Costumes NOT to buy for your kids this year

octopus

Wed, Jan 09 2013, 12:38 pm

these are the same costumes the frummy stores in bp sell around purim time. A lot of ppl order purim costumes around halloween time because you can get a better deal. walmart probably wanted to appeal to a bigger audience ( a jewish religious one) to get more business. I am not offended.

Shuly

Wed, Jan 09 2013, 1:03 pm

We all know the kohen gadol had curly peyos, right? Smile

The review of the Grand Rabbi is hysterical. I can't believe someone posted that on Walmart.com:

Very good authentic costume.
01/09/2013
My father-in-law was the last Grand Rebbe of a Malchus Beis Chern. His holy ancestor R' Shmuel Chern was a talmud of the Bal Shem HaKudish, who almost become the Beshts successor if not for the Bredichiver Magids better beard. Anyway, my FIL was the 6th generation of Chern Rebbes, his father had been the last Rebbe in Chern, Poland, where he had millions of chassidim and a court that anyone today, including Belz, would be envious of. So when my Father-in-law died, naturally the chassidim began looking towards me to fill my wife's holy ancestors shoes, I am a Stamford trained anesthesiologist, my wife is a college graduate ("Amcerica" and all) so the chasidim next turned to my youngest son Chaim. We agreed to allowe him to become the Rebbe. He is now know as the "Yenuka from Chern". The only issue we had was finding the right Rebbishe bigadim for him, none of the stores in Williamsburg were selling these Rebbishe bigadim for kids, we narueally we turned to WalMart for help and we purchased this fine product.
The price was great, and the quality even better. My son did however, drop some Gefilte Fish he was throwing pieces of into a bleacher full of people, and the stain has been difficult to remove.
All in all, this is a great product and I highly recommend for any young Rebbes.

Barbara

Wed, Jan 09 2013, 2:02 pm

Shmerling wrote:

Huh? I thought you were being sarcastic at first. BP, Willi, Monsey... is FULL of these costumes on Purim.

I guess I'm surprised.

So you wouldn't be offended to see your Hispanic neighbor dressed up as a "rabbi" -- wearing a sleazy polyester version of the clothes your husband wears regularly - knocking on your door on Halloween.

Or my DS' Reform friend wearing his Grand Rebbe costume, sitting next to Buzz Lightyear at Mickey D's for a bacon cheesburger, because to them, both costumes are strange and unreal.

Cookies n Cream

Wed, Jan 09 2013, 2:10 pm

Barbara wrote:

Shmerling wrote:

Huh? I thought you were being sarcastic at first. BP, Willi, Monsey... is FULL of these costumes on Purim.

I wouldn't be offended at all.
I might think that it's strange that they chose that costume out of all things though...

The company that makes these costumes is a Chasiddish guy, I think he owns Toys4U.
I'm a little surprised that they sell them in Wal MArt ..

Maya

Wed, Jan 09 2013, 2:10 pm

Barbara wrote:

Shmerling wrote:

Huh? I thought you were being sarcastic at first. BP, Willi, Monsey... is FULL of these costumes on Purim.

No, why would I be offended if a Hispanic neighbor dressed up as a rabbi on Halloween? If he stuck on a huge plastic nose or other stereotypical feature, maybe I'd think of being offended. But just the costume? What's the big deal? I think it's PC taken a bit too far.

FTR, these costumes are manufactured by Toys 4 U, which is a frum company based in Williamsburg with stores in BP, Monsey, KJ, and probably Lakewood.

Raisin

Wed, Jan 09 2013, 2:15 pm

I can't imagine a non Jewish or even secular kid wanting to dress up as a chassidic rebbe, but no, I do not think it is offensive. (one year some kids in our shul dressed up as me and my husband, we were not offended at all) Most of these costumes are sold to frum kids from BP and Williamsburg.

The biblical costumes are not offensive at all, just super tacky and so historically inaccurate! I might suggest one of those costumes to my 5 year old dd, but I will design it myself. (maybe miriam with a baby Moshe) I've bought in the past a Joseph costume from a non Jewish shop. Very handy for any sort of biblical charactar.

imaima

Wed, Jan 09 2013, 2:15 pm

Barbara wrote:

Squishy wrote:

I know I am going to regret this, but why not?

Last year I saw a chassidush lady costume with dolls all over it. They were attached to the skirt the neck. Sisters were wearing it to the Purim party in Williamsburg. They said they were the baby sitter. They did not know they were wearing a costume that mocks chassidum. I figure they choose it because it was tznius.

I don't see what is wrong with those costumes. I find very similar sold at the Jewish stores.

Really? I guess I could see them not being all that offensive if a right-wing Jew was wearing it, but other people? Your average Christian kid on Halloween? I found them to be offensive. Its taking an ethnic stereotype or image, and selling it to America as fantasy-dress up time.

My son is dressing up as a Native American this year...

Sherri

Wed, Jan 09 2013, 2:35 pm

Shuly wrote:

We all know the kohen gadol had curly peyos, right? Smile

ewa-jo

Wed, Jan 09 2013, 2:35 pm

DrMom wrote:

Look at some of the awful tacky flyers that (non-frum) toy stores in Israel mail out before Purim. The girl costumes either look like fairies or hookers.

These Rivka Imenu etc. costumes are 1000x better!

I have seen these kind of costumes (the dress with the camels and such) sold in Jerusalem around Purim time.. like near the shuk and in Geula.... also the 'little kid dressed up as a chossid' outfits.

The secular kids costumes I've seen in some store are awful!!!

My kids get animal costumes... the furry ones with the hoods that have ears on them... last year they were a cow, a dog and a lion.

zaq

Wed, Jan 09 2013, 2:50 pm

Barbara wrote:

zaq wrote:

Barbara wrote:

Do you object in equal measure to kids dressing up as native Americans, or Indian ladies in saris, or little Dutch girls in clogs and winged hats?

Yes, I do. It's offensive stereotyping, and I wouldn't allow it.

Oh, well, at least you're consistent. Offensive stereotyping is saying all Jews have big noses, or all native Americans are alcoholics. To dress up in the native garb of another ethnicity is not stereotyping, and I'm sorry you feel that it is. How about a kid dressing up as an IDF soldier?

I would be deeply offended if a person dressed up as a Jew and proceeded to behave in a shameful or mocking manner. A teen dressed up as a Chossid smoking pot, say, or a young woman dressed like a BY girl soliciting sailors. The DressUpAmerica company has a line of "secksy" costumes for police, firefighters and so on, and if they made a "secksy" Chassidish costume I'd be offended, too.

I don't think that dressing up as another nationality is necessarily making fun. In many cases it's a compliment.

bnm

Wed, Jan 09 2013, 3:08 pm

I was coming to post the same thing as I have seen others post already. Calm your liver Barbara, Dress Up America is a toy company owned by a few Jewish guys from Williamsburg. they produce stuff wholesale besides for the regular stuff they sell in their toystores. check out their website toys4usa.com

Fox

Wed, Jan 09 2013, 3:19 pm

zaq wrote:

I don't think that dressing up as another nationality is necessarily making fun. In many cases it's a compliment.

In fact, exploring the traditional dress of various cultures is one usually one of the first ways children are introduced to different cultures.

I remember belonging to a 4-H club as a child where the main features of the monthly program were presentations made by girls with parents from various countries. In my ex-urban college town, there were plenty of international couples, and the girls always came in traditional dress and sometimes brought additional items for the rest of us to try on. I remember one Korean father sent along a whole collection of kimono-like garments so that everyone could "be Korean" for the afternoon. Our enthusiasm dwindled slightly when we discovered that we would be sitting on bamboo mats rather than our usual folding chairs for the duration of the meeting.

Lots of girls had one parent from somewhere outside the U.S., but Helena and Dina usually won the unspoken competition. Helena's father was from Greece, and her mother was from Mexico. Dina had parents from Egypt and Germany (and let me tell you, that was an odd family!).

Playing dress-up and imagining oneself in a completely different cultural setting is a wonderful way for kids to exercise their imaginations and stretch their understanding of the world outside their own daled amos. While I suppose it would be preferable to make a more realistic costume for Rivka Imeinu, I'd hate for kids to lose another outlet simply because someone, somewhere, might take offense.