According to the National Retail Federation's 2010 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey (NRF), more than 120 million children, adults and their pets are likely to sport traditional as well as trendy costumes this year.
Also, Halloween enthusiasts are planning to spend considerably more than they did last year. This year, Halloween sales are expected to reach 5.8 billion dollars. It appears that cost is playing little part in the Halloween craze this year. On average, Americans will spend $66.28 on costumes, candy and decorations, which is up 18 percent from last year.
This year, more than 40 percent of respondents are planning to wear a costume which is an increase of 33 percent from last year. Also, 12 percent will put costumes on their pets.
“Americans young and old love celebrating Halloween, especially given the variety of costumes and decorations that are available,” said Phil Rist, executive vice president of strategic initiatives for BIGresearch.
It’s all about matter of preference and just having a good time when it comes to selecting the right costume as the cast of the Jersey Shore and Lady Gaga top the list of most desirable costumes this year. However, traditional costumes like witches, nurses, princesses and the ever-popular Grim Reaper seem to be the favorites this Halloween season. The Grim Reaper was voted one of the most popular costumes for men in several polls a year ago.
Adult costumes, in general, have been the most popular among the most popular Halloween purchases. But overall, the costume selection choices have been more generic and there doesn’t seem to be any type of theme this year.
An estimated 4.3 million children are expected dress as princesses. The princess costumes has been the number one children’s costume for the last six years. Second is Spider Man, followed by a witch costume.
Among adults, witches are the number one choice followed by vampires (for the second straight year).
The NRF predicts children will hit the streets on trick-or-treat night dressed as Buzz Lightyear from “Toy Story” or Harry Potter. And for adults, online stores have already reported sellouts of the popular Lady Gaga costumes.
Below here are the lists for the most popular adult costumes, children’s costumes and pet costumes.
Have a safe and Happy Halloween!
Most Popular Adult Costumes:
Witch
Vampire
Pirate
Nurse
Wench/Tart/Vixen
Cat
Zombie
Fairy
Batman
Dracula
Most Popular Children’s Costumes:
Princess
Spiderman
Witch
Pirate
Disney Princess
Action/Superhero
Ghost
Pumpkin
Batman
Star Wars character
Most Popular Pet Costumes:
Pumpkin
Devil
Witch
Hot dog
Cat (dressed as a dog)
Dog (dressed as a cat)
Superdog/supercat
Ghost
Pirate
Bowties/fancy collar/bandana
Sources:
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Wall Street Journal