This ‘Spider-man’ Halloween costume pre-dates the actual Spider-man character by eight years (Picture: Caters)

Is it possible that the Spider-Man we know and love may have taken a little inspiration from a child’s Halloween costume?

Well comic book and toy dealer John Cimino has been asking that very question after making the amazing discovery pictured above.

The yellow Halloween costume features a design very similar to that worn by the iconic Marvel superhero – but it dates back to 1954.

That’s a whole eight years before Spider-Man – created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko – made his web-slinging debut in the Marvel comic Amazing Fantasy #15.


Meanwhile here’s Spider-Man as we know and love him in comic book form…(Picture: Getty Images)

Cimino recently told the New York Post he bought the costume – originally produced by Brooklyn company Ben Cooper Inc – back in 2006 – but didn’t even give it a second thought until doing further research into collectibles, and buying some stock from another vendor.

…and as played by Tobey Maguire in the 2002 film (Picture: Sony)

It was then he realised what he had – and was left to ponder whether Ditko’s Spidey design might just have been influenced by the costume.



‘Ben Cooper was 10 miles from Marvel’s offices,’ Cimino explained .

‘Ben Cooper ruled Halloween in New York City, so Ditko had to have seen this costume. When he got the assignment for Spider-Man, maybe something came back when he was designing it. It’s so much like the Ben Cooper.’

Cimino went on to explain that he had contacted Ditko – now aged 87 – about his find but received only a handwritten reply which left him none the wiser.

‘The burden of proof is on the person who makes the assertion, claim, charge,’ Ditko wrote. ‘Some clippings, etc., are not rational proof of anything but some clippings etc.’

So the mystery looks set to continue…

MORE: From Spider-man to The Avengers, here’s every cameo ever made by Stan Lee in a Marvel movie…