Ghosts of Halloween Past: Costumes done KTVU style

OAKLAND, Calif. - A chill is in the air and it's not just the changing weather. Spirits, ghouls and goblins abound as Halloween approaches. Here at KTVU we dug through our personal archives to display the ghosts of Halloween past. Here's some of the costumes we've worn on All Hallows Eve. 

Gasia Mikaelian - anchor 

Anchor Gasia Mikaelian offers this ‘witchy’ costume from her youth. Little Gasia! This is great! 

"I LOVED this witch costume! My Mom made it for me — I even remember going to the fabric store in Livermore to choose the material. I was trying to be extra "witchy" in this photo (note the eyebrows and pursed lips). Homemade costumes were the norm back then — they are few and far between these days. Thanks, Mom." 

Alex Savidge - anchor 

Anchor Alex Savidge channels ‘Carmy’ from the hit FX show The Bear. "Yes chef!" He had some people fooled by the convincing tattoo art done by his talented wife. 

Also, there’s ‘Sherlock Savidge’ on the case. "Elementary!!" Sherlock Holmes never looked so curious before.  

Rosemary Orozco - meteorologist 

"In 2017, when Wonder Woman hit the big screen, I was told I had a slight resemblance to Gal Gadot’s iconic portrayal. Naturally, I embraced it and made it my Halloween costume!"

Wow! Uncanny. This is spot on. 

Roberta Gonzaels - meteorologist 

KTVU's Roberta Gonzales looks both traditional and festive as ‘La Catrina’ in her Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) look for Halloween. 

But she also happens to look great in whiskers as the livelier Dr. Seuss creation, Cat in the Hat. 

And she shares this one of her two boys, now both out of college. It looks like Sesame Street's Big Bird and a cow are going to hit the town for some trick-or-treating. Adorable. 

Crystal Bailey - reporter 

"Me and my little sister LOVED Barney and we always matched for Halloween growing up LOL." And here is Crystal Bailey and her sister in matching Baby Bop outfits from the show that featured a purple dinosaur. 

More recently, she and her husband went to a party as a farmer and a flower in 2021. She's particularly proud of DIY-ing both of these outfits. "It took me at least two hours to glue flowers on the skirt!" 

Joey Horta - reporter

Joey as a cowboy with his literal "cow dog" at about 12 years old. "This wasn't a stretch because I grew up on the family farm in the Central Valley and had my own horse." Lucky kid!

Betty Yu - reporter 

KTVU reporter Betty Yu dressed as Tokyo, a character from the Netflix series Money Heist, a few years back. She said she was a big fan of the show, and she liked the character's "confidence, intensity and recklessness!" 

Honorable mention for being crafty with her DIY Cinderella costume. She used her own clothes and accessories, and she fashioned the headband and choker out of ribbon. 

 

Tori Gaines - reporter and digital content producer 

Tori Gaines shows us the rules don't always apply and she can be whatever color ranger she wants to be. 

"When I was a kid, I LOVED the pink Power Ranger, but my playmates always said I needed to be the yellow ranger because she was Black. 

I told my mom for Halloween I wasn't listening to their rules because I wanted to be the pink ranger and that was that!" 

Julia Kerfoot - writer 

Writer Julia Kerfoot asks if this is too scary a submission. That depends on your perspective. She donned this Donald Trump costume proudly in 2017, although some didn't get the reference she says. 

Abby Hernandez - writer 

"In 2017, the theater department at my school was obsessed with the new musical adaption of Heathers. I wanted to be Veronica for Halloween but needed a Jason Dean. Junior year was also the second time around my good friend Tyler was out as trans, so he was thrilled he could openly take on the role of JD for Halloween. My friend Amanda joined as Heather Chandler. We were so proud of how well we executed the costume, a whole group from the theater department decided to go trick-or-treating, even though our own parents said we were probably "too old." Although not everyone recognized our costume, I remember Halloween 2017 fondly, because I believe it was the last time I actually went trick-or-treating."

Yes, the last trick-or-treat can be bittersweet. We love these looks from Heathers. But KTVU writer Abby Hernandez has more Hollywood-themed Halloween looks. 

"2018 was also movie related. Tyler and I reprised a group costume idea. This time, we teamed up with our friend Oliver to be Deb, Napoleon, and Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite. Sadly, we did not win whatever costume contest we appear to be lined up for in this photo, but I think we nailed the respective character outfits. I even walked around with lanyard making supplies, which got some good laughs from people and staff at school."

Sharon Song- digital content producer and writer 

We may have a new queen of Halloween on our hands here at KTVU. Sharon Song has had quite a few costumes. She's gone as the colorful children's character Dora The Explorer. Check out that color scheme. The outfit is so on point.  

She went as Wednesday Addams before. Looks like she's got the theme song to the TV show on her mind and is ready to snap her fingers on cue. 

And she also served this iconic Barbie look the same year the film took Hollywood by storm. Is she really blonde? Only her hairdresser knows for sure. 

Greg Grinsell - photographer 

"Austin, my son, an old man from the movie Up, at two years old."

Austin has a history of celebrating Halloween with great style and creativity. Here's another of him as a Scuba diver when he was 6-months old. 

Andre Torrez - digital content producer 

For this writer, Halloween holds a special place in my heart. It's a time to forget about being so serious and to show everyone another side of yourself. 

In 2007, I was a two-year newbie to San Francisco and had just started my first job in news. My crafty friend, who was unemployed at the time, had way too much time on her hands. We came up with the idea of both being Michael Jackson, but from different eras. I would be 'Bad' album-era Michael Jackson, while she went as 'Dangerous'-era MJ. This was a couple of years before the ‘King of Pop’s’ shocking and untimely death, mind you, so when we paraded out on the Divisadero corridor, people lost their minds. 

"Michael! Michael! Michael!" one woman screamed in the street as if I were the real deal. We hit the town and felt like we had won Halloween in our respective outfits.

No matter how you celebrate, have a safe and fun Halloween.