Written by Justin Spitzer and directed by Dean Holland, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on October 28, 2010.
The office is excited over the annual Halloween costume contest, the winner receives a Scranton-area coupon book.
The significance of this gesture goes over the other workers' heads, and Oscar becomes increasingly embarrassed at being virtually the only person not in costume.
As the day goes on, several people realize their costume might not win, so they leave the office to switch into something more recognizable or provocative.
Gabe Lewis informs the staff that delivery drivers can now suggest additional products for the customers they deliver to, increasing sales for the company.
Michael Scott realizes this idea is similar to a suggestion made by Darryl Philbin, which he had shot down.
A series of interviews reveal several employees' reasons for voting for Oscar – Kelly Kapoor voted on who she thought was least likely to win, Ryan Howard for the underdog, and Creed Bratton because he thought Oscar was wearing an excellent Edward James Olmos costume.
"Costume Contest" was directed by Dean Holland, an editor on the series, and written by Justin Spitzer.
[4] In its original American broadcast on October 28, 2010, "Costume Contest" was viewed by an estimated 8.07 million viewers and received a 4.0 rating/11% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.
James Poniewozik of Time said, "It started excellently with "What can Stanley ignore" precredit sequence and it rolled on from there."