A bit strange to most folks, but not at all to those close to Anthony. It all began in 1977 when he was 12 years-old and he bought the album Kiss Alive II and became fasinated with the bass player, Gene Simmons. Soon after, he began playing the bass guitar himself and he quickly put together a Kiss-a-mania band that put on shows for local schools & other functions. By the age of 17 the Kiss-a-mania band had run it's course and Anthony moved on to other musical interests.

Anthony remained a huge Kiss fan throughout his adult life and by chance stumbled upon a Gene Simmons costume two years ago. Excited by the prospect of returning to some of that early fantasy and looking forward to completely sharing in the Halloween experience with his two young sons, he bought the costume within a week of Halloween and had a blast! It was then that the obsession took hold...

That first year, Anthony wore the costume right out of the box over black jeans and a black long-sleeved tee-shirt. There was the addition of a black velvet cape that originally was worn by his grandmother in the 1940's. The “height” problem was solved by bolting 4x4 blocks to the bottom of his sneakers which proved to extremely difficult to walk on (but didn't stop him from trick-or-treating around the neighborhood!). Not an ideal solution, but definitely a start.

For 2002, Anthony focused on overall fit and comfort with some major improvements. Building on 6" platform boots, the demon-head & leggings were reconfigured to improve the fit and appearance. A full spandex "cat-suit" replaced the jeans & tee-shirt foundation. A set of field-hockey shoulder pads provided a basis for the improved breast/shoulder/upper-arm armour. A complete batwing cape was added and the entire suit of armour got a shiny new paint job.

The focus for 2003 is in the details, with the major change being the replacement of the latex mask with a wig and face paint. This provided Anthony the opportunity to completely interact with those around him. New (more comfortable) 7" platform boots are beneath the improved demon-heads which now sport more complete and pointed teeth. There is additional stud work on the cape and wristbands and there is the addition of the neckband. Finally, the entire costume received accent painting to complete the look for this year.

The efforts appear to have paid off, based upon the reception Anthony received upon entering the WNNJ Halloween Howl party. Heads turned, folks pointed and whispered and just about everyone wanted a picture. Following a fun night including plenty of time on the dance floor (yes, we said dance floor!), the evening closed with the best overall costume award of two tickets to the musical Moving Out on Broadway, a $200.00 value!

And the plans for next year? According to Anthony there are always little things that could be improved. Check back next halloween to find out!

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