Hottest Halloween Costumes for Kids and Pets

By Christina Cheddar Berk, CNBC.com

Tradition Wins Out

Americans are expected to spend more than $1 billion on costumes for their children and $310 million to dress up their pets, according to the National Retail Federation, an industry trade group.

Although many young adults hunt for original looks, when it comes to finding a costume for the kids, traditional themes usually win out.

That's not to say everyone will be dressed alike. More retailers are selling costumes, and this means more choices for consumers.

Costumes for kids and pets tend to draw their inspiration from typical Halloween characters, as well as popular movies and books.

For example, Williams-Sonoma's Pottery Barn Kids stores sell a number of costume designs for children and infants. Among them are costumes based on Eric Carle's classic children's book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."

Children can opt to dress as the caterpillar or the butterfly it becomes.

Pottery Barn's costumes tend to have a more homemade look to them and are priced at the higher end of the range for typical children's costumes. Customers also can buy matching bags for trick-or-treating.

Check out a full list of the hottest costumes for kids and pets this year.

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Angry Birds
Pictured: Angry Birds
Retail: $21.99

A line of costumes based on Rovio's Angry Birds game also is very popular this year.

Versions of these costumes were designed for all ages, including this bunting version for infants.

"The popularity of the Angry Birds costume caught us by surprise," said Brad Butler, a spokesman for Halloween Express. "Right now, it's the No. 1 selling costume."




Pet Costumes
Pictured: Elephant Dog Costume
Retail: $38

Man's best friend will also be getting into the Halloween spirit this year. In recent years, spending on costumes for pets has climbed. Like last year, the most popular pet costume is a pumpkin. In an NRF survey, 10.7 percent of people who said they planned to dress up their pets were going to dress them in this type of costume.

Devils (8.1 percent) and hot dogs (6.0 percent) round out the rest of the top three.

Ironically, some pet owners also like to dress up their pet as a cat (3.7 percent) or a dog (2.0 percent).

This elephant costume, sold by children's boutique Chasing Fireflies, is a bit more exotic.



Captain America
Pictured: Captain America
Retail: $34.99

Superhero costumes are always popular at Halloween. This year, new movies have sparked interest in characters such as Captain America, the Green Lantern, and Iron Man.

There also are sure to be plenty of kids dressed up like Transformers, and characters from X-Men Wolverine.

According to the NRF, Spiderman is the third most popular costume for kids, and Batman ranks eighth, in a tie with vampires.

For most of these characters, retailers sell costumes for both girls and boys, as well as for pets.


Smurfs
Pictured (right): Smurfette Costume
Retail: $17.24

Pictured (left): Papa Smurf Costume
Retail: $24.99

Don't be surprised if a little blue person knocks on your door this Halloween. This summer's "The Smurfs" movie will likely inspire more than a few trick-or-treaters.

The Papa Smurf costume pictured here is from Target, but the discount retailer has already sold out of stock online for its Smurfette costume, as well as for its Smurf and bunting Smurf costumes.

Other types of Smurf costumes are also available at other retailers.




Check out more of the Hottest Halloween Costumes for Kids


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