Boy's optical illusion Halloween costume has even adults scratching their heads

A schoolboy’s Halloween costume has left adults scratching their heads as a photo of his outfit went viral on social media.

The image shows the youngster dressed in a costume that makes it appear as if his body has been sliced in half, with the lower section standing separately from the top. Despite the impressive optical illusion, however, he only managed to secure third place in his school’s fancy dress contest.

Standing next to the winners, his costume was a baffling spectacle as his legs were firmly positioned to one side of his torso. The picture, which first appeared on X, caused such a stir that it was reposted on Reddit by a user who confessed: “Been trying to figure out the past 15 mins! How is his body contorted? I need someone to draw this out for me!”

Another person shared their bewilderment, stating: “I don’t understand it at all,” and requesting a visual explanation because verbal descriptions failed to clarify the trick. And a third admirer praised the ingenuity of the costume, exclaiming: “That’s truly an amazing costume for a little kid!”

Others hit out at the competition result, with many questioning why such an inventive entry only scooped third place. Critics of the school suspected the outcome was influenced by a ‘popularity contest’ rather than merit.

“Maybe because it’s obvious an adult fully made that with no real input from the child?” questioned one sceptic, highlighting that the winning entries might not be solely children’s work.

Showing off how the illusion was likely created, one Redditor explained: “Basically you wear a regular shirt and pants, and over those, a larger shirt with the back cut out and a fishing weight (so it hangs properly) plus a larger pair of pants with holes behind the knees (your legs go in those holes, the top part of the pants are what you hold), and some sort of stuffing to make the waist appear.”

And a second person added their similar insight on the trick, responding: “The kid cut the back of the pants and his legs are in the back where the back of your knees would go. The rest of the pants are stuffed. The shirt is two sizes too big to give the illusion of the boy standing up straight. He’s slightly leaning to the side and holding the pants up straight.”

Whilst a third commenter offered a more succinct take: “Look at the feet. Imagine doing a wall sit and turning torso 90 degrees. Using the waist stump to balance himself.”

Similarly, TV star Katherine Ryan has taken her Halloween costume to new heights, transforming into a gigantic Monster Munch snack. The 41-year old comedian was spotted wearing a bespoke, fluffy outfit inspired by the pickled onion-flavoured crisps, complete with a matching handbag, bodysuit, and earrings.

As she exited her hotel in Central London with her husband Bobby, the doormen were left speechless by her enormous get-up. Measuring 130cm from toe-to-toe, the custom-made costume proved a challenge to manoeuvre, with Katherine and Bobby struggling to squeeze her into a black cab, much to the amazement of passersby and partygoers.