Horror characters and viral toys lead Halloween costume search trends

A horror-movie unicorn and viral stress toys lead this year's rising Halloween costume searches in the United States, The Korea Times reported. Total Halloween spending is projected to reach a record $13.5 billion.

The search trends show how movies, games and internet culture are supplying costume ideas, but they do not establish which outfits are most popular. Traditional choices remain prominent, particularly among children, according to the National Retail Federation survey cited by The Korea Times.

Buddy the Unicorn, a character from the horror film Buddy, ranks first on Google's 2026 Frightgeist list, according to The Korea Times. NeeDoh stress toys place second, followed by Nikki from the horror film Obsession.

The list tracks the largest increases in costume searches, rather than overall popularity. Its rankings therefore describe shifts in search interest, not a tally of the costumes Americans will wear.

Other searches gaining attention include Agamemnon from The Odyssey, Lily Love Braids from Poppy Playtime and Verity from Minecraft, the newspaper reported. The mix draws costume inspiration from both movies and video games.

The National Retail Federation's annual survey projects $4.4 billion in costume spending within the overall Halloween total. About 74% of Americans plan to celebrate, while half expect to dress up, according to the figures reported by The Korea Times.

Shopping plans also reflect the use of artificial intelligence. The survey found that 47% of consumers are using AI tools to help with Halloween shopping, including generating ideas and researching products.

Even as new characters gain search attention, witches, superheroes and princesses remain prominent costume choices, particularly for children, according to the federation's findings reported by The Korea Times.