How to Dress Like Captain Obvious

DIY Costume Items

Best Captain Obvious Costume Guide

To refer to someone as Captain Obvious is a way of sarcastically calling out a person who has verbally stated something so clear to everyone that there was no need to state it at all. It’s quite common for a typical English speaker to use this in jest. For Hotels.com, this was a way of marketing their brand with humor and familiarity. The online accommodations platform used the common statement to create a character of the same name. Portrayed by an actor named Brandon Moynihan, Hotels.com’s Captain Obvious personified the statement in a series of ads that made up the campaign. Get the look of a campaign superstar with this Captain Obvious costume guide.

This costume is obviously the best choice for you! Start with a Captain Obvious costume, some slacks, a dress shirt with a black tie, and a pair of Oxford shoes. Finish it off with a black sailor’s cap and false facial hair (if necessary).

Captain Obvious Cosplay Costumes

The look and personality of the Captain himself are based on the persona of the Internet meme of the same name in pop culture, even though the phrase has been in existence long before memes were even a thing. He is comically dressed in a Ruritanian uniform decorated with medals. The Captain’s role in the campaign ads is to simply state the obvious – nudging audiences to realize these self-evident things as something they should have already realized before even being told. All of the statements, of course, are related to Hotels.com. For example, on one ad he would say “You can’t use the Hotels.com mobile app until you download it,” urging viewers to download the brand app on their phones.

We don’t mean to state the obvious, but going alone in costume won’t be as fun as going as a group. Invite other memorable advertising characters such as the Old Spice Guy or Colonel Sanders.

About Captain Obvious

The Hotels.com campaign started in 2014. One of the most shared ads from that campaign had Captain Obvious saying “Getting free nights is always cheaper than not getting free nights.” Quick, witty quips define the persona and campaign surrounding Captain Obvious. His character was very well received, especially in the United States. So much so that until now, he still has an online presence. On Twitter alone, he has more than 400,000 followers. On the platform, he is more liberal about the self-evident things he tweets, no longer strictly tied to the Hotels.com content. Although his account description, of course, still mentions the company. Some examples of these non-branded tweets are “Your days are numbered, especially on your calendar,” “The writing on the wall is probably graffiti,” and “Preparing for a marathon takes a lot of steps.” His character is also featured on many consumer-made memes across the Internet, spanning several platforms.