Solanum Integrifolium is the Latin name for what is sometimes known as the Pumpkin Tree*. The nickname couldn’t be more appropriate; just look at those beautiful little “pumpkins”! Cuttings from this plant make gorgeous decor items for Autumn or Halloween and can be used in centerpieces, as ornaments on a Halloween tree, or on their own.

I’ve been seeing these for sale a lot recently at places like Trader Joes, farmers markets, and a few grocery stores. When I did a little research about them I found out why: San Diego County (where we are located) is where most of them are grown, due to the mild desert climate. Cut branches, adorned with the bright orange faux pumpkins, are becoming popular in fall flower arrangements, so you might be able to find them at a florist if you are not in southern California.

Like the Latin name suggests, the Pumpkin Tree is a member of the solanum family, which includes the likes of potatoes and eggplants. As you might infer, this means the little pumpkin shaped fruits are quite different inside than their namesake. Inside it resembles a pepper, with loose seeds and a mild peppery taste. However, westerners tend not to like the flavor and prefer to use it ornamentally. In Asian cooking, the tiny “pumpkin” peppers are more popular.

I tried to find an online retailer of the Pumpkin Tree, but came up empty handed. Seeds are available, but no mature plants or cuttings. If you know where to buy Pumpkin Trees online, please let us know in the comments!

*Other names this plant is known by are Chinese scarlet eggplant, Japanese golden eggs, ruffled tomato and tomato eggplant

I’m not going to mention anything worn in the movie Dodgeball. Jerseys and tracksuits aren’t funny, and a dodgeball costume is built for laughs. This style of retro attire is more akin to the late 70’s, early 80’s rollerskater. For both men and women it’s going to be about the same:

For the best shirt possible, put your fake team’s name on there with a marker or using iron-on paper and your printer. If you’re going as a group of dodgeballers, opt for printed shirts from services like Spreadshirt (who offers glow in the dark ink). Plain t-shirts are good, and raglan sleeve shirts are better. For shorts, don’t be afraid of spandex if you’ve got it! This is a free wheeling kind of costume that improves in proportion to how ridiculous you’re willing to make it. It’s a scientific fact, so go nuts with this costume. Optionally, you can add a windbreaker (which is a good idea since this costume can be chilly in late October), fake mustache for the guys and a high sideways ponytail for the gals. Dodgeball can be a dangerous sport, so why not add an oozing wound or black eye? (Just get an “injury stack” makeup kit or a general makeup kit that contains one.)

Did you make a dodgeball costume? Did you find useful pictures or tutorials online? Please contribute your findings in the comment section below.

BONUS: Throughout October use coupon code FALL18 to get 20% off your order at Spreadshirt.

Oh, the many delicious facets of Halloween. While adults may spend days deciding how to spend their Halloween night (costume party? haunt? trick or treat chaperone?), most kids can immediately tell you what their plans entail: collecting and devouring as much candy as humanly possible.

We at 365 Halloween fall into a small minority when it comes to our candy policy; we don’t give any out. Yes, we’re the hippie neighbors that many kids scowl at while watching fruit strips, boxes of raisins, and stickers plop into their candy sacks. But one peek into those bulging bags of sugar and we know they won’t miss one mini Snickers bar. On average, most Americans consume 142 pounds of sugar per year, and given the scientific data on sugar consumption and the symptoms everyone can feel for themselves, we’d rather focus on other aspects of Halloween and give out healthy treats.

Since other Halloweenies out there in Interwebland have already plunged head first into this season’s newest candies, we’ll leave the reviews to them. X-Entertainment has a 2 part series, and as usual, Matt never disappoints. I-Mockery reviews over 30 varieties of candy which is a whopping 3 pages long. Your afternoon is spent if you sit down for these 2 entire articles. For a shorter read with some fun animations, Jason has written his personal thoughts on this year’s haul.

What are your thoughts on giving out candy for Halloween? Do you give out the usual treats, opt for something healthier, give out non-edibles, or give nothing at all? We’re definitely going to have an article about low-sugar alternatives to passing out candy, so check back for that in a few days.

Haunted house season is officially upon us. September 29th marks the opening of many haunted attractions nationwide, which is kind of like marking off the first day of an advent calendar. Last week some of the major retailers were still scrambling to finish their Halloween displays, but now haunted houses are everywhere and there’s only one day left in September. It’s getting so very close…

If you’re planning on visiting a local haunted attraction or event, we want to hear about your trip! Bring your digital camera and write about your experience. Were the monsters top-notch? How long was the wait in line? Did you see any innovative props or especially creepy scenes? Was it worth the drive, the time, and the money? Let others know by submitting your story to 365 Halloween. If you would like to suggest a specific haunt to be reviewed, leave your suggestions in the comment form below and we’ll try to get someone in that area to check it out.

Our tour of local haunts will begin the first week of October, and the reviews will be up the day after each trip. If you have a professional or home haunt in the southern California area that you want featured on 365 Halloween, contact us with details.

PS- Another bonus for attending Halloween events? Great photo opportunities. The above photo was taken by Sean at a local pumpkin patch in 2005.

Etsy is the handmade little sister to eBay, and around fall the selection of DIY goodies takes on a decidedly darker tone. Think of the transformation that Martha Stewart undergoes during October; less kountry kitchen and more haunted house. There’s always a small availability of spooky items year-round, but right now Etsy is brimming with them. Artists like Nanny Norton stock their shops with handmade items like the art print entitled “Father and Son Pumpkin Under the Harvest Moon“. More unconventional mediums such as felt are utilized by Beesocks in creating decorative pieces like Mr and Mrs Frank N Stein Felt People. The site is really a mixed bag, and aside from the criteria of everything being handmade, you’re never sure what you’ll find when searching for Halloween themed items.

Charlie the Halloween Ghost Art Doll made by artfreak is 8.5″ tall and could make a great centerpiece for your mantle, Halloween village, or other holiday display. He joins other Halloween dolls like FrankenLobster and the creepy-cute cats and bats from blacklilypie. But Etsy artists create more Halloween decor than just dolls; Allen Kaperak bottles Disembodied Tongues, Trollflings creates mini Halloween trees and cyclops pumpkin pins, mirrorgirl makes coasters from vintage Halloween ephemera, and Sneddonia creates intricate spiderwebs and luminaries from copper.

If you’ll be attending or throwing any parties where there will be gift or candy bags, Nycole’s set of Halloween gift tags will be the memorable finishing touch. Just like your guests, each one is a little different. If you want something cute for you and your little monsters to wear during the season, check out the bat print bibs by Chenille Boutique.

This article idea has been simmering in my brain for nearly 13 years, since my first viewing of Point Break and subsequent infatuation with the bank robbing Ex-Presidents it featured. I’ve always been a little fascinated by real ex-presidents, and when adding dated suits, guns, and a commanding presence into the mix, I was drooling to recreate their costumes for Halloween. As time went on I noticed lots more films that featured badass main characters that simply wore a suit and a few equally easy to obtain accessories, and realized that a suit is a very versatile Halloween costume item. These are also office-friendly, which is cool since finding an appropriate yet fun costume for work can be daunting. Since many people already have one on-hand, and adults are notorious for last-minute costumes, I knew this post could help inspire some quick, sleek, group costumes.

So we’ll start with the Ex-Presidents from Point Break. This might be the hardest set of costumes to recreate due to the diversity of the suits and the chosen presidents, but it’s definitely going to look the coolest. (To give you a point of reference for their styles of suits, and as an excuse to brush up on your history, I’ll also be listing their years of presidency.) On the far left we have Richard Nixon (37th prez from 69-74) wearing black pants, a gray jacket, red tie, and Nixon mask. Next is Jimmy Carter (39th prez from 77-81) wearing head to toe brown (jacket, pants & tie) and Carter mask. Ronald Reagan (40th prez from 81-89) is the best dressed of the bunch in tuxedo, black bow tie, and Reagan mask. Although, note that the style of mask worn in the movie isn’t in production anymore, so if you find an old one be sure to snatch it up. Finally there’s good old Lyndon B. Johnson (36th prez from 63-69) wearing a light gray jacket, light brown pants, black tie and LBJ mask. I’ve seen Johnson masks available at sporadic times in the last 13 years, but currently there are none available that I can find. (If anyone finds a supplier, please leave the info in the comments!) Everyone should be wearing a white button-up shirt (except for Reagan who wears a dressier tux-friendly shirt) and white gloves. If anyone wants to identify the different guns they’re carrying, that would be a big help. (UPDATE: See comments for gun info.) There’s not much online in the way of reference photos, but Infinite Coolness has the biggest gallery. A dressed-down version of the Ex-Presidents costume can be seen on Flickr.

If you’ve got a simple black suit, white button-up shirt, black tie, and black sunglasses, you’ve got several easy movie character costume options. For a group of people, Reservoir Dogs makes an impressive and simple group costume. Just make sure the ties are skinny, the glasses are Ray Ban (except for Mr. Orange), and that you each pick your moniker: Mr. White, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde, Mr. Pink, Mr. Brown, or Mr. Blue. But don’t just settle for the look; if you’re going to wear the costume you’re going to need the attitude and some quotes. Delivery is of the utmost importance in any costume, but it is crucial when your outfit and accessories are simple and could be easily confused for “some dudes in suits”.

Same thing goes for Men In Black costumes. Just change the black tie to a wider width, get a pair of Ray Ban Predator sunglasses (Predator 2 for Agent J and Pedator 8 for Kay) and get your quotes & delivery down. The replica guns are no longer in production, but you can often find them on ebay. New Eye Studio makes a replica Neuralizer that can be ordered over the phone. And here’s a closer look at the actual suit.

While a defined jaw isn’t going to hurt, what you really need for an Agent Smith costume is the black suit, black tie, silver bar tie clip, earpiece, slicked hair, and sunglasses. You’ll have to run through the revelation monologue at least once while you’re in this costume, and it never hurts to memorize a few fight scene poses in case you encounter another Matrix character. For a more innovative take on Agent Smith, check out this costume from ComiCon. But please, don’t even think about wearing facial hair with this costume. You have to make sacrifices for a great costume, and sometimes shaving is one of them.

The final suit costume requires the right hair for both people, but this one is always a cult favorite. Yep, Vincent and Jules from Pulp Fiction. There’s a new wig out this year that is perfect for Jules’ mini-fro. He sports some crazy facial hair so either grow your own or you’ll need huge sideburns, goatee & moustache, and soul patch. Vincent’s hair is a very simple style (long, straight, with slightly shorter layers in the front), but there’s no perfect wig available. I think the best bet would be the High Society wig due to the layers in front and the ends that flip slightly outward, but that side part looks like it might be trouble to change. The next best thing is the Unisex Pageboy wig, and if you straightened out the ends so they didn’t flip under and cut some layers around the front, then you’d be all set. John Travolta has a signature widow’s peak so unless you were born with one, you need to fake it with a bit of black eyeliner. Bonus points if you have a cleft in your chin! If you opt for a Vincent & Mia couples costume then swap out the black tie for a bolero and add some cowboy boots. (Try post-overdose Mia to shake things up!) If you haven’t already memorized all the best monologues and one-liners from Pulp Fiction, be sure to do so before Halloween. For an alternate version, add some faux brain/skull splatter on your suit!

There’s probably tons of great pop culture characters that I’m missing here, so please leave your suggestions for suited costume ideas below. If you’ve recreated any of these costumes (or have found some online) you know we want to see pictures, so send them our way. Good luck with your costuming!