Party Themes & MotifsNo. 8392 · The 2026 edition
Top 2016 Halloween Trends
Want to know what scared everyone in 2016? Check out the top Halloween trends that ruled the season!
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at web.archive.org.
2016 brought a mix of nostalgic and fresh Halloween trends, from spooky decor to popular costumes. This roundup highlights the top themes, including classic horror movie characters, creative DIY makeup tutorials, and must-try recipes for creepy cocktails and treats. Whether you're hosting a party or trick-or-treating, these trends will keep your Halloween on point.
About this
A National Retail Federation SlideShare deck (published Sep 22, 2016) summarizing 2016 U.S. Halloween consumer spending and celebration trends from Prosper Insights surveys. It presents historical spending figures, activity participation rates, shopping and costume-inspiration channels, gender splits, and ranked top-10 costume lists for children, adults by age group, and pets. The deck reports $8.4 billion in expected total spending and an average planned outlay of $82.93 per shopper.
The list
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01
Action / Superhero
Children's top 10; dethroned Princess after an 11-year reign
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02
Princess
Children's top 10 costume
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03
Animal (Cat, Dog, Lion, Monkey, etc.)
Children's top 10 costume
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04
Batman Character
Children's top 10 costume
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05
Star Wars Character
Children's top 10 costume
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06
Witch / DC Superhero (excl. Batman)
Children's top 10 costume
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07
Frozen Character (Anna, Elsa, Olaf)
Children's top 10 costume
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08
Marvel Superhero (excl. Spider-Man)
Children's top 10 costume
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09
Zombie
Children's top 10 costume
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10
Spider-Man
Children's top 10; part of a tie
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01
Batman Character (Batman, Harley Quinn, The Joker, etc.)
Adults 18-34 top 10 costume
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02
Witch
Adults 18-34 top 10 costume
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03
Animal (Cat, Dog, Bunny, etc.)
Adults 18-34 top 10 costume
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04
Marvel Superhero (Deadpool, Spider-Man, etc.) / DC Superhero (Wonder Woman, Superman, excl. Batman)
Adults 18-34 top 10; tied entry
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05
Vampire
Adults 18-34 top 10 costume
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06
Video Game Character
Adults 18-34 top 10 costume
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07
Slasher Movie Villain (Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, etc.)
Adults 18-34 top 10 costume
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08
Pirate
Adults 18-34 top 10 costume
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09
Star Wars Character
Adults 18-34 top 10 costume
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10
Zombie
Adults 18-34 top 10; part of a tie
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01
Witch
Adults 35+ top 10 costume
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02
Pirate
Adults 35+ top 10 costume
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03
Political (Trump, Clinton, etc.)
Adults 35+ top 10; trending strongly with this group
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04
Vampire
Adults 35+ top 10 costume
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05
Batman Character (Batman, Catwoman, etc.)
Adults 35+ top 10 costume
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06
Animal (Cat, Dog, Bunny, etc.)
Adults 35+ top 10 costume
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07
DC Superhero (Superman, Wonder Woman, excl. Batman) / Star Wars Character
Adults 35+ top 10; tied entry
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08
Ghost / Zombie
Adults 35+ top 10 costume
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09
Scary Costume / Mask
Adults 35+ top 10 costume
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10
Marvel Superhero (Iron Man, Hulk, Spider-Man, etc.)
Adults 35+ top 10; part of a tie
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01
Pumpkin
Pet top 10; perennial favorite
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02
Hot Dog
Pet top 10; perennial favorite
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03
Bumble Bee
Pet top 10 costume
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04
Lion / Star Wars Character
Pet top 10; Lion moved up from 16th in 2015
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05
Devil
Pet top 10 costume
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06
Batman Character
Pet top 10 costume
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07
Witch
Pet top 10 costume
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08
Superman
Pet top 10 costume
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09
Action / Superhero
Pet top 10 costume
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10
Cat
Pet top 10; part of a tie
Facts from the original
- Total Halloween spending has grown 12% year-over-year.
- Total combined Halloween spending in 2016 is expected to reach $8.4 billion.
- Total Halloween spending by year (billions): 2005 $3.3, 2006 $5, 2007 $5.1, 2008 $5.8, 2009 $4.8, 2010 $5.8, 2011 $6.9, 2012 $8, 2013 $7, 2014 $7.4, 2015 $6.9, 2016 $8.4.
- Halloween shoppers plan to spend an average of $82.93 in 2016, up from $74.34 in 2015.
- 67% of the average Halloween budget will be spent on costumes and candy.
- 2016 average spend by category: costumes (including children's and pets') $31.03, candy $24.43, decorations $23.62, greeting cards $3.84.
- 171 million Americans plan to celebrate Halloween in 2016.
- Percent of people planning to celebrate Halloween by year: 2005 52.5%, 2006 63.8%, 2007 58.7%, 2008 64.5%, 2009 62.1%, 2010 63.8%, 2011 68.6%, 2012 71.5%, 2013 65.8%, 2014 66.7%, 2015 64.0%, 2016 69.1%.
- 2016 celebration activities: hand out candy 70.9%, decorate home/yard 48.6%, dress in costume 47.1%, carve a pumpkin 45.5%, throw/attend a party 34.1%, take children trick-or-treating 29.7%, visit a haunted house 20.9%, dress your pet(s) in costume 16.2%.
