'Tis the season when Penn State students begin racking their brains not only for mid-term exams, but also for the perfect Halloween costume.

There are several local stores that offer a wide variety of ghoulish get-ups for the upcoming holiday.

The Black Hole, 358 E. College Ave., has recently opened its doors to give trick-or-treaters plenty of costume options.

"We just opened at the beginning of the month," said Aeb Byrne, a store employee.

"The first day we really did not sell anything, and for a while it seemed that people would come in and just look around, but each day we seem to be selling a couple more things."

Byrne commented on the trends that are hot this year.

"Pimp costumes seem to be pretty popular for the guys," she said. "We have also been selling a lot of wings for fairy, angel, butterfly or pixie costumes for the girls."

Other trends of the season seem to be retro sports teams and short- skirted, cutesy, fairy tale costumes of characters like Little Red Riding Hood and Little Miss Muffet.

Byrne said she has sold a wide variety of items recently.

"We sell the more common costumes like cops and Dorothy [from The Wizard of Oz], but I have seen someone buy a strawberry costume, which was surprising," Byrne said. "I have also sold a chicken costume, so someone will be out there in that.

Like a big essay or project, Penn State students seem to be waiting until the last minute to decide what they want to wear on Oct. 31.

"I have been looking around, but I haven't decided what I want to be yet," Eleree Keilback (junior-elementary education) said, while shopping with her friend.

"We have been thinking about being construction workers," Keilback said.

"I don't want to be something that a lot of other people are being. The idea is to be creative and to be original."

Marisa Alcaro (freshman-premedicine) was looking to make a dramatic statement with her costume.

"I'm going to dress up as Marilyn Monroe," Alcaro said.

She chose a costume that was a remake of the famous white dress Monroe wore in The Seven Year Itch.

"There seems to be a good selection, but the costumes are a little pricey," she said.

Many students are planning to dress up in groups with their friends.

Lou Spaciano (junior-civil engineering) was with a friend in Rude Boyz, 200 W. College Ave., trying to figure out how to create a costume that would be the hit of the Halloween party.

"We'll probably go as a group of smurfs," Spaciano said, while trying on a white hat and white beard.

"All we would need to do is to paint ourselves blue with some body paint."

Spaciano said he would most likely be Papa Smurf.