Justin Boggs
How to save big money on Halloween costumes this year
Halloween is getting expensive these days, with fancy costumes and big inflatables, but experts say a little thought can help save big money.
LEARN MOREPosted: 1:20 p.m. EDT Oct 23, 2023
Halloween is just days away, and Google data is starting to give an indication of what costumes are most popular in 2023.
Given how popular the movie was during the summer, it probably should come as no surprise that Barbie is the most-searched costume. Barbie costumes had a small peak in popularity in 2010, but had a small decline until about 2021.
But searches for Barbie costumes are about four times higher this year than last, according to Google data.
Barbie beat out top perennial costumes such as princess, Spider-Man, witch and fairy.
Despite her mega tour and subsequent concert film, Taylor Swift failed to reach the top 20, coming in at No. 22. Searches for Taylor Swift costumes have tripled from 2022.
According to Google, here are the top 10 costumes for 2023:
1) Barbie
2) Princess
3) Spider-Man
4) Witch
5) Fairy
6) Wednesday Addams
7) Dinosaur
8) Cowboy
9) Ninja
10) Bunny
The data does not distinguish which costumes are most popular among children or adults.
According to the National Retail Federation, more adults are planning on celebrating Halloween than ever before. According to NRF data, 73% of adults plan to celebrate, which is up from 69% a year ago.
The NRF has its own data that indicates that Spider-Man is the No. 1 costume for children and witch is No. 1 among adults. Barbie is in the Top 6 among both children and adults.
“Probably not to anyone’s surprise, a lot of it was influenced by the year’s top movies and shows, so Barbie came in as the No. 3 costume for adults,” Katherine Cullen, NRF vice president of industry and consumer insights, said.
“For kids, it also came into the top 10, but we also saw Mario come into the top 10 for costumes,” she says. Wednesday Addams is another popular costume for kids, as is Paw Patrol.
The NRF expects Americans to spend $12.2 billion on Halloween this year. Of that, $4.1 billion is expected to be spent on costumes. Adults are expected to spend about $2 billion on costumes, while spending on children's costumes is expected to reach $1.4 billion. Pets make up the remaining $700 million.
