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October 31st may be Michael Jackson's biggest comeback ever. If you look at the Man in the Mirror and see yourself as Micheal Jackson, this Halloween you have your chance to channel him. Rubie's, the 57-year-old, New-York based costume company, is the newly minted, official licensee of Micheal Jackson costumes and costume accessories.
The Rubie's deal was finalized after a court hearing earlier this week. In an exclusive interview with ParentDish, Rubie's executive vice president Howard Beige said that they have, "had a lot of inquiries from customers, [and] most of the requests are for teen and adult sizes."
In the costume business, planning for Halloween starts soon after the previous one. So Jackson's death in June put the manufacturing of his iconic ensembles on the fast track.
"Usually a short lead time is 4 months before Halloween," Beige said. "We typically won't take a license after late May. There are always exceptions, like this." The official items should start appearing in stores around September 15th. "We're starting with eight key items," Beige said.
king of pop stock includes: the military jacket with gold on the front; Thriller jacket; a long, straight hair wig; short; curly hair wig, like he sported for Thriller; sunglasses; sequined glove; black, felt fedora hat; and a combination package containing a wig and glasses. But that's only for this year; in 2010 "we'll have a much bigger line," Beige promised.
Rubies is only manufacturing teen and adult sizes this year, but that doesn't mean that you won't see some tiny Beat It boys at your door on Halloween. Enterprising young fans are already making their own MJ costumes. Crystal Seaman, a longtime employee of BuyCostumes in New York sees it coming.
"I definitely think Micheal Jackson will be popular for Halloween," she said. "I've seen a lot of kids come in and buy the hat and do the glove up themselves since we don't have the officially licensed glove in stock yet."
According to Seaman, kids as young as six even want to get the Micheal Jackson look. "I had one kid come in the other day, buy the gloves and glitter spray, do them up and put it on right here," she said. At Halloween Adventure, the gloves come as a pair and blingless. The officially licensed version is already glittered up, and you only get one. The king of pop would probably approve.
Billy Jean will be a great Jackson costume, between the great outfit and the GLOVE!
Bill Jean Backgound
"Billy Jean" was written by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones for his sixth solo album Thriller. "Billie Jean" was a worldwide commercial and critical success; it became one of the best-selling singles of 1983, and topped both the US and UK charts simultaneously. Cited as one of the most revolutionary songs in history, "Billie Jean" was certified platinum in 1989.
The song won 2 Grammy Awards, and 1 American Music Awards. Its helped the Thriller become the best selling album of all times. he song was also promoted through Jackson's Pepsi commercials; during the filming of one commercial, Jackson's scalp was severely burned. Covered and sampled by modern artists, "Billie Jean" sealed Jackson's status as an international pop icon.
Well what ever costume you choose have a great Halloween!
