By James Gesell & Elizabeth Panchyk
According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, plans to celebrate Halloween are up this year compared with last and are close to pre-pandemic levels. Although this will be the second Halloween we celebrate during a pandemic, costumes are still an important factor in carrying on the seasonal spirit. In fact, total spending on costumes is the highest it has been since 2017 at $3.32 billion.
The NRF study found that of those planning to dress up for Halloween, nearly 69 percent of adults already know what their costume will be this year. More than 4.6 million plan to dress like a witch, followed by a vampire, ghost, cat and a pirate.
But if you’re looking for something unique to mark Halloween 2021, each year trends in pop culture influence the different kinds of costumes people wear. We take a look at what’s trending this year that might be the best fit for you.
One of the popular costumes of 2021 is the Among Us outfit, based on the fun detective App game that became overwhelmingly popular during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Choosing to dress up as an Among Us character is a great way to represent your love and commitment to the game. You can choose to be a number of different colors from this game, including yellow, blue or green. Just don’t go around being sus or you’ll be voted as the IMPOSTER!
Another trending costume for 2021 is suited for 90’s cartoon fans. The hit Cartoon Network TV show “The Powerpuff Girls'' was one the biggest shows of that decade. For Halloween this year, you will find lots of costumes for the main characters Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. However, if these don’t suit you, try dressing up as one of the villains such as Mojo Jojo, an evil green monkey.
As we’ve recently seen, Steve from the original “Blue's Clues” has come back to check in on us. This very well may be a great and easy costume idea for 2021. You can’t go wrong with his classic green-striped shirt and khakis. Bring a letter along with you because the mail never fails.
Everyone has been raving about Olivia Rodrigo’s new album “Sour,” since the debut of her song “Driver’s License.” You may choose to dress up in a cheerleader outfit and sing out “Good 4 U” at the top of your lungs or wear a headscarf and sunglasses as you get “Deja Vu.” It’s just another way of expressing how it’s been brutal out there this year.
The show “Outer Banks” first came out during quarantine, right at the height of Dalgona coffee and Zoom meetings. The second season came out just at the end of July. It’s pretty fair to say that everyone wants to live the Pogue life, so it’ll be no surprise if we see friend groups dressing as John B., J.J., Pope, Kie or Sarah this Halloween. There’s no better time to find the lost treasure than now.
Or make your own costume. Whatever you choose, have fun out there.