Left: Screenshot via Dolls Kill Right: In this Jan. 20, 2021 file photo, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., wears mittens as he attends President Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool Photo via AP)
Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here.Dolls Kill, the online purveyor of e-girl wares and platform boots, is selling a hot Bernie Sanders Halloween costume that costs just $85, or nearly 12 hours of labor for shoppers who make the federal minimum wage—pre-taxes!
The “Once Again Asking Costume Set” is a clear riff on the Vermont senator’s viral mittens-and-mask combo from Inauguration Day, which somehow also occurred this year. It includes a polyester-blend gray coat—modeled without pants, to keep it sexy—mittens, and a blue surgical mask, which could prove useful if you’re going literally anywhere in public these days.All of this, according to Dolls Kill’s product description, sets you up for a “total insta-worthy moment.”
The “Once Again Asking Costume Set” is a clear riff on the Vermont senator’s viral mittens-and-mask combo from Inauguration Day, which somehow also occurred this year. It includes a polyester-blend gray coat—modeled without pants, to keep it sexy—mittens, and a blue surgical mask, which could prove useful if you’re going literally anywhere in public these days.
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“If fans of Sen. Sanders’ mittens are looking for a real scare this Halloween, they should see how hard the wealthy and world’s biggest corporations are fighting to stop Congress from finally addressing the long-neglected needs of the working class,” Mike Casca, a spokesperson for Sanders, said in an aggressively on-brand statement. “I’m shuddering at my desk just thinking about it.”Dana Rosenberg, director of marketing at Dolls Kill, said in an emailed statement that the company’s design team came up with the ideal for the costume after "the virality of the Bernie meme.""Plus, Bernie is cool!" Rosenberg wrote.Rosenberg said the costume is "trending like crazy." When asked about the $85 price tag, Rosenberg responded, "Well, it may not seem it but the costume is legit—it's made of fleece, has super cozy mittens and comes with a face mask. Wear it for Halloween or as your next winter fit!"Sanders’ OG ensemble is hard to beat and can probably be recreated at home. It included mittens hand-crafted by a Vermont teacher with repurposed wool, plus fleece from recycled plastic bottles. (The teacher, Jen Ellis, made a few more pairs after Sanders’ outfit went viral and donated one to an LGBTQ youth organization and another to a dog rescue. She planned to auction off a third pair to fund her daughter’s college experience, according to NBC News.)Bernie’s Very Big Coat was made by the Vermont-based company Burton Snowboards. The mask is anyone’s guess, but you probably have one lying around.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled the last name of Dana Rosenberg, the director of marketing for Dolls Kill.