Catan is one of those board games that's so popular it casts a long shadow over the industry, and now it's infiltrated the spookiest time of year as an incredible, handmade Halloween costume.
Rather than opting for more conventional options, one fan decided to turn Catan into an elaborate outfit that they then posted on Reddit – and the result is genuinely impressive. This was a real labor of love; poster atallel writes that the tabletop-inspired Halloween costume took more than 40 hours across 16 days to create.
Spent 40+ hours making this year's halloween costume: a hand-painted Catan dress! Happy Halloween~from r/boardgames
While I adore classic Catan, my attention recently has been on the spin-off Catan On the Road; It's currently discounted to $7.99 at Amazon rather than its usual $10, and I played this travel game once before becoming instantly hooked.
I'd say it does one of the best board games justice. Hand-painted hexagons based on Catan's tiles line the bottom of the dress, with ports and a sea hem tying it all together. Creator atallel then made a fan and crown out of resource cards, with the game's probability tokens as an accessory. Dice earrings and the robber meeple as a necklace tie the whole look together.
Judging by the post's 16K upvotes, I'd say the community approves of this design. (As they should, because it's fantastic.) atallel's previous board game Halloween costume, a tribute to numerous classic games like Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit, was a similar success.
This goes to show just how much sway Catan still has decades after it came out. Countless expansions, merch galore, and an entire cottage industry dedicated to making 3D versions of Catan's components (like the one I 3D printed for my family last Christmas) underline that point too. It's fair enough; the game revolutionized the industry back when it launched with mechanics that spawned an entire genre, and it still serves as an excellent gateway into the wider hobby.
Anyway. If you were going to create a Halloween costume based on a board game for next year, what would you pick?
Looking for recommendations of what to play next? Don't miss our guide to the best family board games.
- See the latest offers on Catan and its expansions at Amazon
