One of our favorite measures of cultural zeitgeist is the kinds of costumes people choose to wear for Halloween. Although some classic spooky
get-ups (e.g., witches, vampires) are perennial favorites, other costumes that predominate in any given year can be heavily influenced by
politics, world events, pop culture, sports championships. Other factors also heavily influence costume selection, such as the gender and age of the wearer. (Youngsters tend to favor movie, television, and cartoon/comic book characters, and adults generally lean more towards generic, traditional characters and risqué themes.)
One obvious example of how pop culture influences costume selection is the observation that, although pirate costumes have long been favorite Halloween garb, the tremendous success of the
Pirates of the Caribbean films has propelled buccaneer-styled apparel to the upper reaches of "Top Halloween Costume" charts. The recent series of
Spider-Man movies has done the same for that comic book character.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) and the consumer market intelligence firm BIGresearch annually survey consumers during the second week of September to find out (among other things) what sorts of costumes children and adults (and their pets!) are planning to wear during the upcoming Halloween festivities. The results for 2008 were as follows:
| Top Children's Costumes 2008 |
| |
| 1. |
Princess (generic) |
| 2. |
Witch |
| 3. |
Hannah Montana |
| 4. |
Spider-Man |
| 5. |
Pirate |
| 6. |
'Star Wars' character |
| 7. |
Pumpkin/Jack o' Lantern |
| 8. |
Batman |
| 9. |
Princess (Disney) |
| 10. (tie) |
Ghost |
| 10. (tie) |
Athlete/Sports figure |
| 12. |
Super/Action Hero |
| 13. (tie) |
Dora the Explorer |
| 13. (tie) |
Monster (generic) |
| 15. (tie) |
Cat |
| 15. (tie) |
Fairy |
| 17. (tie) |
Cheerleader |
| 17. (tie) |
Ninja |
| 17. (tie) |
Vampire |
| 20. |
Firefighter |
| Top Adults' Costumes 2008 |
| |
| 1. |
Witch |
| 2. |
Pirate |
| 3. |
Vampire (generic) |
| 4. |
Cat |
| 5. (tie) |
Fairy |
| 5. (tie) |
Nurse |
| 7. (tie) |
Batman |
| 7. (tie) |
Political figure (McCain, Obama, Palin) |
| 9. |
Ghost |
| 10. |
Angel |
| 11. (tie) |
Clown |
| 11. (tie) |
Wench / Tart / Vixen |
| 13. (tie) |
Sports figure |
| 13. (tie) |
French Maid |
| 13. (tie) |
Queen |
| 16. |
Zombie |
| 17. (tie) |
Cowboy/Cowgirl |
| 17. (tie) |
Dracula |
| 17. (tie) |
Devil |
| 20. |
Princess |
| Top Pets' Costumes 2008 |
| |
| 1. |
Pumpkin / Jack o' Lantern |
| 2. |
Devil |
| 3. |
Witch |
| 4. |
Princess |
| 5. (tie) |
Hot Dog |
| 5. (tie) |
Superman |
| 7. |
Bee |
| 8. |
Bow tie / Fancy collar |
| 9. |
Ghost |
| 10. |
Black Cat |
| 11. (tie) |
Angel |
| 11. (tie) |
Reindeer/Deer |
| 13. (tie) |
Sports figure |
| 13. (tie) |
Pirate |
| 15. (tie) |
Bat |
| 15. (tie) |
Batman |
| 15. (tie) |
Clown |
| 15. (tie) |
Vampire |
| 19. |
'Star Wars' character |
| 20. |
Biker |
Last updated: 25 October 2008
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Sources:
- Federowicz, Jeffrey Allen. "Halloween Costumes Are Hot Items."
- [Pennsylvania] Centre Daily Times. 28 October 2006.
- Goldman, Abigail. "Halloween Costumes Fit Hollywood Well."
- Los Angeles Times. 27 October 2006.
- Nark, Jason. "For Adults, Halloween Costumes Get Risque, Rude."
- [New Jersey] Courier-Post. 28 October 2006.
- Petrecca, Laura and Matt Friedman. "Young Adults Go for Sexy Over Spooky."
- USA Today. 30 October 2006 (p. B3).
- Scott, Megan K. "The Top Halloween Costumes for Kids, Adults (Even Pets)."
- Hartford Courant. 25 October 2008.
- National Retail Federation. "Princess Continues Her Reign as Top Halloween Costume for Kids."
- Press Release. 26 September 2006.
- National Retail Federation. "Pop Culture, Election Play Role in Americans' Halloween Costume Choices."
- Press Release. 2 October 2008.
