Scandals, political gaffes and rivalries are inspiring Halloween costumes this year, from elaborate store-bought designs to do-it-yourself disguises that need little more than a stapler and a wicked sense of humor.

　　At New York Costumes, a President Barack Obama mask is slightly outselling a mask of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, said store manager Tony Bianchi.

　　Big Bird is sold out, flying off the shelves Romney vowed to defund public broadcasting in a presidential debate earlier this month, said Bianchi and also Ereka Dunn, spokeswoman for Ricky's, another New York costume store.

　　"Everything is television-driven or scandal-driven," Bianchi said. Costumes go for as much as $250, he said.

　　Sales of the Joker, the Batman movie villain, dropped below the newer villain Bane this season, likely a result of being outdated than blowback from the deadly Colorado theater shooting by a gunman dressed as the Joker, salespeople said.

　　Ripped-from-the-headlines costumes are popular among do-it-yourselfers who lack cash but have a wealth of ingenuity.

　　One costume creator featured online made a mask to look like "The Beast Jesus," the famously botched fresco retouching done by an aging parishioner at a Spanish church. A photograph of the costume posted this month reportedly got 750,000 hits in two days.

　　丑闻、政客出丑、政敌是今年万圣节服装的灵感之源，不管是从商店里买来的成品道具，还是自己动手做的化装服饰，你需要的只不过是一个订书机，还有一点邪恶的幽默感。

　　在出售热门万圣节服装的“纽约道具店”，据该店经理托尼•比安池说，奥巴马总统的面具销量比共和党总统候选人米特•罗姆尼的面具略胜一筹。

　　比安池和另一家纽约道具服饰店Ricky's的女发言人艾瑞卡•杜恩称，罗姆尼本月初期在总统辩论中发誓要撤销对公共广播公司的资金投入，这让公共广播公司著名儿童节目《芝麻街》的主角大鸟成为销售热门。现在“大鸟”道具已经全部卖光。

　　比安池说：“所有的热门道具或是因为电视火起来的，或是因为丑闻。”他说，道具标价可高达250美元。

　　销售人员说，今年万圣节，电影《蝙蝠侠2》里的反派角色“小丑”道具的销量落后于《蝙蝠侠3》里的新反派“毒药”，可能是因为受到身穿“小丑”服饰的持枪歹徒在科罗拉多影院开枪杀人事件的负面影响，不过更可能是因为过时了。

　　扮成头条人物的道具服装在那些喜欢自己动手、没什么钱但是心灵手巧的人当中很受欢迎。

　　一个道具制作者在网上晒了自己制作的一个面具，看起来就像西班牙教堂一位年迈的教区居民修补的因过于拙劣而出名的壁画“野兽基督”。本月上传的该道具的照片据说在两天内点击量就突破了75万。