Witch Tops NRF’s Adult Costume List for 11th Year in a Row
Little yellow Minions, pint-size Yodas and pretty pink princesses are planning a takeover this Halloween as consumers’ costume decisions shed light on an epic year for pop-culture fanatics. According to NRF’s 2015 Halloween Consumer Top Costumes Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, Minions and “Star Wars” characters each made an appearance on all three top costume lists – adults, children's and pets.
"Hollywood and pop culture both have a tremendous impact on how adults and their children decide to dress the part each Halloween."
“As we’ve seen for several years, Hollywood and pop culture both have a tremendous impact on how adults and their children decide to dress the part each Halloween, and it’s evident some of the biggest newsmakers of the year will be out in full force this fall,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.
Maintaining their 11 year reign, princess costumes will once again top the children’s costume list with an estimated 3.2 million tiny tots looking to dress the part. Another 2 million will be their favorite Disney “Frozen” character. Additionally, more than 1.8 million children will don a “Star Wars” costume and 1 million will select a little yellow Minion costume as they take to the streets this Halloween.
For the 11th year in a row, a witch came in as the top adult costume with more than 4.3 million adults going with old reliable. “Star Wars” characters ranked 5th for adults this year after tying for 12th last year: 1.4 million adults will channel Han Solo, Princess Leia, Yoda or another beloved “Star Wars” character this Halloween. Animal characters (2.4 million), “Batman” characters (2 million) and zombie (1.9 million) round out the topfive adult costumes.
Additionally, 774,000 adults chose a political character as their preferred costume this year.
About one in 10 Halloween celebrants (12.9%) plan to dress their furry friends in costumes this year, and of the 80 percent of those surveyed who have already selected the costume, most (10.6%) will choose a little round pumpkin for Kitty and Rover. Additionally, several pet owners will opt to put their four-legged friend in a “Star Wars” (8th on the list) or Minion costume (11th).
“It’s easier than ever for consumers to find creative Halloween costumes given the popularity of Pinterest and Instagram and the immediate access to pop culture trends,” said Prosper Insights Principal Analyst Pam Goodfellow. “It’s always a nice surprise to see what tops the lists each year and to see just how creative people will get when it comes to what their own and even their pets' costumes.”
NRF 2015 Top Costumes Survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics.
About the survey
NRF’s 2015 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 6,754 consumers was conducted from September 1-8, 2015. The consumer polls have a margin of error of +/- 1.2 percentage points.
Prosper Insights and Analytics delivers executives timely, consumer-centric insights from multiple sources. As a comprehensive resource of information, Prosper represents the voice of the consumer and provides knowledge to marketers regarding consumer views on the economy, personal finance, retail, lifestyle, media and domestic and world issues. www.ProsperDiscovery.com
As the world’s largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF represents retailers of all types and sizes, including chain restaurants and industry partners, from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. Retailers operate more than 3.6 million U.S. establishments that support one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy. NRF’s This is Retail campaign highlights the industry’s opportunities for life-long careers, how retailers strengthen communities, and the critical role that retail plays in driving innovation. www.nrf.com
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