According to Charlotte Axios, 56 years ago in Charlotte, NC, husband and wife duo Philip and Amy Morris started what is now one of the largest costume distributors in the world, Morris Costumes. After a young Philip Morris was kicked out of his home due to an altercation involving a cherry bomb, the high school sweethearts went on an adventure going around doing what they knew best, entertaining crowds of people with their paranormal shows that played off of people’s superstitions. Initially, the couple would perform in small, albeit packed, theaters, before attracting the attention of circus promoters who invited Philip and Amy to join them in touring. The couple then performed in ghost shows and circuses traveling around Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Philip was a magician, actor, theatrical producer and ringmaster who had a TV and stage persona known as Dr. Evil, while Amy performed alongside him (if that name sounds familiar, Charlotte Axios reported that: “after an eight-year lawsuit the Morris family won the recognition they deserved” against the creators of Austin Powers for allegedly stealing the Dr. Evil name). 

As told by Our State magazine, in the 1960s, subsequent to Amy having previous success sewing for a lady who made dance costumes and the couple settling into domestic life together with children, Amy saw an advertisement about a costume shop closing and the couple decided that they would purchase the shop’s inventory and begin renting costumes from their basement. Philip and Amy would sell, as well as create, many elaborate costumes over the years, one of the most legendary being the gorilla costumes made by Philip. 

A couple of years after they started their costume shop, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin used one of Philip’s custom made gorilla suits in the iconic, albeit grainy, depiction of “Bigfoot” walking through the woods in Northern California, that, if you’ve ever watched any Bigfoot documentary before, you have most definitely seen. It is the most notorious Bigfoot footage in the history of pop culture. This propelled Philip’s popularity, as well as that of Morris Costumes. Later, Philip would make gorilla costumes for a variety of other productions, including the 1971 James Bond movie, “Diamonds are Forever.”

I visited the retail location of Morris Costumes in early October. Even though I’ve been to the store countless times, the creepy animatronics that greet customers upon entering still make me jump. What can I say? I guess I’ll be a chicken forever. Other sights that catch my eye include the seemingly endless rows of costume animal heads, particularly those of white rabbits, as well as old Hollywood memorabilia such as framed photographs and cardboard cutouts of stars from yesteryear, in addition to simply the limitless amount of potential identities and aliases contained within a single store. Party City, Spirit and Halloween Express have nothing on Morris Costumes (although Morris Costumes is the franchisor of Halloween Express for over 100 locations throughout the country). I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked for a particular costume, accessory, or type of theatrical makeup at another store and only found it at Morris Costumes. From the warmth in the voice of the man behind the counter as he asks if he can help me with anything while a little dog follows him at his heels, to the fact that the 85 year old Amy still manages the retail location, you can tell that the three-generation family business has a genuine appreciation for both their customers and their craft. They see their business as a reflection of themselves. They see their business as an extension of their legacy.

As disclosed to WFAE 90.7, currently brother and sister team Scott Morris and Terri Bates own Morris Costumes, their mother Amy Morris manages the retail store and the online portion was recently sold to Oriental Trading Co., a wholesale supplier of novelties and holiday supplies owned by Warren Buffet.  When interviewed by The Charlotte Observer last year, Scott Morris stated that the decision to sell the divisions was not due to the pandemic or any financial concerns. On the contrary, he said that Morris Costumes’ sales in 2020 were 10% higher than in 2019. Morris explained: “The business has grown so much that we felt that there’s an opportunity to continue to grow.” Morris added that he will remain the manager and operator of the distribution center for Oriental for at least three years. He and his sister do not plan on retiring anytime soon. Bate’s sons, Sean and Brandon, also work for the family business. Oriental Trading has carried some of Morris Costumes’ products for more than a decade, so customers shouldn’t notice any changes. The sale won’t affect Morris Costumes’ retail location either.

To this day, Morris Costumes ships roughly 20,000 packages a day from their Charlotte distribution center.