Here are the most popular Halloween costumes in Philadelphia this year

According to the National Retail Federation, people are expected to spend more money on Halloween than they did last year.

Trish Hartman Image
Friday, October 27, 2023
Here are the most popular Halloween costumes in Philadelphia this year
Here are the most popular Halloween costumes in Philadelphia this year

MOUNT LAUREL, New Jersey (WPVI) -- With so many Halloween costumes to choose from, sometimes it's hard to pick just one.

"With my boyfriend, we're doing Frankenstein and Frankenstein's bride. And then I'm also going to be a vampire," said Alexia Schulte of Palmyra, N.J., with a fresh set of vampire teeth in her bag.

At Halloween City in Mount Laurel, you can get scary decorations, costumes of course, and plenty of stuff for a haunted house.

Kate Nolan's cart was full of gross accessories. She works at the Wicoff House Museum in Plainsboro, N.J., which is hosting a haunted tour this weekend.

SEE ALSO: Check out these spooky spectacles around Philadelphia to celebrate Halloween

"I have some blood, and some bones and some scary faces just to finish everything off," said Nolan.

According to the National Retail Federation, people are expected to spend more money on Halloween than they did last year.

Total Halloween spending is expected to reach a record $12.2 billion, more than last year's record of $10.6 billion.

Per person, spending is also up. Consumers plan to spend a record $108 on each person, that's up about $6 from last year.

According to Frightgeist, which uses Google Trends, the most popular Halloween costumes in Philadelphia are:

  • Barbie
  • Princess
  • Spider-Man
  • Witch
  • Fairy
  • Wednesday Addams

Some of the costumes you see in stores are designed in Runnemede, N.J.

"Our product is sold worldwide in retail stores large and small," said Jodi Berman, co-owner of Rasta Imposta, which is known for quirky costumes like a utility pole or a ball pit.

While their headquarters is not usually open to the public, it will be open on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with costumes starting at $10.

"The product we're selling could be factory samples, it could be seconds. Sometimes it's a discontinued item that we can't sell anymore," said Berman. "We want to help and give back a little bit to the community. It's only the one or two days a year that we do open up."

People around here say they've noticed more people getting into the Halloween spirit.

"More people are going out probably in the past couple years now with COVID being over and stuff," said Jordan Flaquer of South Philadelphia. "So that might be it."

Candy spending will also be up and that's likely because it's more expensive.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, candy prices are up about 13% this year, partially due to a shortage of cocoa.