Some aspects of Halloween might have changed in recent years — like when consumers start shopping or how much they decorate — but other things you can count on.
You’ll almost certainly see kids dressed up as Spider-Man or princesses, adults in witch or vampire costumes and pets parading as a hot dog or pumpkin. In fact, the most popular Halloween costumes stay pretty stable from year to year. However, every once in a while, a pop culture moment like a new movie or TV show has enough momentum to break into the top 10. This year, there were two.
KPop Demon Hunters, one of the summer’s big hits, surged into ninth place for kids’ costumes, and Addams Family-inspired costumes popped up for both children and adults. For reference, the last time both kids and adults took this level of costume inspiration from the same pop culture moment was in 2023, when Barbie was a top 10 costume across all age groups.
Check out NRF's Halloween headquarters for more on how consumers are celebrating Halloween this year.
With 71% of those celebrating planning to purchase a costume for themselves, a child or a pet — and planning to spend a total $4.3 billion on those items — a lot of consumers will be looking for ideas on how to stand out this Halloween. While a few (6%) of those celebrating specifically plan to use AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini to source their costumes this year, the most popular sources of inspiration are online search (37%) and browsing a retail or costume shop (27%).
The countdown to Halloween continues! As we get closer to the end of the month, it’s time to start keeping an eye on the skies: We’ll be back next week with insights into how the weather influences Halloween.
For more on how consumers are celebrating — and shopping for — Halloween this year, check out NRF’s Halloween headquarters.
