POWER RANGERS COSTUMES VANISHING FROM SHELVES

Power Rangers Halloween costumes are so hot, area retail and wholesale stores can't get enough of them to meet the public demand.

Toys R Us Manager Barb Essner said she sold the last Power Rangers costumes last Friday and is looking for any way possible to bring a new batch into her store before Oct. 31.

"Everybody else is trying to do the same thing," Essner said. "Those costumes are hotter than hot."

Although Power Rangers costumes are hard to find, there are plenty of other outfits available to keep area retail stores and specialty shops busy.

E.C. Younghouse, who owns Younghouse Distributors, said Beavis and Butthead and Lion King masks are running a close second to Power Rangers costumes. "We sold out of the Beavis and Butthead masks and have reordered more," Younghouse said.

Younghouse, located near I-55 and Highway 74, is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Younghouse had a chance to order a controversial item he is sure would have drawn customers to his store. But like many merchants in the area, Younghouse said he draws the line on something like an O.J. Simpson sweatshirt and mask.

"I debated whether or not to order something like that," Younghouse said. "My grandson was begging me to order the T-shirt with the number 32 and blood splattered across it. It just seemed like such a tasteless item, I decided against it."

Darlene Williams and Robin Farrow said they try to order items that are scary without giving children the wrong message. "We try to find scary costumes that aren't tasteless," Farrow said. "You can order body parts and still maintain a certain standard of good taste."

The Halloween House, located at the corner of Independence and Kingshighway, will be open every day until Oct. 31. "So far we've had a good response to our merchandise," Farrow said. Halloween House is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Among the more unique items at Halloween House are talking candles and candles that bleed. There is also hair spray that can be washed out. "We probably have the only pumpkin tree around," Farrow said.

Stores like Wal-Mart, Toys R Us and K-mart order Halloween items in large volume and do not restock until the next year. However, Younghouse keeps Halloween costumes, masks and even clown makeup available the entire year.

Younghouse said it is not uncommon for him to direct a customer to Wal-Mart if he doesn't have what a customer needs. "It works both ways," Younghouse said. "We send customers to them and they send them to us. We try to carry specialty items that the retail stores don't have room for."

The decision to offer a year-round Halloween room was born out of constant requests for various items.

"We used to just keep the Halloween items stocked in the back, but we found ourselves pulling it out so many times we decided to just keep it all in one room," Younghouse said.

Among the more unique items at Younghouse Distributors is a spider with a spooky sound that is activated by noise. There are also battery-operated "Ha Ha Halloween" mats.

Halloween House offers adult costumes that fit virtually any grownup. "A lot of the costumes you see are so tapered that adults find it difficult to fit into them," Farrow said. "That's why we ordered the costumes that fit loosely around the body."