DISCOVERY : House of Humor

Some people will do anything for a laugh.

“I have just the thing for you,” store owner Sherron Newberg said as she reached into a flat gift box, “the Bald Man’s Grooming Kit.”

Frank Brambila, of Costa Mesa, good-naturedly lifted the plastic headband with two small combs at each end from the box and dutifully completed the gag by combing his receding hair with the gadget.

“I’ve endured worse at this shop,” Brambila said with a grin. A moment later, the grin fell into a frown as the front of his white dress shirt was sprayed with a blotch of blue ink.

“Don’t worry,” Newberg said. “I’m almost certain . . . well, kind of sure, that’s disappearing ink. Let me know if it doesn’t fade away. I’d hate to do this to one of my better customers.”

The strip center store is a haven for anyone looking for unusual gifts, magic supplies or clowning makeup. But, as Halloween approaches, gags are forgone for fright wigs and the House of Humor is transformed into a veritable “Little Shop of Horrors.”

“We have a terrific selection of Halloween masks,” Newberg said. “There are more than 200 rental and retail costumes to choose from, but if you don’t see what you want, we’ll help you create a look.”

Throughout the year, Newberg handpicks each style based on the quality of the mask and the popularity of the character. She’s predicting that this year’s hot costumes will include the Terminator, Pee-wee Herman, Ninja Turtles, Madonna and Al Bundy.

But if you need a more traditional costume, relax. Newberg said witches, goblins and ghouls will always be appropriate apparel.

Several personalized touches transform the store into one of the best Halloween costume shops in the county. Scary music is pumped into the store to set the scene. Newberg encourages customers to try on costumes and has a makeup artist on hand to teach the art of creating frightening faces. Then, to further nurture the monster within, Newberg gives impromptu acting classes, luring costumed customers into the parking lot of the strip center to haunt other shoppers. She records the antics on video and plays the tape at the sales counter, critiquing the performance and providing much needed coaching to the wanna-be Batman, Bart Simpson or Count Dracula.

Since many people have more than one ghoul’s night out to attend, Newberg encourages choosing easy makeup jobs and finding comfortable costumes. And, she warns, the earlier one shops, the better.

“Every year, I watch people on the night before Halloween looking for costumes for themselves or for their children,” she said. “Talk about scary scenes; it will be a madhouse in here.”