Trick Or Treat Studios: Halloween 1, 2, 4, 5 and 2018 Michael Myers

[Asta]

The colour debate has been raging for years. I have a range of green acrylics ready to give the coveralls a wash.

People seemed to settle on the Spruce (medium green) version of Sears' Tradewear coveralls. Then the Tex Green version was proposed, which is described in Sears' catalogue as "gray-green".

Tex Green:

https://halloweenmovie.fandom.com/wiki/Coveralls

(Halloween II allegedly used the Spruce Green version).


Others settle for the Charcoal version for H78, as Nick Castle said he remembered them as "kind of bluish-grey":




However, Tommy Wallace described them as "...a very greyed down kind of green...it's a very dulled down kind of greeny grey...it's greener than olive, it's not olive drab...it's greener than that" (at 1:00):




He points to the table cloth and says its a similar colour, but greyed down. That sounds like a greyed spruce, which would indicate Sears' Tex Green.

 

[popcorn]

Ghost Bob after removing/turning the sheet.

 

[BLT]

The colour debate has been raging for years. I have a range of green acrylics ready to give the coveralls a wash.

People seemed to settle on the Spruce (medium green) version of Sears' Tradewear coveralls. Then the Tex Green version was proposed, which is described in Sears' catalogue as "gray-green".

View attachment 556086

Tex Green:

View attachment 556084

https://halloweenmovie.fandom.com/wiki/Coveralls

(Halloween II allegedly used the Spruce Green version).


Others settle for the Charcoal version for H78, as Nick Castle said he remembered them as "kind of bluish-grey":




However, Tommy Wallace described them as "...a very greyed down kind of green...it's a very dulled down kind of greeny grey...it's greener than olive, it's not olive drab...it's greener than that" (at 1:00):




He points to the table cloth and says its a similar colour, but greyed down. That sounds like a greyed spruce, which would indicate Sears' Tex Green.

I’m fairly obsessive and have done a ridiculous amount of research on this subject over the years, so here is more details than anyone really wants to know.

Personally reviewing Sears catalogs from the late 60s to early 80s provided me additional evidence that points to Tex Green: the collar button style. The 78 coveralls have a button on the wearer’s right collar with a button hole on the left, as opposed to snap-style buttons which are much more common. If you look at Sears catalogs and also cross-reference the other coverall specifics we can positively identify from the movie like pocket flap shapes, elastic waist, “action back”, etc., you discover that this kind of collar button style is only available on Tradewears from before 1973. Charcoal Gray is not an option listed in the catalogs for this coverall, nor is Spruce Green. Tex Green is listed, and as you pointed out, described as a greenish gray. Vintage Tex Green Tradewears are rare but still found from time to time and photographs confirm that they do have a rather chameleon-like nature in various lighting. Many have assumed that, since no one ever actually said where the 78 coveralls came from and knowing the movie’s budget was so tight, the coveralls were borrowed from someone, not purchased new. This would explain their authentic weathering, like the hole at the elbow of the right sleeve. It would also explain why they were a color and style not available new in 1978.

Interestingly after Tex Green was discontinued, Sears continued to use the same item number, but it was now assigned to Charcoal Gray Tradewears.

When 1981‘s H2 was filmed we know from documented accounts that the H2 coveralls were purchased new from Sears. By that time catalogs confirm that the Sears house brand Tradewears had been replaced by the Sears house brand of Work and Leisure, and the closest green available was spruce green. Navy and charcoal gray were also available, so if the originals were either of these colors why didn’t they choose them? I believe that the H2 crew, which consisted of many of the original H1 crew members who would better recall the color a short 3 years later than anyone does today, went with Spruce Green knowing it more closely matched the 1978 original Tex Green.

My Sears catalog research is confirmable, but I have admittedly made some educated guesses to connect a few dots. However, I believe those suppositions match the evidence on screen, catalog references and the first hand accounts by folks like Tommy Lee Wallace. Unless the original coveralls are miraculously found one day, we will never have 100% confirmation, but for what it‘s worth, I am 99.9% sure the 1978 coveralls were early 70s Sears Tradewears in Tex Green.

 

[Asta]

I’m fairly obsessive and have done a ridiculous amount of research on this subject over the years, so here is more details than anyone really wants to know.

Personally reviewing Sears catalogs from the late 60s to early 80s provided me additional evidence that points to Tex Green: the collar button style. The 78 coveralls have a button on the wearer’s right collar with a button hole on the left, as opposed to snap-style buttons which are much more common. If you look at Sears catalogs and also cross-reference the other coverall specifics we can positively identify from the movie like pocket flap shapes, elastic waist, “action back”, etc., you discover that this kind of collar button style is only available on Tradewears from before 1973. Charcoal Gray is not an option listed in the catalogs for this coverall, nor is Spruce Green. Tex Green is listed, and as you pointed out, described as a greenish gray. Vintage Tex Green Tradewears are rare but still found from time to time and photographs confirm that they do have a rather chameleon-like nature in various lighting. Many have assumed that, since no one ever actually said where the 78 coveralls came from and knowing the movie’s budget was so tight, the coveralls were borrowed from someone, not purchased new. This would explain their authentic weathering, like the hole at the elbow of the right sleeve. It would also explain why they were a color and style not available new in 1978.

Interestingly after Tex Green was discontinued, Sears continued to use the same item number, but it was now assigned to Charcoal Gray Tradewears.

When 1981‘s H2 was filmed we know from documented accounts that the H2 coveralls were purchased new from Sears. By that time catalogs confirm that the Sears house brand Tradewears had been replaced by the Sears house brand of Work and Leisure, and the closest green available was spruce green. Navy and charcoal gray were also available, so if the originals were either of these colors why didn’t they choose them? I believe that the H2 crew, which consisted of many of the original H1 crew members who would better recall the color a short 3 years later than anyone does today, went with Spruce Green knowing it more closely matched the 1978 original Tex Green.

My Sears catalog research is confirmable, but I have admittedly made some educated guesses to connect a few dots. However, I believe those suppositions match the evidence on screen, catalog references and the first hand accounts by folks like Tommy Lee Wallace. Unless the original coveralls are miraculously found one day, we will never have 100% confirmation, but for what it‘s worth, I am 99.9% sure the 1978 coveralls were early 70s Sears Tradewears in Tex Green.

That's good stuff.

Tommy's description was very persuasive too.

I've narrowed the paints down to two greens that I think might give good results. I plan to use a bowl and soak the overalls in it, rather than actually painting the wash on as I've done before. Start light, and hopefully it can't go wrong as successive washes can be used. Whatever happens it can't be worse than the stock pale grey. lol

 

[JacktheRipper]

I definitely don't like the grey. I like green first, then blue, and grey as an option. I would agree to start light and build to the green you prefer. I have a few green dyes with spruce being one of them. I think I'll start there.

 

[kltrooper]

I still really like the color I was able to get here on the sideshow coveralls with some paint. These coveralls also give the accurate pocket flap.

 

[Rzeznikk]

So are Trick r Treat Studios and Asmus sharing the same factory?

 

[Mr. EcKo]

Thank you ASTA & BLT for your in-depth awesome posts. Very interesting reads

Here's a pair of Bob's for your time

 

[popcorn]

Not Spruce green as advertised but I do like how different lighting affects the tone on them.

 

[Star-Crunch]

I’m pretty disappointed in how the set turned out, but I’m still gonna keep my order because I still prefer the way the new coveralls look compared to the blue ones which are just too dark imo. Not sure what I’ll do with everything else it comes with.

 

[popcorn]

I’m pretty disappointed in how the set turned out, but I’m still gonna keep my order because I still prefer the way the new coveralls look compared to the blue ones which are just too dark imo. Not sure what I’ll do with everything else it comes with.

Coveralls are the highlight of the set for me. Hands are good too and I like the phone, pumpkin and glasses. The only thing they really botched was going balls to the wall with the glue on the Bob sheet and advertising green coveralls. Gravestone is meh.

 

[Asta]

Not Spruce green as advertised but I do like how different lighting affects the tone on them.

That's an interesting variation depending upon lighting.

The middle one looks grey-green (rather than green-grey), but heading in the direction of Tex Green, and the right hand one tends towards the slate grey H78 outdoor shots from the Blu-ray:

 

[popcorn]

That's an interesting variation depending upon lighting.

The middle one looks grey-green (rather than green-grey), but heading in the direction of Tex Green, and the right hand one tends towards the slate grey H78 outdoor shots from the Blu-ray:

Thank you. I was temped to dye them but after looking at them in different lighting I think I may leave them as is. Pics were taken without flash or any color adjustments.

 

[Asta]

Thank you. I was temped to dye them but after looking at them in different lighting I think I may leave them as is. Pics were taken without flash or any color adjustments.

It does give pause for thought on dying, or may even make dying easier (if necessary) as they're already tending towards that colour.

 

[Nine Inch Nails]

That’s interesting in the lighting. I’ve been trying different areas of my house. But I can’t get that shade on my pics no matter what I do. Without filtering and photo modification of course. Maybe I just got a grayer pair.

anyways, here is tots glasses with sideshow sculpt and bedsheet. That’s how you do it tots, not with whatever crazy *** concoction you guys came up with.

 

[BLT]

That’s interesting in the lighting. I’ve been trying different areas of my house. But I can’t get that shade on my pics no matter what I do. Without filtering and photo modification of course. Maybe I just got a grayer pair.

anyways, here is tots glasses with sideshow sculpt and bedsheet. That’s how you do it tots, not with whatever crazy *** concoction you guys came up with.

Exactly! Haven’t switched out the glasses yet, but have no issues at all with my Sideshow Bob sheet and head.

 

[Mr. EcKo]

Not Spruce green as advertised but I do like how different lighting affects the tone on them.

that is so cool. it's like a chameleon material

 

[Rambler]

I really need to try getting my hands on the SSC sheet and head.

 

[Mr. EcKo]

I really need to try getting my hands on the SSC sheet and head.

toy anxiety has some but idk if they still do

 

[Nine Inch Nails]

I really need to try getting my hands on the SSC sheet and

toy anxiety has some but idk if they still do

I think I bought the last set last month.