The most popular Halloween Costume the year you were born

0:03 Hello, I'm Johnny Mac with five good news Halloween stories. Spirit Halloween has released its annual report on Halloween costume trends. Kim is an executive vice president of Spirit Halloween, and Kim tells us people... Often asked, can we predict Halloween trends? The reality is we're watching them develop all year long.

0:30 From blockbuster entertainment and gaming to social media nostalgia, our team is constantly tracking what's capturing attention. This year, what people are into come from franchises like Toy Story, K-Pop Demon Hunters, Spider-Man, The Backrooms, and Fortnite. And that's all on top of Halloween staples like Monsters, Slasher Villains, Knights, and Dragons. You might already be late. 70% of shoppers buy their Halloween items before September, including decorations, candy, and costumes.

0:58 One Home Depot store manager says the company's 12-foot skeleton is now often sold out before Labor Day. I was at a Home Depot, I think, in August, and I saw one, and I thought about buying one. I may be too late myself. I don't have a costume yet. Do you? Does your dog? Well, here's how pets are dressing up for Halloween in 2026. Whitney is a pet lifestyle expert for Chewy. Whitney explains, by the time Halloween rolls around, most people are leaning into the fall season.

1:25 Think pumpkin carving, cozy sweaters, and dogs. Pets already give us so much joy, she says, so it makes sense that pet parents are choosing costumes on the funnier side. Wigs are one pet costume category growing in popularity. Another thing breaking out is a baked potato costume. She explains, pet parents lovingly compare their pets to potatoes all the time.

1:46 They do. I don't think I've ever done that, whether it's because of their coloring shape or just their overall vibe. That's why Chewy has a new baked potato costume. She explains Halloween enthusiasts are game for costume and they love to lean into a full get up. However, we're seeing a rise in simpler options to some of those simpler options or things like glow in the dark collars, wings, capes, headpieces.

2:07 Many of our most popular styles fit more like a harness with adjustable bands that help keep them secure without feeling too bulky. Pets should be able to move around freely in their costumes. If you notice that they look frozen, start pacing, move awkwardly, or try to take the costume off, that's a sign they're uncomfortable. Now, what was the most common Halloween costume the year you were born? I've got some data for you. We're going to take our time with this. Things have changed over the years. Back in the day, in the 50s, you might go as a cowboy or maybe Mickey Mouse, and then maybe go a little later in time as Marilyn Monroe or Elvis or whatever.

2:40 If you're my age, Spider-Man or Darth Vader. And then if you're younger than me, Captain Jack Sparrow. All right, let's do it by year. I'm going to fly through this, and I'm not going to do like the last 150 years. Let's start in 1950. I don't know how old you are listening to my podcast, but I appreciate you. 1950, cowboy. 51, Tarzan. 52, Don Lockwood. I don't know what that is, and I don't have time to look it up. 53, Mickey Mouse. 54, Batman. 55, Davy Crockett. 56, Anna Leon Owens. I don't know. 57, Frankenstein.

3:09 Then Zorro, Marilyn Monroe, Hula Girl, Holly Golightly in 61, Rocky and Bullwinkle in 62, Elizabeth Taylor in 63, Your Choice of the Beatles in 64. 1965, Sonny and Cher. I didn't realize they were around that early. Barbie in 66. then Morticia Adams, Rosemary Woodhouse, Astronaut in 1969, that tracks, Elvis, Willy Wonka, Don Corleone in 72, Marsha Brady in 73, Nixon, Dr. Frankenfurter, Charlie's Angels in 76, Anything Star Wars in 77, that tracks, now I'm a kid here, this is my wheelhouse, 78, Michael Myers, 79, Rocky Balboa, 1980, John Travolta, 81, Indiana Jones, 82, E.T., 83, Michael Jackson, 84, Madonna, 85, Freddy Krueger. Then California Raisins, ALF, Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, Marty McFly, Terminators, Barney, Power Rangers, Bart Simpson in 94,

4:07 Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunn in 95, then the Spice Girls, Austin Powers, Ghostface, Neo, Britney Spears, 2001, Harry Potter, then Spider-Man, Captain Jack, SpongeBob, Darth Vader returns in 2005, So you're now 22 years old. If you're younger than that, there's a list online. You know how to find it. All right, out of Chicago, they're asking, what's creepier than Lower Wacker? No, not Lower Lower Wacker. And if you've been to Chicago and you've ever tried to use a GPS and you find yourself on Lower Lower Wacker, good luck. Nope, the answer is First Lady's Creepy Cruise. It is a Halloween-themed cruise down the Chicago River offering 90 minutes of after-dark skyline views paired with disturbing stories of Chicago's worst serial killers, gangsters,

4:50 and ghosts. A staff member with a skeleton mask will welcome you on board. Then you will hear some bone-chilling boarding songs from horror movies. A tour guide will then share several true stories that took place at some of the skyline's most notable landmarks. For example, the Reed-Murdock building was used as a morgue after Chicago's worst maritime disaster in 1915. Yikes. First Lady's Creepy Cruise runs on Fridays, Saturdays, and select Thursdays and Sundays through November 1st. And all that makes me want to awkwardly transition to a donut. Mmm, donuts.

5:23 Krispy Kreme getting in on the Halloween thing. They have announced the Looney Tunes Halloween Collection. Four new donuts, all inspired by and decked out with images of your favorite Looney Tunes characters. Not sure what's Halloween about this yet, but you can get Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Taz, Sylvester, and Lola Bunny. Let's see if we can Halloween these up.

5:42 The Bugs Bunny donut is an unglazed shell donut with chocolate cream piped inside with a Bugs Bunny vampire sugar piece on top. Okay, bit of a stretch, but I like a good donut. The Tweety and Sylvester donut is an original glazed donut dipped in candy corn flavored icing and a confetti sprinkle. All right, that works. The Taz donut is an unglazed shell donut with Oreo cookies and cream inside and a Taz mummy sugar piece. Hmm. Bit of a stretch. The Lola Bunny donut is an original glazed donut with a purple buttercream-flavored swirl, gold stars, and a Lola Bunny sugar piece to top it off. So, I don't know. Sounds like you just stick a sugar piece on top of anything and call it Halloween and it's a day. But then again, I'll eat it. And

6:24 those are your five good news stories for today. Have an awesome day.