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• Other Ideas, including Where to Shop Costume Swaps & More
• Funny, DIY Brooklyn Theme Costumes, from Brooklyn Flea to Coney's Cyclone Roller Coaster.
  

Costumes with Brooklyn Attitude

Our ubiquitous Brooklyn Borough President, a tireless promoter of Brooklyn, is one of contemporary Brooklyn's best-known public figures. So, he's the perfect character to mimic for a Brooklyn Halloween.(Learn about Halloween happenings in Brooklyn.)

But while one can readily find Bill and Hilary Clinton, Osama bin Laden and President Obama at a costume store, it's not so easy to find a mass-produced Marty Markowitz mask. In fact, it's probably impossible.

So, make your own. There's a world of possibility.

See More DIY Brooklyn Theme Costumes

7 Marty Markowitz "Looks" for Halloween

Some people love Marty Markowitz; others deride him. But above all, he's visible.
Here are seven different Marty Markowitz "looks" for Halloween or other costume occasions, ranging from funny to caustic to political:

1. Marty Markowitz as a clown or an Elizabethan court jester.
2. Marty Markowitz on stilts.
3. Marty Markowitz as cheerleader in chief: in drag wearing a cheer-leading costume with some Brooklyn flags, pom-poms and megaphone, promoting Brooklyn like crazy.
4. Marty Markowitz as Napoleon, carrying or juggling several globes pasted over with a map of Brooklyn.
5. Marty Markowitz carrying a model of the Barclay Stadium and Atlantic Yards on his back, as a sword of Damocles, or on a crown atop his head, depending on how you feel about the development; alternatively, a gladiator in costume for the Battle for Brooklyn.

1. Marty Markowitz, bandaged and on a beat up bike that's been in a crash, critiquing his lack of support for more bike lanes.
2. Marty Markowitz, portly but wearing gym clothes, carrying a slim-shake, holding barbells, or other props reflecting his often humorous efforts to exhort Brooklynites to lose weight and exercise.

Two More Ways to Make a Basic Marty Markowitz Costume for Halloween, Purim, New Year's Eve

If you want to play it straight, and just make a Marty Markowitz costume without making an editorial statement, here are two basic ideas:
1. For the Whole Body:

Wear a  big shirt and tie and sports jacket top, along with a gray wig. The word "Brooklyn" should be highly visible somewhere, on a flag, hat, or paper sash across the chest. If you're very tall (our diminutive Borough President Markowitz with the over-sized presence is decidedly not),  try to look short. How? Perhaps by "sitting on your knees, covered by a big vest, with a pair of fake shoes and pant legs sticking out," recommends the owner of Canarsie based Havin' a Party (see description here). He also suggests making a Star Wars style light sabre, which one can wave while saying, May the Brooklyn Be With You. 

2. For Just the Face: Make a Markowitz Paper Wig and Marty Mask

Make a  paper mache mask using an inflated balloon to create the shape.  Wear a suit and flamboyant tie, preferable with the word "Brooklyn" written on it somewhere. Optional: A glad hand!

What You’ll Need:

• Assemble materials: round balloon, flour-and-water paste, strips of newspaper, a photo of Borough Prez Markowitz, and paint.
• Make the mask.
• Use construction paper curls for the hair.
• Glue the hairpiece to the paper mache face. 

So, consider it a creative challenge. What kind of Marty Markowitz do you want to be?