High brow Halloween

Besides all the candy, haunted houses and sexy nurse outfits, isn’t the true meaning of Halloween about showing off to your friends how clever and knowledgeable you are about current events?

We’ve rounded up 10 memorable characters from 2013 and broken them down to help you find a clever costume before you head out for the big night.

Heisenberg from “Breaking Bad”

You’ll need:
Yellow hazmat suit
Wire-frame glasses
Goatee
Bald cap
Act the part: Study Walter White’s menacing stare before you debut your costume. With that intimidating expression, you might end up being scarier than all the zombies and ghosts.

Miley Cyrus and her wrecking ball

You’ll need:
Cut-off white tank top
White briefs
Hot pink lipstick
Wrecking ball
Gray shirt, pants and shoes
Tin foil
Act the part: Play the infamous top 10 single all night and force your “wrecking ball” to give you piggy-back rides.
 
Ryan Gosling meme

You’ll need:
Scruffy beard
Poster board with white text printed on it. Examples include: “Hey girl, I’ll be your treat tonight,” “Hey girl, Halloween isn’t scary when you’re with me” or go with a less creepy option: “Hey girl, Happy Halloween.”   
Act the part: Pull out your corniest pick-up lines because, hey girl, it takes a lot to be a viral Internet meme and chick flick heartthrob.  

Prince George

You’ll need:
A long, white satin embroidered dress
Act the part: Have two friends carry you all night, or if you really want to go all the way, shell out for a royal pram like the $2,350 Silver Cross, known as the “Rolls Royce of prams,” that Will and Kate got for their little prince.  

Furloughed park ranger

You’ll need:
Large quantities of khaki clothing — shorts or pants, a shirt and a hat
Park ranger badge
Walkie-talkie (optional)
Act the part: Though the government shutdown is over, show off how you actually watched the news in the past two months and lament the fact that Smokey the Bear isn’t receiving any funding either.  

Lil’ Bub

You’ll need:
Cat ears
Brown fur vest — or full-on cat suit if you’re dedicated
White gloves and shoes — for paws
Cup of half-licked yogurt
Act the part: Everyone wants to be a cat. Re-enact the Bloomington YouTube video sensation that started it all: “Bub! You’ve Got Yogurt on Your Head” by throwing some Blueberry Brown Cow yogurt on your noggin and attaching the empty cup to your head.
Rolling around on the floor is not required, but bonus points are rewarded to those who do.  

Amanda Bynes

You’ll need:
Tangled white-blonde wig
Act the part: Mumble things like “My life has changed for the better ever since I changed to lower case font,” or “I love plastic surgery” to yourself repeatedly.
If someone asks what’s wrong, blame it on Drake.
Note: Tweeting topless bathroom mirror pics is not recommended.  

Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong-un

You’ll need:

Rodman
Piercings (nose, lip, ears)
Fake tattoos
Neon-colored hair dye
A Pistons, Bulls or Spurs jersey

Jong-un
Long, dark pea coat (North Korean winters are cold)
Dark scarf  
Carry binoculars and a North Korean flag
Act the part: Grab a booth and bottle service at a bar. According to a recent interview with Rodman after his visit to North Korea last month, Jung-un leads a “seven-star” lifestyle of booze, yachts and extravagant food.
So celebrate in style as the two best friends that no one ever expected — and don’t forget to keep the breadsticks coming.   

Banksy

You’ll need:
Can of spray paint
Act the part: Though Banksy made headlines last week after insulting both the One World Trade Center and Canada in an op-ed piece he submitted to the New York Times, no one actually knows what he looks like.
If you’re feeling lazy, skip the costume and dress as you please.

Victor Oladipo or Cody Zeller

You’ll need:
An Orlando Magic jersey for Oladipo or a Charlotte Bobcats jersey for Zeller
A basketball
Act the part: Run around dunking over people’s heads and showing off your best basketball skills.