There is no doubt that Heath Ledger's Joker has a firm place in cultural history--artists such as Pure Evil have done amazing pieces on the character, while others have gone to work with Photoshop.
Here's my problem with everyone dressing up as Joker for Halloween. Once a year you get to wear anything you want, so surely it is good to push the envelope. Why would you want to wear such a predictable cotume? It is akin to finding out a woman has on the same dress as you and looks better in it!
I feel an incoming Joker costume Flickr group that features the good, the bad and the ugly. Some of the efforts featured here, for example, are pretty poor.
Predictable Halloween Costumes
Beware the Herd of Dark Night Jokers
Trend Themes
1. Unique Halloween Costumes - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create a line of unconventional and one-of-a-kind Halloween costumes that stand out from the traditional ones.
2. DIY Halloween Costumes - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Provide resources and tutorials for people to create their own unique Halloween costumes, encouraging creativity and personal expression.
3. Digitalized Halloween Costumes - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop interactive and digitally enhanced Halloween costumes that incorporate technology for an immersive and unique experience.
Industry Implications
1. Retail - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Collaborate with independent designers to offer exclusive and distinctive Halloween costumes in brick-and-mortar stores and online.
2. Publishing - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Publish DIY Halloween costume books or e-books with step-by-step instructions and creative ideas for making unique costumes at home.
3. Tech - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Partner with tech companies to create innovative Halloween costumes that integrate wearable tech, AR, or LED technology to enhance the costume-wearing experience.