Tricks and treats for costumed canines on Howl-o-ween
64 views · Published 29 October 2018 · 6:34 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(24 Oct 2018) LEADIN: Superheroes, Star Wars and even the Pope are some of the most popular inspirations for pet outfits in Los Angeles this Halloween. Costumed canines are big business for US retailers with pet owners set to spend around half a billion dollars this year. STORYLINE: This caped crusader is ready to enjoy all the fun of Halloween. But if your pet isn't into superheroes, there's always the option of being a pumpkin or showing a more devilish side. Dressing up and celebrating the spooky day is big business in the United States, with stores reporting steady growth over the past decade. A survey by the National Retail Federation for 2018 shows nearly 20 percent of people celebrating Halloween plan to dress their pets in a costume, with total spending expected to be just under half a billion dollars. This year the most popular animal costumes include pumpkins, hot dogs, bumble bees and devils. Retailer Pet Smart is one of many popular places to look for costume inspiration. It has a dedicated section for pet fashion, including sports outfits and superhero costumes. Customer Julie Phillips and her husband have decided to dress their 11 year old black Chinese pug up as Spiderman. She says every year there is even more choice. "It does seem to be getting much more variety every single year and we're going to go down to the little dog park where they are having a little parade and we are going to take our dog down there on Halloween and celebrate and give him a little treat, a healthy one, but yeah, dogs are part of our families and so we celebrate with them," she says. The Retail Federation survey shows Millennials are most likely to put their dog in a costume. It also says most customers will look online for inspiration with around 29 percent browsing in store. Brooke Butler is looking for an outfit for her dog Georgie, trying on a variety of options including a pizza slice, sushi and a shark costume before deciding on a pumpkin. "I think Georgie and I are going to go trick or treating with my niece and my nephew, they are four and six, and I think they will love if she dresses up so I'm going to get a little costume and surprise them and show up in Seattle on their doorstep with Georgie," says Butler. And Christmas isn't too far away either. Santa outfits are already on sale for discerning furry fashionistas. Celebrity fashion stylist Ali Levine says this year many owners are trying to match their outfits with their pets. "As far as trending costumes for pets, we are seeing pumpkin come back as the number one as well as we are seeing hot dogs, bumble bees and the devil, which are our top for categories right now. Now I think people are really having fun with these because these are original staples that you have maybe in your wardrobe or maybe a friend has, you can put together with your pet or if you're shopping it's something that you can constantly reinvent and put your own spin on it. So me as a stylist I would maybe take bumble bee and add some fun bright wings to it. You're seeing that on social media, people are posting all kinds of creative details and styles with their original costumes," she says. Hollywood Toys and Costumes on Hollywood Blvd has been selling costumes, props and accesories for more than 70 years. It's now carrying more pet costumes as demand increases. One of its biggest sellers this year is Holy Hound, a Pope dog costume. Superman and Scooby Doo characters are also popular. Lysholm says business is booming in the lead up to Halloween. Halloween is marked on 31 October each year. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/ec349d5411d9d989e666c252a2f82bd4
