Kids, Adults Stalk Perfect Halloween Costume

OMAHA, Neb. -- Do you have your Halloween costume yet? The ghoulish day is one of America's favorite family holidays, ranking second only to Christmas in an online survey by FamilyFun.com.

What's more, many families begin planning for the spook-fest months in advance and prefer homemade costumes.

Still, the National Retail Federation says 53.3 percent of consumers plan to buy a costume for Halloween and will spend an average of $31.88 on that purchase. An estimated $3.3 billion will be spent on the holiday, making Halloween the sixth-largest spending holiday of the year.

At Nobbies, an Omaha party store, one hot Halloween item is motion-activated toys that run between $10 and $20, reported television station KETV in Omaha.

Super-sized decorations are also selling. A 12-foot hanging ghoul will set you back about $200 and won't even double as a costume.

When you're ready to choose a costume, Nobbies' Chris Kron said pirates are hot this year.

Kayla Hasenjager and her sister, Amy, were searching Nobbies for new costumes under $25. Kayla liked a $25 Spiderella outfit, which is one of Nobbies' biggest sellers. She then decided on a $12 robe, which she plans to incorporate into a grim reaper costume. Amy settled on a $30 rainbow sorceress costume.

Meanwhile, an online survey of 500 people conducted by international thrift store chain Savers Inc. found "celebrity" as the No. 1 costume type consumers will be sporting this year.

But although looking rich and famous is key for over 30 percent of this year's respondents, spending a lot of dough isn't. Nearly 41 percent plan on spending between $20 and $40.

"There's definitely a focus on Hollywood this year," Michelle Dutkewych, of Savers, said in a news release. "Willy Wonka and leading men (such as Brad Pitt) are very popular among men, while socialites (Paris Hilton) and starlets are trendy for women."

The National Retail Federation echoed the findings, listing its top Halloween costumes for adults as witches (3.9 million), vampires (1.45 million) and celebrities (784,625).

"For many adults, creating the perfect costume is a competitive sport," said Phil Rist, of BIGresearch, which conducted the federation's survey. "Retailers are refocusing their merchandising strategies to take advantage of young adults' eagerness to celebrate Halloween."

The National Retail Federation also found that nearly one-third of all adults and more than half of 18- to 24-year-olds are planning to dress in costume this Halloween.

But timeless favorites will rule the holiday, according to the National Retail Federation, which found that 3.78 million children plan to dress up as a princess on Oct. 31, making it the most popular Halloween costume for kids this year. Full List: Top Costumes For 2005

Other popular costumes this year will include Star Wars characters (2.07 million children), witches (1.66 million), and Spider-man (1.44 million).

Internet retailer CostumeUniverse.com said that, based on its September sales, the Wonder Woman costume has been the superhero seller, second only to the Star Wars Clone Trooper costume.

"Wonder Woman appeared out of nowhere to let it be known that she is throwing her golden lasso in the hat for the fight to reign as the Queen of Halloween," said Robert LeRoux, president of CostumeUniverse.com.

LeRoux said Wonder Woman is competing with heavy-weight characters from blockbuster movies such as "Star Wars," "Spider-man," "Batman" and even "Napoleon Dynamite."