WASHINGTON, D.C. – This Halloween, the trendiest costume is – literally – coming back from the dead. According to NRF’s 2011 Top Costumes survey, conducted by BIGresearch, more than 2.6 million men, women and children plan to dress as zombies this Halloween. Due to the popularity of the characters in recent books, television shows and video games, zombie costumes jumped from number 22 last year to number nine on children’s top costume list and from number seven to four on the adult list.
Americans are expected to spend $2.5 billion on Halloween costumes this year, according to an NRF survey, forking over $1 billion on children’s costumes, $1.2 billion on adult costumes, and $310 million on pet costumes. The average person will spend $72.31 on Halloween candy, costumes and décor, bringing total spending to $6.86 billion – the most in the survey’s nine-year history.
“Halloween isn’t just for kids anymore, as adults are just as likely to get in on the fun with clever, unique costumes,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “With Halloween falling on a Monday, restaurants and retailers will benefit as many Americans celebrate all weekend long.”
As in previous years, traditional costumes still rank as consumer favorites. Witches (13.4%) will be the top choice for adults while pirates (3.9%) and vampires (3.7%) win out thanks to popular television, movie and pop-culture characters. Batman (2.2%), cats (2.2%) and vixens (2.1%) will also be popular with adults this year.
Even though Halloween is one month away, over 46 million children are already planning their specific costume. Pint-sized princesses (11%) continue their seven-year reign as the top children’s costume while other top choices for kids include Spiderman (3.1%), Batman (2.4%) and Superman (1.3%). Additionally, fairies (2.6%), Disney princesses (2.2%) and vampires (2.4%) made the top 10 for children.
Man’s best friend is also getting into the Halloween spirit this year. Like last year, the most popular pet costume will be a pumpkin (10.7%), with devils (8.1%) and hot dogs (6.0%) following closely behind. Ironically, some pet owners also plan to dress their pet up like a cat (3.7%) or a dog (2.0%).
| Top Adult Costumes | Top Children’s Costumes | Top Pet Costumes |
| 1. Witch | 1. Princess | 1. Pumpkin |
| 2. Pirate | 2. Witch | 2. Devil |
| 3. Vampire | 3. Spiderman | 3. Hot dog |
| 4. Zombie | 4. Pirate | 4. Bee |
| 5. Batman Character | 5. Pumpkin | 5. Cat |
| 6. Cat | 6. Fairy | 6. Witch |
| 7. Vixen | 7. Action/Super hero | 7. Bowties/Fancy Collars/Bandanas |
| 8. Ghost | 8(T). Batman | 8. Pirate |
| 9. Nurse | 8(T). Vampire | 9. Dog |
| 10. Scary Costume/Mask | 9(T). Disney Princess | 10. Ghost |
| 9(T). Zombies | ||
| 10. Star Wars Characters |
About the Survey
NRF’s 2011 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the Halloween season. The poll of 9,374 consumers was conducted from September 6 – 14, 2011. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent.
BIGresearch consumer intelligence provides analysis of behavior in areas of products and services, retail, financial services, automotive and media. The BIGresearch Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey (CIA) of 8,000+ respondents is conducted monthly and the Simultaneous Media Usage® Survey (SIMM®) of 15,000+ respondents is conducted semi-annually.
As the world’s largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF’s global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry partners from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. In the U.S., NRF represents an industry that includes more than 3.6 million establishments and which directly and indirectly accounts for 42 million jobs – one in four U.S. jobs. The total U.S. GDP impact of retail is $2.5 trillion annually, and retail is a daily barometer of the health of the nation’s economy.