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, going to 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 for next week’s festivities.
1. The Yellow Man From Digi
The yellow man has been a pretty popular mascot in the telco 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
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, too; it costs RM 100,000, according to a report by Cinema.com.my. Therefore, we’d suggest you put on a red long-sleeved swim shirt and bottoms or scuba diving clothing, then use a dark blue sharpie to draw the patterns on your clothes.
3. Kampung Boy
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
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 and 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 from 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 customise his purple superhero suit, but the brown cape should be simple enough.
6. P. Ramlee
For those who keep up-to-date with the local musical scene, you might know that there used to be a musical called ‘P Ramlee The Musical’ that was staged in Malaysia. An accomplished icon in the local Malay entertainment scene, this costume is a classy one: white shirt, checkered blazer, brown trousers, and that signature moustache.
7. Hang Tuah
Most people probably know Hang Tuah — the name was pretty famous during our school days, 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
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 kurung, 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 founder of modern KL. You will need a Zhong Shan suit, a fisherman-like hat, and a fan.
10. Lee Chong Wei
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 to top it off.
