Every October I tell myself I’ll pick a costume early. Every October I end up scrolling trend lists at 11 p.m. two days before a party. So this year I did the scrolling for you, and I only kept what the data actually says.
Quick heads up: some of this year’s picks are wonderfully weird. A squishy stress toy made the top two. I’m not kidding.
What are the top trending Halloween costumes of 2026?
Google launched its yearly Frightgeist site on October 14, and its own blog sums up the mood as “horror movie characters, TV and movie favorites, country legends, and some out-of-the-box ideas (stress balls?!).” Here’s the top 10 trending costume searches, as reported by KTLA:
- Buddy the Unicorn (from the horror movie Buddy)
- NeeDoh, the squishy sensory toy
- Nikki from Obsession
- Agamemnon from The Odyssey
- Lily Love Braids from Poppy Playtime
- Oliver Tree
- Verity from the Minecraft horror series
- Carl from Dungeon Crawler Carl
- Disco Scooby Doo
- Hazel Hook from Descendants
A couple of details I loved. Google says searches for “Buddy unicorn costume” passed “kids unicorn costume” for the first time in September. And “Agamemnon costume” is being searched three times more than “Penelope costume,” even though Anne Hathaway plays Penelope. Benny Safdie’s armor wins, apparently.
Just one thing worth noting. Frightgeist tracks what’s trending — so it shows what’s spiking, not what’s the biggest overall. That’s exactly why a squishy toy can beat Spider-Man.
Is K-Pop Demon Hunters still a popular costume this year?
Oh, very much. If you look at total search volume instead of spikes, it’s the clear winner. A CSGOGem study covered by BroadwayWorld looked at Google Keyword Planner data from September 2025 to August 2026 and found 1,678,860 US searches for K-Pop Demon Hunters costumes. Harley Quinn came second with 652,130. That’s not close.
Rumi, the lead, ranked third on her own with 621,870 searches. The film topped the list in all 50 states, and Utah searched for it the most per person. I didn’t see that one coming.
Spirit Halloween expects the fandom to carry into another Halloween too, and the National Retail Federation says the demon hunters held their spot in the top 10 kids’ costumes.
What are the best couples costumes for Halloween 2026?
Frightgeist has a duo list this year, and it’s a fun mix of nostalgia and new stuff. The top pick is Disco Scooby and Shaggy. After that:
- Cyclops and Jean Grey from X-Men
- Nikki and Bear from Obsession
- J.Lo and Maverick, plus Hannah and Garrett, both from Off Campus
- Ricky Bobby and Carley Bobby from Talladega Nights
- Wall-E and Eve
Personally? Ricky Bobby is the move. You need a racing suit, some sponsor patches and total confidence. That’s it.
Spirit Halloween also flagged varsity jackets and collegiate looks as a big trend, partly driven by Off Campus. An old letterman jacket sitting in a closet basically gets you halfway to a full look.
Kids costumes people are looking up for Halloween 2026
This list surprised me. Google’s top kid costume searches lean heavily toward music stars. Dolly Parton is number one, followed by Ella Langley, Dumpling, Shakira and Oliver Tree. Ash Ketchum, Hannah Montana, Spider-Gwen, “Thriller”-era Michael Jackson and Pomni from The Amazing Digital Circus round out the 10.
The NRF’s survey tells a more classic story. Spider-Man is still the top children’s costume, with a generic “superhero” in second. So you’ll probably see both a mini Dolly and a dozen Spider-Men at your door. You’ll see a whole mix of looks on a trick-or-treat night.
Quick DIY Halloween costume ideas for 2026
The nice thing about 2026 is that several trending looks are mostly clothes you could already own.
- Nikki from Obsession. Google says “red zebra halter top” was searched more than ever after the movie came out. Add leather shorts and boots and you’re done.
- Disco Scooby Doo. The top search here was literally “green and red disco outfit.” Thrift store, glitter, go.
- Dolly Parton. A big blonde wig, a bit of rhinestone and some fringe. It works for kids and adults.
- NeeDoh. My own take: a solid-color hoodie, a round stuffed shape and a lot of commitment. Nobody’s got a rulebook for dressing as a stress ball.
The NRF also found Gen Z cares more about “niche and unique” costumes than the average shopper, so a homemade Verity or Carl might get more love at a party than anything off the rack.
FAQ
What is the number one trending Halloween costume in 2026?
On Google’s Frightgeist list, it’s Buddy the Unicorn from the horror film Buddy. By total yearly searches, K-Pop Demon Hunters leads, according to the CSGOGem study.
How much are people spending on Halloween costumes this year?
The NRF expects costume spending to reach $4.4 billion, with 71% of people planning to buy one.
Are pet costumes still a thing?
Yep. The NRF says 23% of people plan to dress up their pets, up from 17% in 2019. Google’s top trending pet costume is, for some reason, a centipede.