First some of the more traditional ideas...
like Freddy Krueger (originally from 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street movie)

like Crockett & Tubbs (from the television series Miami Vice which aired 1984-89)

like singer Billy Idol (with such 80's hits as "Dancing With Myself," "Rebel Yell" and "Eyes Without a Face")

like Rocky Balboa (in, one of my guilty pleasure movies, 1985's Rocky IV)

like President Ronald Reagan (our 40th President serving 1981-1988)

like Beetlejuice (from the 1988 Tim Burton film of the same name)

like Mario & Luigi (from such video game favorites as 1983's Mario Bros. or 1985's Super Mario Bros.)

like the grey suit and red bow tie of Pee Wee Herman (from television series Pee Wee's Playhouse which aired 1986-90 and the 1985 movie Pee Wee's Big Adventure)

like Alf (from the television series of the same name which aired 1986-90)

like a Ghostbuster (complete with "proton pack" from the 1984 film Ghostbusters)

like this great group idea of Captain Stubing, Isaac the Bartender and Cruise Director Julie McCoy (from the television series The Love Boat which aired 1977-86)

Or for the ladies...
like Madison the Mermaid (played by Daryl Hannah in the 1984 movie Splash)

like Daisy Duke (played by Catherine Bach in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard which aired 1979-85)

like Princess Leia in her slave costume (from 1983's Return of the Jedi)

Or some other fun options from the Star Wars films...
like Yoda (in this case made for a small child)

like a very creative Death Star

Or some other creative efforts...
like Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man (from the 1980 and 1981 classic arcade games respectively)

like the Rubiks Cube (the puzzle game that became a craze in the early 80's)

like Elliot with E.T. (from the 1982 blockbuster film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial)

Or some that are just kind of funny...
like Chachi (originally from the television series Happy Days and also from the spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi which aired 1982-83)

like Mr. T (which takes dedication if you actually get the haircut & a strong neck to hold all of those chains -- from the television series The A Team which aired 1983-86)

like Hulk Hogan (the Pro Wrestling superstar that took the business to the next level in the mid-80's)

like Beaker and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (from The Muppets)

And last, on the Halloween episode of NBC's The Office (which aired on Thursday, October 30, 2008), the "Ryan" character came to work dressed as Gordon Gekko from the 1987 film Wall Street which I thought was an interesting idea (suspenders and slicked back hair)

There's all I have for this year. Hope you got a chuckle out of some of these or they gave you some good ideas for next Halloween. Either way, the 80's are a great source for fun and interesting costumes. That will wrap up this Halloween themed issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. You can always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the blogbar Search Box in the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!). Peace and much love.

Check this out: This is not a Halloween costume. This is an actual family photo from back in the 80's. Check out the big, BIG hair and the flipped up collars. Even the poor kid had her hair teased up in some form of a mullet. Now that's literally a child of the 80's. I just thought this picture was pretty funny. I bet even this family looks back at this picture and has to giggle a little. We have the "THEN" picture, I wish we could see the "NOW" picture just to compare.

Quote of the day: "Well, we all have a face that we hide away forever
And we take them out and show ourselves when everyone has gone.
Some are satin, some are steel,
Some are silk and some are leather.
They're the faces of a stranger,
But we'd love to try them on." -Billy Joel from the song "The Stranger"

Download this: Since I mentioned it earlier, I will go with "Eyes Without a Face" by Billy Idol