Chaplins Of Bristol

If you’re in need of a fake moustache or a silly wig, then Chaplins is a good place to go to. It has a range of silly wigs and Smiffy’s fancy dress outfits. Its not super exciting but its handy for bits and boys. I’ve come in here a couple of times looking for eyelashes but they don’t seem to stock my favourite kind. Other than leaving here with fake moustaches, I’ve also found some nice birthday cards in here!

Perfect for all your Batman and Robin needs… now all I need to do is find someone who’s happy to dress up as Robin. Somehow I managed to get my old housemate to be the Robin to my Batman and this is where we rented the costumes from. Don’t worry we didn’t fight crime, we just got drunk.
Conveniently placed next door to the hippodrome theatre, I don’t know if Chaplin’s is also the wardrobe department, but they get a lot of business. Last Halloween I even saw the queue stretching out of the door and down the street. This has to be because it is so small inside, even though this hasn’t stopped them from cramming the shop with everything you could ever need to dress up with. Really it is all about the accessories, fake teeth, wigs, sunglasses, beards, nurse’s outfits (hairy bearded toothy nurses?).
But whatever full costume you need they will have it in the back, just ask.

This shop is brilliantly located for all those who have got a Saturday night fancy dress do to go to and want to cram in costume shopping with their normal march round the shops. Chaplins do a great range of inexpensive items from Cruella de Ville wigs and glittery fake eyelashes to stick-​on scabs. There’s also a range of obligatory smutty stuff to buy brides and grooms at their hen and stag dos. The staff are always happy to help with suggestions for some of the weirder requests– these for me have variously ranged from pirate to panda, Essex housewife to cave-​woman. And there are some really funny gift options if you just want joke presents for people.

Chaplins of Bristol is wonderfully located in the centre on Bristol, very near to the Bristol Hippodrome. It has a good range of costumes for most ages. There is also a huge range of accessories and face paints. Price wise, Chaplins isn’t that cheap. I went in to buy some braces for a geek outfit and the cheapest they had was £6. I ended up buying some from another costume shop in Gloucester Road for £4.
Inside it is a tad crowded. There is a lot of things crammed in, and if there is more than about 3 people in the shop you all will struggle to navigate yourself around.
One word of warning: this is not a shop to bring children in (unless you are fine with them seeing what you would expect in the ‘restricted area’ of Ann Summers).

Chaplin’s is an old-​school joke shop. It is great fun to poke around at all the cool stuff they sell Äì joke poos, silly wigs, masks, farting powder and the like. The joke’s are very Beano, but fun and it is a good place for an alternative gift or if you have a fancy dress party to go to.

If you want to get yourself some fancy dress, there are two places in the centre that you need to visit and the good news is that they’re around the corner from each other. You need to come here (next to the Hippodrome) then up Colston Avenue to the Christmas Steps Costume Hire and Joke Shop.
This is the least impressive of the two — it’s probably at least half the size and doesn’t do costume hire — though if you’re not exactly Inspector Clouseau when it comes to disguising yourself, this place will probably suffice. They’ve got all the usual stuff, wigs — jewellery, body paint and those all in one, slightly disposable looking fancy dress outfits that come in a bag — it’s fairly cheap and in an extremely accessible location.

I went here to get some fake blood for halloween and came out with some brilliant long-​lasting facepaints and a great gothic cape — all for less than £20. The city centre shop’s been open for well over a decade and it is totally stuffed with fun costumes, make-​up and bits n bobs — including rude joke items for hen dos and such (maybe keep the kid’s away from that section!)
Chaplin’s is famed for their realistic wigs, beards, tashes etc (hence their website address name) so if a funny barnet is what you’re after, I wouldn’t bother looking anywhere else. They do some really funky pink bobs similar to the one Scarlet Johannssen wore in ‘Lost in Translation’.
I had a right laugh in the ‘novelty glasses’ section where they have all sorts of sunnies, Dame Edna style and oversize Timmy Mallet ones (if you’re really young that reference might go over your head, sorry!) Most of the stuff really doesn’t cost a lot and you can try most of it on first — with is useful and hilarious.