Halloween is becoming a bigger event around the world each year, opening up plenty of opportunities for marketers. New research from Pinterest identifies how pop culture and local culture can influence buying trends in the spookiest time of year.
Halloween is a major moment for Pinners around the world as they like to plan ahead, with searches around Halloween starting as early as May. This year, throwbacks and pop culture references are dominating, with characters from movies and series and ‘90s references trending on the platform.
The Pinterest 2019 Halloween Report indicates that plus-size Halloween costumes for women (+90%) Halloween wedding dresses (+217%) and ghost tattoos (+1008%) show people are searching for ways to make the most out of Halloween.
This year, TV programmes and films are trending and inspiring costumes and make-up across the globe. Whether it’s one of the hottest characters of today or a favourite from a more nostalgic time, Pinterest has you covered. Remakes are a thing in 2019, with classics such as The Powerpuff Girls, Toy Story, Spider-Man and Aladdin rounding out the top searches.
But Halloween is more than just costumes and make-up. Since May, Pinners have been searching for tattoos, games, art, weddings and more – all inspired by the spooky festivity.
Pinterest has provided data from its 2019 Halloween report to see this year’s top trending ideas.
Costumes
Globally, ‘mermaid’ is the most universally popular, but there is a still a strong influence by entertainment.
Top costume searches by those identifying as female:
- Powerpuff Girls
- Pirate
- Circus
- Stranger Things
- Alien
- Mermaid
- Harley Quinn
- 80s costume
- Poison Ivy
- Alice in Wonderland
Top costume searches by those identifying as male:
Single costumes
Going to a party alone isn’t a terrifying social experience anymore. Here’s what to wear when celebrating solo:
- Alien +659%
- Gwen Stacy +446% (from Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse)
- Elton John +442% (from Rocketman)
- Space cowboy +359%
- Freddie Mercury +145% (from Queen)
Inclusive costumes
Everyone is searching for costumes that they’ll love:
- From Minnie Mouse to Ursla, Plus-size Halloween costumes for women are trending, up +90%
- Whether you buy or DIY, people are searching for the best adaptive costumes (searches for wheelchair Halloween costumes are up +26%)
BFF and couples’ costumes
This year, couples’ costumes have overtaken best friends’ costumes, with searches for ‘Halloween couples’ costumes’ +367% and ‘BFF Halloween costumes’ up 250%. Whether you’re a couple or BFFs, grab your partner and put on one of these costumes:
- Lilo and Stitch +1,205%
- Timon and Pumba +154%
- Woody and Bo Beep +836%
- Velma and Daphne +274%
- Pulp fiction couples’ costume +384%
Group costumes
Group costumes are a great way to team up and bring an idea to life. This year, characters from TV programmes and the latest Pixar and Disney films are the most popular group costumes:
- Stranger Things +653% – Did you know that the designer of Stranger Things found their inspiration on Pinterest? The top trending characters from the show are Steve Harrington (+538%) and the Demogorgon (+380%).
- The fun-filled, girl-power show, The Powerpuff Girls is up 379%. This show was remade in 2016 and the second half of the third season is slated to come out this year.
- The live-action version of this classic, released this year, made the searches for Lion King family costume increase by 283%.
- Searches for ‘Aladdin family costume‘ are up 176%. This is a fun and easy way to find a costume for each member of the family. A top trending search is ‘Jasmine children’s costume‘ (+206%).
- Toy Story is still going strong, as searches for ‘family Toy Story costumes‘ are up 151%. The top trending characters are Bo Peep (+748%), Slinky Dog (+360%) and Buzz Lightyear (+192%).
Make-up
Make-up will bring your Halloween costume to life. Find endless ideas and Halloween make-up videos (+1,073%) to complete your chilling look.
- Trending make-up for TV and film characters to take your costumes to the next level:
- Stranger Things make-up +1,569%
- Lion King make-up +954% and Scar Lion King make-up +283%
- Powerpuff Girls make-up +317%
- Spider-Man make-up +280%
- Jasmine make-up +106%
- Other crazy or scary make-up looks:
- Good-looking clowns are all the rage! Searches on cute clown make-up up 370% and pretty clown make-up is up 280%
- Alien make-up +146%
- Mime make-up simple +153%
- Porcelain doll make-up +153%
Halloween party
There’s nothing wrong with plastic pumpkins and eating candy, but why not step up the Halloween decorations and party ideas? On Pinterest, there’s something for every space and occasion. Read below for trending ideas for your best Halloween party.
Decorations
- It’s no surprise that a top trending party theme is Stranger Things. Searches for ‘Stranger Things Halloween decorations are up 549%. Other themes and ideas are boho Halloween decorations (+68%) and throwing a party in your garage (Halloween garage decorations +71%).
- Why stick to orange and black? Trending colours are pink Halloween (+221%) or pastel Halloween (+164%).
- For some fun decoration ideas, try Halloween gnomes (+385%), a Halloween graveyard (+95%) or a Halloween blanket (+89%) to keep your guests warm.
Games and activities
- Find inspiration to build a Halloween haunted house (+267%).
- Turn your home into a Halloween maze (+54%).
- Try some art activities for the little ones. Searches for ‘Halloween paintings‘ are up 205% and ‘Autumn Halloween crafts‘ are up 84%.
Food and drinks
Spice up your recipes and prepare appetisers and dishes that are as spooky as they are tasty! On Pinterest, people search for food ideas every day. Here are a few ideas to inspire your Halloween treats:
- Halloween cupcake ideas +452%
- Halloween sugar cookies decorated +106%
- Halloween pie +56%
Top trending Halloween recipes
- Jack O’ Lantern crisps and dips
- White chocolate skulls and brains
- Dark chocolate Halloween cookies
- Shrunken potato heads
- Poison apples
- Witches brew
- Mummy pizzas
- Brimstone bread
- Burrito skulls
- Cockroach doughnuts
Other things that people are searching for related to Halloween
As Pinterest is a place to foster your creativity, trending searches don’t end where you’d expect. In addition to costumes, make-up and decorations, people are increasingly searching for Halloween-themed wedding ideas and tattoo ideas to further celebrate the occasion!
Weddings
- Spooky wedding +195% and Halloween-themed wedding +65%
- Halloween wedding dresses +217% and Witch wedding dress +58%
- Halloween wedding ideas purple +89%
Tattoos
- Spooky Halloween tattoos +88%
- Ghost tattoos +1,008%
- Evil skull tattoo +447%
- Halloween pumpkin tattoo +147%
- Gothic bat tattoo +76%
Check out the Pinterest UK board for more ideas here: Pinterest Happy Halloween.