Get Ready For Halloween!

Freebies
Halloween '08: Pick the Mask of Your Choice


We're all trying to keep costs down during these turbulent economic times. And have you see how much costumes cost? We figured we'd do you a favor and set you up with your very own Halloween outfit. And for free, too! How does it work? It's simple. You pick a mask, you tell us where to mail it, and it's all yours. And you get to choose between seven exciting variations! Instructions, larger pictures of the masks, and a bit of helpful costume advice below.



If you click through the slideshow on the left, you'll see larger images of the masks. Yes, they're free. All you have to do is: a) be a registered Cityfile.com user; and b) fill out the form at the bottom of the page, so we know which mask you want and where to mail it. Supplies are limited, though. As soon we run through this stack of glossy paper, you'll have to figure out what to be for Halloween all on your own.


Your choices:

The Andy
The Anderson Cooper mask is ideal for straight men confident with their sexual orientation, or gay men sick of dressing up in drag. Pair it with a dark-colored suit, white shirt and tie, and you should be able to breeze past the CNN security desk without a problem.

The Mario
Mario Batali is a excellent choice for foodies (or just men who happen to be generously-proportioned). A chef's outfit and a pair of orange clogs is all you need to finish off the costume.

The Anne
This cheerful mask of Anne Hathaway is an excellent choice if you happen to have a male friend who is willing to dress up as Raffaello Follieri in prison stripes. (We're not offering up a Follieri mask, though, so you'll have to sort that one out on your own.)

The Keith
The elections are just days away and Keith Olbermann has never had this much attention focused on him in his life. If you've ever thought about dressing up as Olbermann for Halloween, this is the perfect year to do so.

The Al
An oldie that never goes out of style. Throw on a three-piece suit to achieve a more "modern" Sharpton look. Or go retro and throw on a track suit and gold medallion, and the outfit is complete.

The Nina
If you're a fan of Project Runway, you can't do much better than this mask of Nina Garcia. If this is the mask you pick and you examine it closely, you'll notice that her eyes look a little funny. That's because she has a lazy eye, for your information. Not our fault!

The Vikram
This mask of Vikram Pandit is really only suitable for bankers planning to attend a Halloween party that will be attended by other bankers. No one else will get it. But if you're looking to capture the current economic climate, it's an excellent choice. Plus, if you happen to run into someone dressed up as Hank Paulson, you'll have a perfect excuse to walk over and demand that he give you all the cash in his wallet.

Important Notes, Caveats, Etc.

You'll need to be a registered user to get a free mask. So if you don't have an account, you'll need to set one up (for free) before proceeding. You'll need to enter your username below, so make sure you remember it.

One mask per person. And please don't complain if the mask doesn't meet your high costume standards. Our intern would like you to know that he has no professional mask-making experience and did the very best job he could with what limited time he had. Also, we're only sending these to people in the U.S., so if you live abroad, you're out of luck. Oh, and you should also know that your privacy is totally protected. We're not collecting your mailing addresses or signing you up for the LL Bean catalog.

Instructions

On the left, you'll see what "the Andy" looks like in action. You'll need a pair of scissors to cut the head out, and you may also wish to snip out the eyes (so you can see) and the mouth (so you can breathe). We'd do it ourselves, but it pains us to cut into Anderson's great, big blue eyes, and your eyeballs may be a millimeter apart for all we know, so it's probably better you do it yourself. If you plan to actually wear the mask, you'll probably want to staple some sort of elastic band to the back. Or you can attach it to a stick so you can hold it up to your face. Finally, we'll be mailing the masks out on Monday, so you'll have it in time for Halloween. If you have any other questions, you can email us here.

Click here for your mask

Posted at 11:57AM on Oct 24, 2008
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