Minions, Star Wars Top Costume Lists

Leading brands to inspire top costume choices this Halloween.

Characters from Minions and Star Wars will be top costume choices for adults, children and pets alike this Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation's annual survey.

For the 11th year in a row, princess costumes will once again top the children’s costume list with an estimated 3.2 million tiny tots looking to dress the part. Another 2 million will celebrate as their favorite Disney Frozen character, while more than 1.8 million children plan to don a Star Wars costume and 1 million will select a Minions outfit.

Also for the 11th year in a row, witch costumes have topped the list for adults, with more than 4.3 million adults selecting this standard. Star Wars characters ranked fifth for adults this year after tying for 12th last year–1.4 million adults will channel Han Solo, Princess Leia, Yoda or another Star Wars character this Halloween. Animal characters (2.4 million), Batman characters (2 million) and zombie (1.9 million) round out the top five adult costumes.

“As we’ve seen for several years, Hollywood and pop culture both have a tremendous impact on how adults and their children decide to dress each Halloween, and it’s evident some of the biggest newsmakers of the year will be out in full force this fall,” says Matthew Shay, president and chief executive officer, NRF.

About one in 10 Halloween celebrants (12.9 percent) plan to dress their furry friends in costumes this year, and most (10.6 percent) will choose a pumpkin for the pet. Additionally, several pet owners will opt to put their four-legged friend in a Star Wars (8th on the list) or Minions costume (11th).