Dressing up as a robot does not give you special powers…unless you count looking awesome as a special power. With Halloween well past us I was finally able to hunt down videos for all my favorite machine inspired costumes from this year. Below are the ten best robot outfits from 2010. As you’ll see, it doesn’t matter whether you’re working with cardboard or professional quality laser light effects, the important thing is to have some creative style and to love being a ghost in the machine. Robots are becoming an increasingly important part of our culture, and it’s no surprise that we love to dress up as one of them. Judging from the following costumes, however, some people are getting a little too into the spirit. Does anyone know a good deprogrammer?
“The Ultimate Robot Costume”
A craft happy Canadian who goes by the handle Dr. Wormsie, produced one of the most talked about Halloween costumes of 2010. The ‘SCW’ wasn’t easy to make: it required 250+ hours of construction and more than $1000 dollars in parts, including $600 just for metal. Still, it all seems worth it when you watch this tank-killing contraption walk around. Here’s a brief clip of Dr. Wormsie as SCW, followed by an extended video of him walking the streets with friends. Where’s RoboCop when you need him?
As cool as Dr. Wormsie’s costume may be, it reminded me of an infinitely cheaper and smaller costume from a few years back. There’s a strong resemblance here, right?
If you don’t have $1000 and months of spare time to create your won SCW, why not try a movie-inspired alien exoskeleton instead? Here’s a District 9 inspired outfit that cost just $76 in parts and took 30 hours to assemble. Cheaper and easier, yes, but still pretty badass. You can watch the guy get dressed in his costume, or just skip to 2:45 to see the complete suit in action.
Robots are Celebrities, Celebrities are Robots
Nerds love robots. That’s an undeniable fact of the cosmos. But did you know that supermodels love robots, too? For her Halloween party this year, celebrity model Heidi Klum got a machine makeover before walking the red carpet. Is this costume awesome looking? Yes, and I’m not just saying that because it has strange robot nipples. Not to be outdone, Klum’s husband, singer songwriter Seal, got into the robotic holiday spirit as well. Sorry geeks, but it looks like going robo is yet another awesome idea that’s been stolen by the really, really, ridiculously good looking.
Professional Quality
Let’s see, where can I find a good robot costume in the US? Oh, how about Robot Costume USA. I only got halfway through a Google search before tripping over these guys’ website. This professional robot costume design team has more going for it than great search engine optimization, they’ve also got some wonderfully convincing robo-wear for different occasions. If you like modern robot sophistication, why not try the TwinJet. Need something a little more 50’s retro? Look at the JugHead. And if you want a weird anime-angel robot hybrid freaky looking android thing…well, just look at the third video.
What Happens in Vegas, Stays on YouTube
Besides gambling, hookers, and lounge singers, Las Vegas is known for one thing: insanely massive parties that get out of control. This past Halloween was no exception. Nightclub Haze hosted a spectacular event featuring an incredible performance by Kryoman. For those who’ve never seen Kryoman in action before, imagine a robot made of light pouring concentrated LSD into your eye while dancing to a techno beat. Or you can just watch the following video:
Apologies, but the quality of video from the Halloween performance at Haze is shoddy at best. Here’s an earlier performance of Kryoman at Haze that looks, in my opinion, to be the exact same as the most recent appearance.
Of course, Kryoman wasn’t the only robot-inspired costume in Vegas this year. Here’s a homemade suit that won a contest at a different nightclub. This thing looks part puppet.
Children Robots Are Our Future
If you’re a Transformers fan, then you probably remember seeing this amazing Bumblebee costume from last year:
Well, I’m not sure if that costume was the inspiration for the following, or it was just a strange coincidence, but here’s the kiddie version for 2010.
You gotta love the fact that this kid’s uncle made this outfit for him. What better way to train your nephew for the looming robot apocalypse than by giving him the means to blend in? The global robot culture is always amazing to me, but never more so than when it confuses children as to whether or not they are human.
Hope you enjoyed these clips, everyone. Feel free to share your own robotic revelries from Halloween, or any season, in the comments below. You did dress as a robot at least once this year, didn’t you?
[image credit: Dr. Wormsie]
