Costume, child's (dress and hat made out of Minties labels)

'Minties' costume

This 'Minties' costume was originally made in 1927 for Hazel O'Hara aged 7 years old, a relative of the O'Brien family. It was passed on in the family and then it was worn again in the 1950s by Maureen O'Brien. Each year the O'Brien children were made costumes by Grandma Winnie who came up with a theme, and often hand-made costumes to wear to the annual children's costume party. These were held at the local hall in Tinui, a small rural community near Castlepoint in the Wairarapa.

The costume was acquired as part of an extraordinary collection of 21 children's dresses and home-made dress-ups worn in the 1950s and 60s by the O'Brien children, Shelley, Maureen, and David.