WASHINGTON, DC – Having taken the world by storm this year, Disney’s Frozen and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle characters will again come to life this Halloween. According to National Retail Federation (NRF) the 2014 Halloween Consumer Top Costumes Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, an estimated 2.6 million children plan to dress up as one of Disney’s Frozen characters, while about 1.8 million children will dress as one of the re-imagined classic characters from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Princess (3.4 million), animal (3 million), and Spider-Man (2.6 million) will be other popular choices for children.
“Children and adults love to celebrate this fall holiday in all sorts of ways, and it’s clear dressing in costume will be a top priority for millions of people this year,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Given the popular holiday falls on a Friday this year, retailers can expect increased web and in-store traffic in the weekdays leading up to the big night, meaning consumers will need to keep their eye on specific must-have items as they are likely to go fast.”
The survey also found 75 million adults will dress in costume, and most will stick to traditional options, including a witch (4.8 million), animal (2.6 million), Batman character (2 million), and pirate (1.8 million).
Findings revealed that among the 14.3% of celebrants planning to outfit their pets, 10.8% will dress their furry friends as a pumpkin, the top costume again this year. Fido and fluffy will also be found disguised as hot dogs, devils, bumble bees, and cats.
Americans are expected to spend $2.8 billion on Halloween costumes according to NRF’s Halloween Consumer Spending Survey. Specifically, consumers will spend $1 billion on children’s costumes, $1.4 billion on adult costumes, and $350 million on pet costumes. Total Halloween spending is estimated to reach $7.4 billion this year, with the average person spending $77.52 on indoor and outdoor décor, costumes, and candy.
“It’s clear people love to get creative with costumes, looking for inspiration from pop-culture and politics to history, and even the make-believe and fantasy world,” said Prosper Insights Principal Analyst Pam Goodfellow. “We’re surprised each year with the range of different costumes, and I’m sure this Halloween will be no exception, especially given the historic number of people planning to buy costumes for themselves, their children and even their pets.”
Top Adult Costumes | Top Children’s Costumes | Top Pet Costumes |
1 Witch | 1 Princess | 1 Pumpkin |
2 Animal | 2 Animal | 2 Hot Dog |
3 Batman Character | 3 Spider-man | 3 Devil |
4 Pirate | 4 Frozen Character | 4 Bumble Bee |
5 Zombie | 5 Action / Super Hero | 5 Cat |
6 Vampire | 6 Batman Character | 6 Batman Character |
7 Doctor / Nurse | 7 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle | 7 Superman |
8 Action / Super Hero | 8 Witch | 8 Witch |
9 Princess | 9 Pirate | 9 (T) Ghost |
9 (T) Pirate | ||
10 Wench / Tart / Vixen | 10 Superman | 10 Star Wars Character |
NRF’s 2014 Halloween consumer spending surveys were designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to Halloween spending. The surveys were conducted for NRF by Prosper Insights and Analytics. The poll of 6,332 consumers was conducted from September 2-8, 2014. The consumer polls have a margin of error of plus or minus one percentage point.