A Ghoulishly Good Time

Trick-or-treating is no longer just a candy-gathering mission for little monsters. Halloween has become an opportunity that spans the course of months and involves ghouls of all age groups. It is the “season” that fills the void between back-to-school and Christmas. It is no longer a spirited one-day event. Retailers get prepared to handle the fright-hungry crowds, because Halloween has grown to monstrous proportions.

According to Hallmark research more than 20 million Americans participate in Halloween, making it the third largest party day of the year behind Super Bowl Sunday and New Year's Eve. An average of $42 per person will be spent on costumes, candy, decorations and greeting cards this year. Halloween remains the second-biggest decorating holiday of the year.

“The resurgence of 'homing' is more popular than ever, which means consumers are spending money on items that enrich their lives and warm their home,” explains Jackie Parfitt, assistant brand manager, Charisma Brands/Marie Osmond Dolls.

Hard and soft goods manufacturers have gone a little batty over Halloween décor. With 61.8 percent of consumers planning to purchase decorations, the witch's cauldron is full of new ideas.

Chilling but charming is Marie Osmond's new collectible dolls, “Terri-Beau” and “Horror-A-Belle” from her Bitty Belle collection. For a more edgy almost haunted look, the strategic placement of Morton, Pa.-based Applehead Factory Design Studios' cryptic Teddy Scares bear in a room might do the trick. The 12-inch plush bears your customers tossed out when they 'outgrew' them are back from the dead and freakishly available as room accent pieces. Edwin Morose, Abnormal Cyrus, Redmond Gore, Hester Golem and Rita Mortis are certain to satisfy the morbid curiosity in your customers.

On a much softer side, Bestever, Torrance, Calif., offers a plethora of Halloween pillows along with seasonal treat bags and bobble head plush toys called Boingers. “Both kids and adults can inexpensively add a bit of Halloween to their desktop or any room with our Halloween plush and throw pillows,” says Sandy Willens, managing director, Bestever.

Pico Rivera, California-based Aurora, best known for its plush gift items, is celebrating its fifth successful season for hard-line tabletop designs. Aurora is introducing a variety of hard-line as well as plush décor items and throw pillows this year. “Witches and black cats are the best themes year in and year out,” senior Aurora vice president of sales Paul Roche, tells Playthings.

For customers looking to skip the cornstalk and create a truly haunted house, Distortions Unlimited, Greeley, Colo., is launching new inflatable facades that stand 2-1/2 stories high. The company is introducing a Skull, Clown, Spider and Castle. If customers are looking to test their 'fear factor,' retailers might want to check out the company's Zombie Chasers, which premiered at the Chicago Halloween show. The Zombies are remote controlled, life-size, and they move their arms, “dragging” their torn-in-half bodies towards their “victim!”

Again, for a slightly more docile approach to home décor, Kurt Adler, New York, is unveiling many new items, including a 6-foot animated black Halloween tree with purple lights. It is designed with eyes and arms, animated musical ghosts, witches, Dracula and more.

The collectible figures offered by Sideshow Toys, Westlake Village, Calif., just happen to fit into the Halloween theme, although serious collectors display these works of art all year long. “Our Modern Horror figures have always done well during the Halloween season,” says Tom Gilliand, creative director, Sideshow Toys. Jason, from Friday the 13th Part VI, will be out this quarter.

“Funny sells,” quips Robert Berman, president of Rasta Imposta, Runnemede, N.J. “and humor is our specialty. After 9-11, trends turned away from blood, guts and scary, and allowed Halloween to be a humorous holiday.”

New this year is Rasta Imposta's complete line of Tootsie Roll brand costumes for adults and children. Rasta Imposta also has created a funny bathroom humor line for woman. Berman tells Playthings, “It is hysterical!”

Spider-Man ranked most popular last year, according to the NRF, indicating the cues children take from pop culture. NRF president and CEO, Tracy Mullin, believes the real trick to a successful Halloween retail season is the ability to identify and order the most popular costumes months in advance.

“The movie industry influences the market, and this year the two hottest properties for Halloween will be Star Wars and Batman,” expects sales manager, Arthur Savarese, Rubies Costume Co., Richmond Hill, N.Y.

Rubies is introducing Star Wars and Batman costumes for infants, toddlers, children, adults and even dogs. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith hits theaters May 19, 2005, while Batman Begins, comes out June 17, 2005. Harry Potter, the fourth movie in the series entitled Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, will be in theaters November 18th.

“Because the movie will be promoted on TV during the month of October, we have Harry's new costume design for this movie,” Howard J. Beige, Rubies' executive vice president, tells Playthings. Rubies, “Harry Potter costumes are available for children and adults.

The company also debuted several other new lines that are reportedly receiving rave reviews. They include: “Caped Cuties,” a line of infant costumes that have a fleece cape and attached hood; “Drama Queens,” a line of costumes for children and tweens that are a bit edgy; “Secret Wishes,” a line of sexy costumes for teens and young adults; and “Pirates” with a new, very modern look.

“Because of the massive shift in pop culture icons and the demand by fans of horror films, we have seen tremendous success with our line of Modern Horror Classic lines, as well as Horror/Comic genre films like Hellboy,” says Gilliand of Sideshow Toys. “Although we are more geared to the collectible industry, we have seen that our customers like the idea of 1:1 scale items and prop replicas.”

“A few short years ago, the normal $19.99 Halloween costume was made of nylon fabric. Today the fabrics are much better such as, velvet or imitation suede,” explains Beige. With more upscale fabrics being used for today's costumes, kids and adults are able to reuse their disguises for year-round fun.

“More than ever, it takes intense and shocking things to appeal to a generation that has seen everything,” says Marsha Taub-Edmunds, vice president, Distortions Unlimited. “You need comfort, uniqueness and quality in costumes and props, as well as animatronics that are shocking, gross, funny, scary and realistic.”