Best. Costume. Ever!

The problem with traditional kid-costumes and the annual school Halloween fandango is twofold: A) the kid has to strip naked to get into it and B) unless said kid is an octopus, there's no way he's going to be able to get the thing on himself. So while the Monkey was all set to be a red Mystic Force Power Ranger for the second year running, we decided to shop for an alternate costume for his school party. I thought they might have something simple like a Harry Potter robe or maybe pizza shape that would slip on over a t-shirt and pants.

Not so much. Every kid costume in Target was a complex series of velcro and spandex and faux muscles and stringy things (and $30 a pop!). Bleh. It was three days before the Halloween party and I could feel that familiar choke of panic setting in...

I'm going to have to be creative. Poop.

...and that's when I got the idea. I mean...he'd been reading the book anyway...and I bet we could send him to school with most of the costume already on under his clothes...so all he'd have to do is strip off his pants and he'd be set. Yes! This could work!

I ran the idea by the Monkey and he LOVED it. I called Monkeydad and he LOVED it. We have a winner! The Monkey would be in the Halloween parade as...

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS!!

Or, ok, fine....a modified Captain Underpants. It is, after all, October and even if it weren't, I'm not sure that letting a kid run half naked on Halloween is such a good idea. I'm not, after all, a completely terrible mother... Sheesh!

MONKEY UNDERPANTS!!!

And hoo-boy did he love his costume! He didn't have the slightest bit of fear or concern parading around in tidy-whities. He was, much to my great pleasure, the ONLY Captain Underpants in the school (amid a sea of black-Spidermen and witches and various Power Rangers). His school principal loved his costume too and told him he thought maybe HE would go as Captain Underpants next Halloween! The Monkey was completely thrilled and flattered.

In fact, the only person who had angst over the Captain Underpants getup was the unsuspecting father assigned to help the Monkey change into his costume at the school party. Apparently, the Monkey started to strip down in the middle of the room and the dad was like "whoa, whoa, whoa there! Let's go in the bathroom or something.." and the Monkey just looked at him and chirped, "No, it's ok!" and tossed off his pants.

The father gaped for a minute and the Monkey rolled his eyes a little and said "Hello! I'm Captain Underpants!? ...I have a cape!"

...I guess if you're going to send your kid to Halloween in his skivvies, you should maybe also send a note.