What do you get when you combine anthropologists, designers and engineers? Well, for one thing, some really interesting Halloween costumes!

Since I work at a product design studio, I’m used to a creative office environment. But let me tell you, when it comes to Halloween costumes – my co-workers really step it up a notch. Here at Karten Design, we’ve had people come into the office dressed as lumberjacks, salmonella-infested spinach, bridezillas, and my favorite, JFKFC – a double-sided John F. Kennedy/Colonel Sanders costume inspired by Wheel of Fortune’s “Before and After” category.

Last year, our creative teams got together over morning coffee to offer advice for people who still needed costumes, and sometimes our brainstorming process kicks off with an exercise we call “Bad Ideas.” We get our creative juices flowing by coming up with concepts that push beyond accepted parameters of convention, relevance, or marketability. And sometimes, with a few tweaks, they turn out to be not so bad after all!

We applied this creative process to Halloween, building on the “Bad Idea” of sexy costumes. It’s gotten a little out of control – ever year, it seems like party after party is packed with scantily clad nurses, kittens and bunnies. 

But you know what we find REALLY sexy? Originality. So in the spirit of innovation, we’ve come up with some original and creative sexy Halloween costume ideas.

For the ladies:

• Hot Coffee Filter
• Hot Data Entry for Kaiser Permanente
• Sexy Garbage Collector
• Sultry Telemarketer
• Sexy Gas Station Attendant
• Flirty Typhoon
• Sexy Helen Keller
• Flirty Baggage Handler
• Sexy Sewer Rat
• Sultry Light Switch
• Sexy Stapler
• Flirty Cat Lady
• Hot Wal-mart Customer Service Representative
• Flirty Toad
• Sexy Ambulance Dispatcher
• Hot Earthquake Preparedness

And why should women be the only ones to wear sexy Halloween costumes? After a brief survey of women in the studio, we compiled a list of the Halloween costumes that would turn them on the most. And it’s not your typical fire fighter, cowboy or policeman.

• Hot Shower
• Sexy Massage Oil
• Hot out of the Dryer Laundry
• Sultry Good Listener
• The Beach in September
• Diligent Dish Washer
• Snuggly Blanket
• Spanish Accent
• Perfect Pastry
• Buff Yogi
• Well-groomed Mountain Trail Blazer
• Sword-wielding Revolutionary Bandit
• Mr. Will Schuster (Glee)

What do you think? Share your own original costume ideas!

Anne Ramallo is the PR and Marketing manager at Karten Design, an award-winning product innovation consultancy based in Los Angeles.