10) Banana Splits

Of course, there's an obvious connection to Fleegle, Drooper, Bingo and Snork. I used to love these guys. I loved the whole show, really. including Danger Island.

(Side note for the reggae lovers in the crowd: Ever notice how Tra la la, la la la la sounds like Woy yoy yoy, yoy yoy-yoy yoy)

9) Slipknot

With each new album, changes to their masks are meant to symbolize growth. That, and the fact that the old masks were probably really sweaty. These guys have had run-ins with a band called Mushroomhead, who claim they stole their image, and a fictional Burger King band called Coq Roq, who members of Slipknot say stole their own. That's called costume kharma.

8) The Residents

I only know the Residents because a few Deadhead friends at school listened to them. Weird stuff...and their videos, even weirder.

7) Daft Punk

These French electronica robots played a show at Coney Island a couple years back. It looked amazing. I've read that when not wearing costumes, they occasionally prefer to be replaced by animation. Very cool, but that's a whole other list.

6) The Moulin Rouge Ladies

Halfway through the list, and I realized there were no women, so I'm including the Lady Marmalade singers to add a little balance. That, and they remind me of a Partridge Family episode.

5) Marilyn Manson

Marilyn's a bit of a stretch for this list. It's more makeup than costume. And when you go there, you could start incluing dozens of other acts. But he's also very creepy, so I took that into consideration. Also, Johnny Depp used him as inspiration for his Willy Wonka, and the TIm Burton conection also added some points.

4) Gwar

I know absolutely nothing about these guys, except that they make Alice Cooper look like Debbie Boone. But they obviously needed to be included.

3) Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band

Couldn't have a Costume Rock list without John, Paul, George and Ringo. Not only are the Sgt Pepper outfits classic, but they've inspired many others to join the costume movement.

2) The Village People

This is the only list I will ever create where the Village People are ahead of the Beatles. But it was only a phase for the lads from Liverpool, but it's a lifestyle decision for the Cowboy, Indian, Biker, et al.

1) KISS

And obviously, KISS top the list for their legendary outfits, which you can pick up at any participating KISS retailer. And coming soon, the KISS cane, walker and wheelchair set, because you can only rock & roll all night for so long.

(honorary mention: David Byrne in the big, white suit)