Why Vancouver’s “Halloween Lady” has been scaring drivers for years

Anne Bruinn stands on the sidewalk with her hand out, waving to the drivers stuck in heavy South Vancouver traffic. They see her, and so do her neighbours, and they can’t help but wave and smile back. She’s been standing roadside, surprising people with her costumes for almost four years, hoping to spark joy for those driving along the road to the University of British Columbia.

She refers to herself as “Mrs. Dress Up” or the “Halloween Lady,” but she introduces herself to me as Anne. We caught up with the self-proclaimed “Queen of Cosplay,” the week before Halloween, who says she couldn’t believe the fuss over her costumes.

She says the decked-out tradition began when she started meeting her son after school on the corner of Balaclava and SE Marine Drive.

“I noticed while standing there waiting people were staring at me,” says Bruinn. “So I thought I’d put on a costume to be a little entertaining for them.”

Welcoming me into her home for tea, she told me she was a stay-at-home mom and the idea came to her in October 2020 after trouble finding a job. Now, cosplay has become her favourite pastime.

“Here, I got a costume for you. Are you ready?” she says.

She produces a clown onesie, gloves, and a freaky clown mask for me, and insists I join her at her post. I am more than happy to oblige.

Daily Hive

That day, she was dressed up as Beetlejuice and began to slip into her element. She placed two chairs beside each other and motioned for me to sit.

Passersby waved and honked almost immediately and I couldn’t stop smiling.

I asked her what inspired her to do this — to stay out here for hours at a time.

“I love to see the wonder on people’s faces,” she replied.

Even after Halloween, her inspiration never fades because of the love and appreciation she gets from the community, especially kids. She dresses up for Halloween in October, for Christmas in December, and again on May 4 for the unofficial “Star Wars Day.”

She says the positive reactions inspired her to create even wackier costumes over time.

“I do Star Wars… The Mandalorian, Chewbacca… I did Forrest Gump one day with me sitting on the bench with a box of chocolates, and when Bernie Sanders was big, I did him with his mittens.”

Sitting alongside her was surprisingly peaceful. All I could hear was the lull of traffic under the mask, and with every second passenger in a car filming or laughing, you couldn’t help but laugh back.

She says she has dressed in over 50 costumes over the years, and the only preparation she has is rummaging through local thrift shops and Value Village for new cosplay ideas.

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“I have a radio nearby, so I’m singing to all the songs; my toes are tapping, and my fingers are moving.”

I thought it must be fun being known as “Mrs. Dress Up” and having people anticipating what costume you do next, but Bruinn told me she sees it differently.

She says that even with the popularity of social media, she doesn’t want to create a bigger spectacle of her hobby because she doesn’t do it for money or notoriety.

“People may take videos or pictures, but I don’t mind. I’ll never see it because I’m not on social media. All I want to do is make people smile,” she said. “One woman said I was the highlight of her day.”

She told me that years ago, she worked as a ticket ambassador at the PNE forum and said it was her favourite job. Dancing and humouring people before concerts, she wanted to recreate the feeling she had while entertaining and serving the people there.

“If I can’t be rich, I can’t be beautiful, I may as well be interesting and useful and just lift somebody’s spirit.”

After conversing with her and stepping into her shoes for a few hours, I completely understand why she does what she does. It truly lifts your spirit to make people laugh and smile; having that happen repeatedly for most of the day can even make you happier.

“People are going to work, they’re going to a funeral, they’re sick or whatever, just one brief spark in their day where they didn’t think about it. Make somebody smile, why not?”