Angine de Poitrine Costumes Pulled After Legal Notice: Is Halloween Getting Too Serious?

You know you’ve made it when people want to dress like you for Halloween. You know things have gone a little too far when those costumes become a legal headache.

Angine de Poitrine, Quebec’s wonderfully strange musical duo, have a look that’s hard to forget: polka dots, oversized masks and music that’s unlike anything else. For readers outside Quebec, think Spirit Halloween, the North American chain that turns pop culture into costumes every fall. You can imagine these two fitting right in.

The story centres on Party Expert, the Quebec retailer that had been selling outfits inspired by the duo. According to Le Journal de Montréal, the costumes were pulled from store shelves following a legal notice. The robes reportedly sold for about $60 CAD, with headpieces costing another $45.

The duo have attracted plenty of attention, including a double Polaris Music Prize win, 11 ADISQ nominations, a Tonight Show appearance and a KEXP performance that has reportedly passed 20 million views. Here’s the funny thing: people who might never have listened to their music are paying attention. Sure, the look is a gimmick, but sometimes a gimmick gets you through the door. You stay because there’s something genuinely unique happening in the music.

Of course, protecting your name and trademarks is fair enough. But pulling the costumes altogether? That feels like the Grinch showing up to steal Halloween. In my opinion, reminding a retailer about copyright is one thing; taking the fun out of fans dressing up as a band they admire is another. The reporting doesn’t establish that the duo personally ordered the costumes removed, but the whole situation still leaves a bad taste.

And maybe we should have paid closer attention from the beginning. Khn de Poitrine, the guitarist, wears golden dollar signs on his mask. The band plays with ideas around consumerism, so there’s a certain irony in seeing money and costume rights become part of the conversation. Maybe the joke was staring us in the face all along.

Here’s a better idea: sell the costumes and donate the proceeds to charity. The rights holders protect their work, the retailer moves on, and someone in need benefits. Everybody gets to be a hero. Now that’s a Halloween ending worth celebrating.

Come on, guys. Let people have some fun with you. Otherwise, you might just find a rock in your bag.