Families and households all throughout the country are preparing for Halloween festivities right now.
Candy and trick-or-treating are Halloween mainstays, while the decorations and costumes that celebrants gravitate toward change each year based on pop culture trends and consumer demand.
The Halloween & Costume Association, a New Jersey-based trade organization focused on promoting the celebration of Halloween nationwide, has identified a list of Halloween decorations and costumes that are on track, reportedly, to be popular this season.
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In a news release, the association said "Halloweekend celebrations" will be hosted from Friday, Oct. 28, to Monday, Oct. 31.
That's led analysts to project that Halloween spending will reach a record $10.6 billion.
"With a four-day celebration on the horizon, we expect to see multiple festivities throughout the long weekend which may require additional decorations and a costume change or two," said Gregor Lawson, the Halloween & Costume Association’s chairman, in a statement.
"This year is promising to be the ‘return to normal’ that we’ve all been waiting for," he continued.
Here’s a sample of the decorations and costumes Americans can expect to see over Halloween weekend.
The Halloween & Costume Association reports that "larger-than-life animated pieces," skeletons and spooky staples are seeing increased sales.
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The large decorations that are making a statement in homes and yards throughout the country are an eight-foot skeleton with projection eyes, a 7.5-foot werewolf with an animatronic head, jaw arms and a noisemaking 10-foot Grim Reaper with a turning head.
"Larger-than-life animated pieces are not only trending this year but are expected to grow exponentially over the coming years," the Halloween & Costume Association said, in a statement.
Skeleton figures are another Halloween décor standout among consumers as "more varieties have come to life this year," according to the association.
The skeleton figures that are trending this Halloween season include poseable skeletons and unique combinations, such as a life-size two-headed skeleton, a life-size mermaid skeleton and skeletons modeled after animals or other mythical creatures, including dogs, dragons, dinosaurs and unicorns.
"Halloween enthusiasts are incorporating many smaller skeleton accessories into their outdoor scenes," the Halloween & Costume Association said, in a statement.
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Spooky-themed décor staples are continuing to sell, the association added.
Examples include fright tape, mice, creepy creatures, light-up ghosts and skeletons, yard signs, gel stickers and window clings.
"Very basic, core items … are experiencing huge increases in sales over last year as well," the Halloween & Costume Association said in its statement.
The same association reports that American consumers will gravitate toward pop culture icons, "classic fun," nostalgia and anime for their Halloween costumes.
Popular toys, video games and movies will reportedly inspire people, including Barbie, Huggy Wuggy from Poppy Playtime, Mirabel from Disney’s "Encanto" and the Sanderson Sisters from Disney+’s "Hocus Pocus 2," Miramax’s "Scream," Paramount Pictures’ "Top Gun."
Costumes based on streamable shows, comic books and celebrities will also be prevalent over Halloween weekend, including Netflix’s "Stranger Things" and "Squid Game," Apple TV+’s "Ted Lasso," DC Comics’ superhero character Black Adam and Elvis, according to the Halloween & Costume Association.
"Pop culture references will be huge this year," the Halloween & Costume Association said in a statement.
The association noted that couples, families and groups are looking for humorous costumes that are based on "classic fun."
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That includes the Sazerac Company’s licensed Fireball Whisky couple costume and "The Price is Right" game show contestant costume pack for four.
Nostalgic costumes will have a "big influence" this season with "Ghostbusters," "The Addams Family," and "Dracula" being three notable standouts, according to Halloween & Costume Association.
The association said werewolves and characters from Universal Classic Monsters (the Universal Pictures horror film franchises from 1930s to the 1950s) will make an impression.
Additional items to make an impression include the "usual suspects" such as princesses, superheroes and witches.
Anime costumes will continue to grow in popularity with homemade and store-bought creations that involve accessories like wigs, shoes, weapons and contact lenses.
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"With the continuous growth of the Anime industry ($25 billion), cosplayers and DIYers are carving out a place in the Halloween costume market as well this year," the Halloween & Costume Association said in a statement.
