TROPE TRACKER: RAG DOLL, TINA TURNER & CLEOPATRA COSTUMES

One of the things I love about obsessively watching and re-watching holiday-themed TV episodes is that patterns start to emerge. Rather than fault it as a lack of creativity on the part of sitcom writers, I find these tropes oddly reassuring, as if all sitcoms take place in a shared universe and are linked by their similarities. Obviously most Halloween-themed episodes feature characters in costume. Sometimes the episode is merely a showcase for elaborate or clever costumes and sometimes the costumes are a mere afterthought to the storyline. Witches, pirates and vampires abound, but over the years I’ve noticed a few costumes that tend to crop up over and over again.

The first of these, which I've written a bit before in previous posts, is the Rag Doll Costume. We all know Raggedy Ann and Andy, whether from the original dolls or their various animated TV incarnations. They even have their own Halloween special, The Pumpkin Who Wouldn’t Smile. But despite her place in pop culture, Raggedy Ann can hardly be called part of the zeitgeist. She belongs to an earlier generation and yet she makes for a surprisingly popular costume choice in TV sitcoms (whether the costume is meant to be Raggedy Ann specifically or just a generic rag doll is open to debate).

The character of Ann Perkins wears a Rag Doll Costume in the first Halloween-themed Parks and Recreation episode. Ann is hosting a rather lame Halloween party and her choice of costume is obviously intended to echo the dorkiness of the event (plus the whole Ann Perkins = Raggedy Ann thing). Usually the Rag Doll Costume is used in this way, as an example of a lame or embarrassing costume choice.

The grandmother dresses as a rag doll in an episode of Family Matters, but she is the rare exception where the costume doesn’t have a negative connotation. For that we can turn to episodes of both Home Improvement and The Big Bang Theory. In both of these shows the Rag Doll Costume is part of a couple’s costume gone wrong. In Home Improvement Brad’s girlfriend convinces him to dress as Raggedy Andy to her Raggedy Ann, only to show up at the party in a totally different outfit, leaving him trapped in the lame ensemble.

 In a Halloween episode of The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon and his girlfriend argue over their choice of couple costume, resulting in a weird compromise of a Raggedy Andy-C3P0 hybrid:

Another costume that pops up a lot, but specifically on sitcoms with predominantly African-American casts, is that of Tina Turner. The African-American sitcom saw its zenith in the 1990s, which helps explain why Tina Turner was a popular choice (as opposed to now, when her place in pop culture has faded a bit). The Tina Turner costume also gives its wearer the opportunity to do their best Tina Turner impression, which makes for some memorable moments.

Those characters who don the Tina Turner attire include Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show (and yes, I feel icky even mentioning The Cosby Show these days):

(Side Note: when researching images for this post the first one to pop up was actually from my own blog, which tickled me to no end.)

The character of Gina (center in the photo below) on the show Martin is played by actress Tisha Campbell, who is also an accomplished singer. She makes for an especially good Tina Turner impersonator, seen below in the center:

And finally we’re back to Family Matters once again, with Tina this time filled by the character of Laura, seen here with Urkel as Superman:

But Rag Dolls and Tina Turners pale in comparison to the prevelance of another costume: Cleopatra.  Cleopatra costumes abound in sitcoms from across the decades.  So far I’ve identified 7 different episode/shows that featured a character dressed like Cleopatra for Halloween, including Caroline in the City, Full House, Living Single and Two of a Kind. Denise dresses as Cleopatra in the aforementioned episode of The Cosby Show that also features Claire dressed as Tina Turner: 

The Cleopatra costume has even crossed over to reality TV, as one of the Gosselin girls chooses it as her costume on a Halloween episode of Kate Plus 8.

The most impressive of all of these Cleopatras comes, not surprisingly, from the sitcom Roseanne.  Roseanne is known for its Halloween episodes, and its portrayal of a Cleopatra costume takes the cake.  It’s worn by minor character Vonda Green at a lodge Halloween party in the excellent episode “Trick Me Up, Trick Me Down.”  Besides just being a really great costume with an especially colorful and sparkly headdress, what puts this particular version over the top is the rubber snake dangling from the bodice:

That concludes our look at some of the most popular Halloween costumes in TV Land. As I continue to watch and keep track I’m sure I’ll discover more. Little Bo Beep is fast becoming a contender…

CRAZY FOR YOU

Home Improvement

Season 3 (1993)

After the excellent "The Haunting of Taylor House" Home Improvement continued its tradition of top notch Halloween episodes with Season 3’s “Crazy for You.”  This episode relies on the Prank War trope, which I’ve never been all that keen on. Maybe it’s just because pranks and practical jokes were never part of my personal All Hallow’s oeuvre, but this type of storyline always feels better suited to April Fool’s Day than Halloween.  But the good far outweighs the bad here so let’s delve in!

Zombie Tim ponders his options.

After years of Halloween scares at the hands of husband Tim, Jill engineers the ultimate prank, convincing him that he has an obsessed fan named Rose.  With the help of her knockoff Rosie O’Donnell friend (it was the 90s; every female film and sitcom character had a friend who looked and acted like Rosie O’Donnell), Al and even neighbor Wilson, “Rose” sends Tim threatening notes and slowly ups his paranoia, culminating in a confrontation at another lavish Taylor family Halloween party. 

A red-veiled "Rose" creeps up on Tim

Once again my enjoyment of this episode is less for the story than for the awesome party scene.  The Home Improvement set decorators do not disappoint!  Some of the highlights include a giant minotaur, a dummy dressed like the homicidal wheelchair-bound grandfather from Texas Chainsaw Massacre and a decapitated head wine bucket.  There is also a cute Halloween doormat hung on the wall for decoration, which is a great idea. Really, I need to develop some sort of “I Spy” game for the backgrounds of these Home Improvement episodes; I could spend hours studying the decorations!

At one point in this episode Tim asks a phone operator the number for 9-1-1. Tim Allen does the exact same joke in The Santa Clause.  I love it when Halloween and Christmas overlap!

Ignore the Taylor boys (all dressed like Moe from the Three Stooges) and check out the fun witch towel and pot holder set instead!

Recurring Themes: Jill and Tim engage in a Prank War.

Halloween Quotient: While I’m not the biggest fan of the whole “prank war” subgenre there are plenty of Halloween goodies to enjoy, so this gets a 3.

See It, Skip It, Own It?

Definite fun for the Halloween season, so see it and enjoy!

THE HAUNTING OF TAYLOR HOUSE

Home Improvement

Season 2 (1992)

In the 90s Home Improvement gave Roseanne a run for the title of Best Overall Halloween Episodes (though in my not-so-humble opinion Roseanne managed to hang on to her Queen of Halloween crown).  Home Improvement’s first Halloween offering is a prime example of how to do a holiday episode right.  Namely: lots and lots of awesome Halloween decorations in the background!

Ignore the carrot woman and take in all that Halloween swag!

The plot is pretty basic and just an excuse to show off the glorious aforementioned décor (the stupid characters kept blocking my view!).  Oldest son Brad is throwing a Halloween party and the Taylor parents have gone full tilt in decorating the house, costuming (after a tried and true “costume store mix-up” Jill ends up in giant carrot costume) and turning the basement into “Catacombs of Terror.”  Brad and his girlfriend Jennifer agreed to dress as Raggedy Ann and Andy but then she shows up with a date and dressed as a biker chick.  Tim advises his son on how to woo her back and then the family comes together to scare the snot out of her snotty date.

Raggedy Brad v. Preteen Biker Gang

This episode has some nice 90s nostalgia casting.  Jennifer’s ne’er-do-well date is played by a young Boy Meets World’s Ryder Strong (along with Jonathan Taylor Thomas, decked out as a pirate in this episode, that’s two prepubescent heartthrobs for the price of one!). Jessica Wesson, who plays Jennifer, also played the bitchy girl in the Casper movie for added 90s Halloween interconnectivity points.  And man, she does her job well.  Jennifer is such a bitch in this episode, with her weird biker outfit and pouting!  Indeed the real theme of the episode seems to be kids acting like assholes, between Jennifer, Ryder Strong’s annoying character and a kid dressed as an atom who continually insults Jill.

This bitch.

But now that the pesky plot is out of the way we can focus on what makes this episode great: the decorations!  The Taylors/set designers truly outdid themselves in terms of party décor.  There is a severed head in the microwave, a “Black Cat Crossing” sign on the oven, a "Pumpkin Loading Zone" sign above the fireplace, several inflatable skeletons, and pumpkins and paper cutouts galore.  I like that it all looks like stuff you could actually buy at your local drugstore.  The party food they prepare is also worth noting: green punch, grape “eyeballs” in custard “puss” and at one point Jill is worried that her “monkey skulls” have burnt.  We never get a good look at exactly what they are (they sort of resemble cinnamon buns) but I bet they were delicious.

My favorite part of the episode?  A little motorized witch-on-broom thing that at one point spins wildly in a circle.  I feel like every family has at least one signature witch decoration they haul out every Halloween (ours was originally a paper cutout and then we eventually upgraded to a light-up plastic one that cackled madly).  The little spinning witch steals the show!  She appears at the left, hovering above the counter in the picture below.

Flying Motorized Witch looks on as Tim stirs the pus.

Recurring Themes: This episode is brimming with familiar tropes.  First there is the Homemade Haunted House in which our characters transform and then tour part of their house, usually the basement.  There is the aforementioned classic Costume Store Mix-Up plus there’s a Head-On-A-Plate (in this case Al).  Finally we have one of the weirder yet persistent themes, that of the Rag Doll Costume.

Halloween Quotient: The plot isn’t the strongest but it’s more than made up for in Halloween goodies, earning a solid 4.

See It, Skip It, Own It?

This episode will definitely get you in the Halloween mood.  It’s worth owning on DVD for annual viewings.  Home Improvement is currently in reruns but this episode is also up on YouTube, though I would recommend watching a higher quality version so you can catch all of that Halloween décor in the background!