Business of Halloween 2010
After a very scary 2009, U.S. retailers might breathe a bit easier this year because Halloween spending is set to bounce back to 2008 levels, according to data compiled by the National Retail Federation (NRF).
About 148 million Americans will celebrate the holiday this year, and the average person will spend $66.28 on costumes, candy, and decorations—up from $56.31 last year. Total expenditures for the holiday should reach some $5.8 billion, a billion dollars more than 2009.
"We do think that consumers will be looking for creative ways to celebrate Halloween. While not breaking the bank they are investing a little bit of money into their fun this year," said NRF spokesperson Kathy Grannis.
Costumes consume the biggest part of the United States' Halloween dollars ($23.37 per person), followed closely by candy and decorations.
What an Average American Will Spend on Halloween in 2010
• Halloween Costumes: $23.37
• Halloween Candy: $20.29
• Decorations: $18.66
• Greeting Cards: $3.95
When it comes to costumes, the NRF survey found that about 40 percent of Americans will be dressing up—a total of almost 120 million kids, adults, and pets.
"We're expecting to see more people dress up in costume than ever before," said Grannis, noting costume variety has increased dramatically.
"We're seeing costumes of every type in stores right now and also more types of stores selling costumes," she said.
Grannis reported that in 2010 both kids and adults are leaning heavily toward traditional costumes such as princess and pirate getups.
But 2010 will bring trendy costumes as well, even if they don't make the annual top ten costume lists.
"We still hear from hundreds of thousands of people who have indicated that the nontraditional, Lady Gaga-type costume is something that they will be experimenting with this year. We've heard reports of disgruntled airline-employee costumes, from the incident this summer," Grannis said.
"I think pop culture will again play a very large role in how people decide to dress up."
Ten Most Popular Adults' Halloween 2010 Costumes
1. Witch
2. Vampire
3. Pirate
4. Nurse
5. Wench/Tart/Vixen
6. Cat
7. Zombie
8. Fairy
9. Athlete/Batman (Tie)
10. Dracula
Ten Most Popular Children's Halloween 2010 Costumes
1. Princess
2. Spider-Man
3. Witch
4. Pirate
5. Disney Princess
6. Action/Super Hero
7. Ghost
8. Pumpkin/Vampire (Tie)
9. Batman
10. Star Wars Character
Halloween costumes aren't just for people—a surprising 11.5 percent of U.S. pets get into the act as well. This year the lion's share of costumed U.S. pets will appear as either pumpkins (10.3%) or devils (9.7%).
Halloween Cards
Americans give about 35 million Halloween greeting cards a year, with the most popular variety being grandparent-to-grandchild.
The first Halloween cards that can detect in the U.S. were produced in 1908.
Halloween Sugar Rush
There are some 36 million potential trick-or-treaters (children aged 5 to 13) in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
In 2009 the average American consumed 24.3 pounds of candy, much of it during the Halloween season, according to census data.
Great Pumpkins
Far from the pumpkin's native Central America, chilly Illinois produces most of the United States' pumpkins.
Illinois produced some 429 million pounds of pumpkins in 2009, while California and Ohio each produced at least a hundred million pounds according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Together the nation's major pumpkin-producing states grew 931 million pounds of pumpkins, worth about $103 million.
Fall 2010 saw a new "world's heaviest pumpkin" crowned, which was harvested earlier this year and confirmed by Guinness World Records. New Richmond, Wisconsin farmer Chris Stevens grew a 1,811-pound behemoth, which is on display until Halloween at the Bronx Botanical Gardens in New York City. The fruit has a circumference of more than 15 feet.
About 90 percent of a pumpkin's weight is from water. While growing, a champion pumpkin can add 40 pounds a day and reach roughly the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.
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