Jim Bakker will be going places this Halloween, even though he's in prison.
Jim and Tammy Bakker costumes are among the most popular get-ups for tricksters this Halloween, says the owner of a costume shop."We put Jim Bakker in a convict suit and everybody likes that," said Lisa Marshall, owner of Balloon Express in Clarksburg, which is 100 miles northeast of Charleston. "Jim Bakker's rented out for the rest of the week."
Elsewhere, Batman proved to be more than just a hit at the box office, overwhelming some costumers who couldn't keep up with the demand for Caped Crusader Halloween outfits.
"Batman - he's the top dog," said Joel Gardner, assistant to the general manager at Masters Tuxedo in Charleston.
Wickham Costume Service in the northern West Virginia community of Wheeling isn't renting Batman outfits and was even unable to find any to sell, said Sandy Materkoski, a receptionist pressed into duty as a saleswoman during the seasonal crunch.
"We had a couple of people who were willing to buy, but when we called the supplier who would have sent them to us, they were out, and that was in September," she said Friday.
Masters Tuxedo found a licensed supplier in North Carolina, but not even Gotham City's most famous do-gooder could defeat the weather.
"Batman was delayed by Hurricane Hugo," Gardner said Friday. "They were manufactured, and the hurricane knocked down their computers, so they couldn't bill or ship." He still hoped for a pre-Halloween shipment.
Being the Caped Crusader costs an arm and a bat-leg. A Batman costume rental goes for $85, and buying the cape and accessories will (POW!) set you back (BAM!) $450, Gardner said.
Other popular outfits include "sexy types for women," Marshall said, including belly dancers and Playboy bunnies.
"Freddy is still popular this year, but he's being overtaken by Friday the 13th," Gardner said. "In the adult rentals, it's running about the same as last year, from the French maid for women to Arab sheiks for men."
Batman may find fame fleeting. One year's most popular outfits can become the next year's dust collectors.