COSTUME TRENDS
Kids choosing movie-inspired costumes this Halloween
October 8, 2008
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Jennifer Wilson-Speedy
Trick-or-treaters are clamouring for capes, longing for lightsabers and wishing for Indy’s whip when picking out their costumes this Halloween.
A summer packed with superhero blockbusters means licensed costumes are among the hottest picks for All Hallows Eve, says Heidi Loney, owner of Toronto-based online costume shop Ms. Dress-Up.
Kids “love the whole adventure thing,” she says.
The release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars has brought Luke, Leia and Darth Vader back to the top of kid’s costume requests, while Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has made the famed archaeologist’s whip, satchel and fedora cool again.
“Anything Indiana Jones is flying off the shelves” at internet costume, decoration and party supply retailer BuyCostumes.com, says director of marketing Karen Van Ert.
“We’re having a hard time keeping the satchel in (stock).”
Van Ert says that while Indy is their hottest costume for boys this year, this summer’s release of The Dark Knight means anything Batman related has also been a big hit. It’s so popular that the online shop carries more than 15 variations of the Batman costume, as well as the movie’s villain the Joker.
Transformers have also been popular at BuyCostumes.com, while Loney says Harry Potter, Power Rangers and the Incredible Hulk are selling well at Ms. Dress-Up.
“Boys like to be brave and cool” for Halloween, says Loney, while “girls tend to be more princess-y and pretty.”
While some girls are picking up on the superhero trend, she says their choices this year are largely traditional.
Girls this year are choosing “the same classic costume ideas you’ve always seen,” agrees Van Ert, noting that the company’s prettier witch costumes, such as candy corn witches and fairy tale witches are very popular.
At Toronto’s Kids Costumes, the “old favourites” remain a hot seller, with girls gravitating towards High School Musical-inspired costumes.
“The 50s are always a big thing” for girls, says the shop’s Denise Syls, who has also found that boys are favouring licensed costumes like Batman, Darth Vader and Indiana Jones.
For younger children, “the animals are always a big thing, and they’re warmer,” says Syls.
The “cute, cuddly animal costumes,” particularly the monkeys, have also remained popular at BuyCostumes.com, says Van Ert, though some parents are also choosing to follow the trends and are dressing their babies and toddlers up as superheroes.
Loney says she’s seen a move towards dinosaur and reptile costumes for the younger set.
“Parents are kind of getting away from the cute and cuddly,” she says.
While superheroes, witches and reptiles are gaining in popularity, some of the trends from previous years have started to wane in 2008, including the ever-present pirate, a classic costume that skyrocketed with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
“Pirates are really out this year,” says Loney, while at BuyCostumes.com Van Ert says the marauders of the high seas have “waned slightly” in popularity for boys, but remain a popular option for girls and adults.
Van Ert says she has seen a drop in Hannah Montana and High School Musical costumes, “we’re still selling them, they’re just not as hot as they were previously.”
And, while the popularity of the other summer superheroes has been soaring, Loney says kids aren’t going for Iron Man gear.
“I thought that would be really big, but I haven’t really had any bites for that,” she says.
At all three shops, the women say now is the time to ensure your little superhero is dressed just right this year.
‘“Parents should be shopping now to guarantee they get the costume they want,” says Van Ert, adding that the company has an e-mail notification system to alert parents when something out of stock, like Indy’s satchel, becomes available. BuyCostumes.com’s standard shipping to Canada takes three to eight business days (other options are available).
At Ms. Dress-Up, Loney says popular costumes start to sell out around Thanksgiving and it becomes more difficult to restock in time for trick-or-treating. She urges parents to lock down choices before the holiday to ensure their kids get the costume they want.
Syls agrees, saying that at Kids Costumes, business starts to pick up in mid-September and as October wears on, parents end up picking up more “run of the mill costumes” such as ninjas and “the good old standbys, the gruesome things.”