The NRF predicted Halloween, costume sales would reach all-time highs, but the retailers we asked reported mediocre results
Halloween and costume spending was expected to reach all-time highs in the United States in 2016, according pre-Halloween National Retail Federation surveys. The NRF estimated costume spending was to exceed $3 billion and Halloween spending $8.4 million overall.
The NRF doesn’t offer post-Halloween analysis as to what the final tallies actually were. However, feedback gathered by Party & Paper Retailer from polling a small sampling of independent retailers from around the country suggested their Halloween sales were mediocre.
Nearly three-quarters of retailers we asked reported both their overall Halloween sales and costumes sales were down from last year. About 20 percent said sales were “about the same” as a year ago, and only 7 percent said they were better.
The pre-Halloween Harley Quinn hype certainly proved to be justified. Not only was the costume the most searched on the internet, according to Google, the “Suicide Squad” look donned by Margot Robbie in the film was the one cited with overwhelming frequency when we asked retailers what their top-selling licensed costume was this year. Batman and Spider-Man were the most popular for boys.
Most popular non-licensed costume feedback was scattered, although pirate, ninja and everyday hero (i.e. policeman, military, nurse, etc.) were among the most frequently named.
Most searched costumes of 2016:
1. Harley Quinn
2. Joker
3. Superhero
4. Pirate
5. Wonder Woman
6. Witch
7. Batman
8. Star Wars
9. Clown
10. Dinosaur
3 on the rise
- Pikachu. Rank: 12. The Pokémon Go craze obviously influenced this up-trend, but the genre had been on the rise in general in recent years, even before the game fad.
- Belle. Rank: 46. With a “Beauty and the Beast” reboot due out in March, Belle, and maybe even the Beast, could be ones to watch in 2017.
- Scary Clown. Rank: 90. People dressing up as evil clowns and causing mischief, or worse, committing crimes, was an issue this year. However, the look has been trending up significantly in recent years.
3 on the slide
- Princess. Rank: 18. A true costume stalwart that remains popular, although its dip in the rankings may be attributed to the trend of stronger female characters, like Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn and Ghostbusters.
- Superman. Rank: 39. The Man of Steel took a bit of a nosedive this year, as costume-buyers seemed to opt for other comic book superheroes, such as Batman and Deadpool.
- Minecraft. Rank: 62. The video game appears to have seen its peak, at least in terms of costume popularity.
— Source: Google Frightgeist
10 movies to know for 2017
What’s popular in movie theaters often translates to popular costumes at Halloween. In our last issue, we listed 10 movies that could influence costumes in 2017. They were (listed in order of release):
Beauty and the Beast
Power Rangers
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Pirates of the Caribbean 5
Wonder Woman
Captain Underpants
Despicable Me 3
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Justice League
Star Wars: Episode VIII
