I don’t like playing favorites before winners are chosen, but I had to share this Super-Crafty Halloween Costume Contest entry that arrived in my e-mail inbox in the middle of the night. The combination of adorable and awesome is off the charts.

Here are a few words from the parents, who didn’t offer their names and will remain anonymous until I hear otherwise:

This year is my son Harrison’s first Halloween! He is a Grateful Dead

dancing bear. I transformed my old radio flyer into a Volkswagen bus

( via paper mache, spray paint, and eBay finds) driven by Jerry

Garcia. As you can see he did a little too much dancing with the

band. 🙂

Smiley face, indeed. I love the idea, the execution, the San Francisco ties to the theme, the resourcefulness of the parents and the fact that the costume looks incredibly cozy and practical. All they have to do is plop the kid in his converted Radio Flyer and go.

This year has arguably been the best year ever for the contest — and we’re still two days away from Halloween. I updated the contest gallery last night with about 10 more entries. You can find them all here.

Needless to say, if you’re even thinking some stupid remark for the comments, please take your negativity elsewhere. Anyone who gives so much as a thumbs down to this costume needs psychiatric help. (Or maybe they just need to listen to more Grateful Dead …)

Another Grateful Dead bear costume photo is below. Excellent work, crafty Deadheads!

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PETER HARTLAUB is the pop culture critic at the San Francisco Chronicle and founder of this parenting blog, which admittedly sometimes has nothing to do with parenting. You can follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/peterhartlaub.