In the past, it was very common to see crocodiles in the Klang River and its surrounding estuaries. Eyewitness accounts from Victoria Institution in the 1890s, which was located somewhere near where the Pasar Seni LRT is today, tells of how crocodiles would come up on the banks and sun themselves while some teachers would take aim at them with a rifle.

So if you’re looking to get some laughs, as well as raise awareness about urban wildlife, get that croc suit and start wagging your tail.

What you’ll need:

• A crocodile suit, like this one sold online. If you can’t buy in time, rent one from a costume store
• A sash that says ‘Puchong Rocks’ or ‘ Don’t Block the LDP’ or any other amusing quip you can come up with
• A good sense of humour

Everyone remembers these little boxes filled with toys, chocolates and other surprises. Recognisable brands included Ding Dang and Tora, where every month or so a new toy will be released. This was a source of much excitement, and an excuse to drop by the local kedai tuncit or run out when the roti man honked his motorbike horn.

You can totally turn this into a costume by making a life-sized Tora or Ding Dang box, and wear it with your arms and legs sticking out. Of course, you’ll want to reserve this costume for parties where you don’t have to sit down (or else you can take it off, and put it on when you’re ready to mingle). 

What you’ll need:

• A cardboard box which covers you until your thighs or knees. Alternatively, buy some mounting boards and tape them together. The entire thing should be thick enough to fit you in, but the thickness should not be more than half the width
• Lots of poster colours or water colours
• An ability to copy and upscale the images on the Tora or Ding Dang box
• A box cutter to cut out holes for your arms and legs. Also to cut out half of the box lengthwise so you can get into costume easily
• Some Velcro to hold both the front and back half of the box together when worn
• (Optional) Some actual Tora and Ding Dang to give out to your friends

Some people might argue that the nasi lemak burger is a Singaporean thing, but let’s not get into that here. After all, there are more than enough nasi lemak burgers to go around. Spread the joy of fusion food and get that sambal rolling by being a red hot spicy burger. If you don’t have time to make a burger costume out of fabric and fillings, just buy one and customise it.

What you’ll need: 

• A ready-made burger costume like the one sold here, or alternatively, find some round shaped pillows and sew them together so that the widest parts cover your torso, meaning that you’re ‘sandwiched’ in the middle of the buns. Have two pillows in front and two at the back. You can choose light brown pillows for the buns, dark brown for meat, white for a sunny side up egg, etc. You can attach the front and back using Velcro, either around your chest/waist or over your shoulder
• Some red-coloured tinsel or felt to attach around the burger to represent sambal
• Some green felt cut in semicircles and attached around the burger to imitate cucumbers. Throw in some golden or yellow felt for ikan bilis heads
• A hearty appetite

Back in the 1990s, this was a staple on TV and Keluang Man is very proudly a Malaysian icon. Dishing out his own version of vigilante justice, he was Batman for many kids back in the day. Keluang Man’s alter ego is a mental patient named Borhan (eh?) who stays in Hospital Bahagia in Tampoi, but escapes at night to solve crime by sheer instinct and sincerity.

Keluang Man doesn’t have any superpowers or wealth, but he makes it up by being very earnest.

What you’ll need:

• A purple or dark pink long sleeved t-shirt/top and similarly coloured pants
• Shoes that are the same colour as the shirt and pants. If this is difficult, try painting an old pair of sports shoes or school shoes
• Some brown coloured cloth that you can turn into a cape and mask
• A pair of long pink/light purple socks. Cut it off at the heel and use them on your legs
• Pair of pink/light purple exercise wristbands for your wrists
• Simple one pocket utility belt for the waist
• Marker pen/black paint to draw Keluang Man’s logo on the front of his shirt

Malaysian culture is way more diverse than this, and you’re sure to find more inspirations to come up with your own costumes.

Remember that these ideas can be worn throughout the year for any sort of costume party, and not just for Halloween.

Let us know in the comments what Malaysian thing you dream of dressing up as.

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