Halloween is a big deal this year, with people spending more money on the holiday than ever before. Total Halloween spending is expected to reach a record $12.2 billion, up from $10.6 billion in 2022, according to the National Retail Federation.
Much of that money will go toward costumes, which are expected to cost $4.1 billion this year. That’s almost $1 billion more than before the pandemic.
There are also costumes popular among adults, such as witches and vampires. According to the NRF, 5.8 million people will dress up as witches this year and 2.4 million will dress up as vampires.
But what’s new and trending this year? Spirit Halloween, the largest Halloween chain in the United States, says it depends on what’s happening in pop culture. For example, one of his top picks this year is Barbie dolls.
“Once the parties start happening, you’re going to see a lot of Barbie,” Spirit Halloween public relations manager Marisa Uzzolino told NPR Morning Edition.
“Western Barbie, Skate Barbie, Skate Ken.”
The Barbie movie was the biggest movie of the year, grossing over $1 billion at the box office. Approximately 1.8 million people are expected to dress up as Barbie this year.
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Other popular costumes this year are those inspired by Wednesday, The Addams Family, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Both have had new TV shows and movies released in the past year.
When it comes to costumes tailored to the era, 1980s costumes were popular last year. But this year, 1970s costumes will be making an appearance.
“We definitely saw a new wave of hippie style and hippie stuff coming back,” Uzzolino says. This year, Spirit Halloween stores are adding more of those sections, she said.
The most popular costume for children this year is Spider-Man, with 2.6 million children expected to dress up as the superhero. But Uzzolino says there’s another character that kids and parents will love this Halloween.
“We’ve seen a huge increase in Bluey. It’s a very popular show and it’s also a show for parents. So we have it for the kids and we have it for the parents too.” she says, referring to the main character of “Bluey”.
Pets are also getting into the Halloween spirit. More and more people are buying costumes for their pets.
“This is something that we’ve been expanding on since last year. We’re going to continue to grow next year because it’s something that people are asking for every year,” Uzzolino said.
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According to the NRF, the top three costumes for pets are pumpkins, hot dogs, and bats. Pet costume spending increased by $200 million during the pandemic.
If you want to get your Halloween costume now, you’d better hurry. Spirit Halloween says the last two weeks before Halloween are the busiest, with most customers being last-minute shoppers.
“The months go by so quickly, so I think the sooner the better. Get your costume now,” Uzzolino said.
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