Given the immense popularity of "The Dark Knight," it's no surprise that one of the most popular costumes this Halloween will be Heath Ledger's version of the Joker. Demand for the costume is already high, as this piece on Defamer points out. One online costume vendor told the Kansas City Star -- a bit crassly, in my opinion -- that, "It’s going to be big. And the reason it’s going to be big is because Ledger is dead, not because Ledger is terrific. 
Which raises a question: If your kid wants to smear red lipstick across his mouth and go trick-or-treating in full-on "Why so serious?" mode, should you let him?
Before I address that issue, let's back up a second. I completely disagree with the notion that the costume is popular primarily because of Ledger's untimely demise. Sure, his shocking overdose earlier this year may have piqued interest in the film and the role. But I think the Joker would have been hugely popular this Halloween even if Ledger were still with us.
The Oscar nominee's portrayal of Batman's twisted nemesis -- coupled with the unusual, striking make-up and costume choices for the character -- immediately turned this Joker into an icon. At Comic-Con in San Diego this year, which kicked off just days after the movie opened, I saw tons of fanboys and girls completely decked out in Joker garb. Granted, the Comic-Conners tend to don costumes regardless, but the degree to which the Joker was embraced in such a short time impressed me. And frankly, I don't believe the people who slathered on all that white foundation did it because they thought it was cool to dress up like a dead actor. They did it because the character, as played by Ledger, struck a chord.
Now having said that, the fact that Ledger died does add another layer to the whole kid-in-costume issue. First, one needs to consider whether it's appropriate to let a child roam around his neighborhood dressed as a character who, in the movie, is essentially a diabolical terrorist. And yes, there is also the undeniable creep-out factor of seeing little Brady put on freaky make-up and a nurse's uniform in order to resemble a dead guy. (The nurse's uniform and the make-up alone are kind of creepy, let's face it.)
My feeling is that if the kid is old enough to have seen the movie, he or she is probably old enough to wear the costume. But opinions may differ greatly on what qualifies as "old enough" for "The Dark Knight." Personally, it skated so close to R-rated territory that I wouldn't necessarily allow a child younger than 10 or 11 to see it. Using that logic, I'd probably say no to letting kids younger than that wear the costume. But if they just think the make-up looks cool and they don't grasp the context of the Joker because they haven't seen the film, it probably won't do them any harm to slap on the outfit. It just might seem vaguely inappropriate. Then again, a lot of Halloween might seem that way if you start thinking about it too much.
Maybe the real answer is: Let your kids have fun and be the Joker, or whoever they want, as long as it doesn't foster any negative behavior or hurt anybody else. Perhaps when it comes to concern about being ultra-P.C. on Halloween, the question we all should ask ourselves is, indeed, "Why so serious?
