TV, movies, music inspire hottest Halloween costumes

NEW YORK (AP) - Michael Jackson. Amy Winehouse. Kate Gosselin. And Bernie Madoff. We're definitely keeping it real this Halloween.

Costume suppliers predict this year's hot costumes will come from reality television, tabloid celebs and the high-profile deaths of two superstars (the other is Farrah Fawcett).

The National Retail Federation picks princesses, witches and Spider-Man as popular costumes for children, while party supply chain iParty's list of children's favorites includes Power Rangers, "Star Wars" characters and Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz."

Vampires, clowns and pirates were top choices on the federation's adult costume list, while the list from retail chain Spirit Halloween includes Jackson, Gosselin, Britney Spears and Sarah Palin.

"Inspiration for Halloween costumes comes from the media, the movies, current events and pop culture," said Steven Silverstein, CEO and president of Spirit Halloween. "This year vampires are everywhere. You will see lots of tributes to Michael Jackson, from 'Thriller' to sequined gloves. And you may even see a Mr. Ponzi mask."

Here's a breakdown on what's hot for various categories.

BABIES

This year, moms can dress their babies up as Cinderella, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, said Karen Dodge, chief merchandising officer for Toys R Us. She said Babies R Us is offering those same costumes, along with Tinker Bell, for the first time in infant sizes.

Hooded furry animals also are strong sellers, said Dodge, such as monkeys, lambs, pigs, tigers and bumblebees.

The top searches of infant costumes on Yahoo! over the past 30 days included a lady bug, blossom/flower, Elvis, and Pebbles from "The Flintstones;" iParty's list had Thomas the Tank and Superman. And at Disney Stores, Nemo, Mickey and Minnie Mouse were strong sellers.

GIRLS

Disney princess costumes are all the rage again this year.

The new Tiana Deluxe Costume, an exact replica of what Princess Tiana wears in a key moment in the upcoming film "The Princess and the Frog," is expected to be a best-seller, according to Molly Adams, vice president and general manager for Disney Stores North America. The film, featuring both Disney's newest young royal in more than 10 years and its first black princess, comes out on Dec. 11.

Mulan, a Japanese princess, and Pocahontas were also added to the costume assortment this year.

Toys R Us is seeing a similar trend. "It all tends to be really fun and girly dress up costumes that are selling for girls, said Dodge, ticking off a list that includes Disney princesses, Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz" and friendly witches.

She said Hannah Montana isn't as popular this year. But the pop star made it onto iParty's list, in addition to 1920s flappers, bugs and Alice from "Alice in Wonderland."

Minnie Mouse, a new Jessie getup from "Toy Story" and Tinker Bell - "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure" comes out Oct. 27 - are also strong sellers at Disney Stores, said Adams.

BOYS

Boys follow the blockbuster movies more than girls, said Dodge, and "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" costumes are hot this year. She said Toys R Us is also seeing an uptick in Buzz Lightyear and Woody costumes in part because of the reintroduction of "Toy Story 1" and "Toy Story 2." ''Toy Story 3" is scheduled to come out next year.

"The other one that was a surprise for us is SpongeBob," said Dodge, adding that SpongeBob Squarepants is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. "It's a best seller."

Also popular this year are "Iron Man," though not nearly as big as last year (expect that to change when "Iron Man 2" comes out) - and "Star Wars" characters, another evergreen costume, she said.

Batman, an athlete and a ninja are top costumes on the National Retail Federation's popular kids' costume list, while iParty has Harry Potter, "Star Trek" characters and horror costumes like a "Wicked Jester" and "Scary Mummy."

ADULT COSTUMES

Spirit Halloween is touting its Gosselin wig (attach eight babies to your hip), a Palin get-up with glasses and wig, Lady Gaga with a long platinum blonde wig, and a Bernie Madoff-like mask.

IParty is selling Winehouse, in the form of a wig, tattoo, and rehab form, and slugger Manny Ramirez, with dreadlocks and a baseball hat.

But Silverstein predicts the Jackson costume - with a sequined glove, red leather jacket and fedora - is going to be a strong seller, as people pay tribute to the superstar who died in June.

"He is an icon and I think this is sort of the Elvis Presley of our lifetime, of our generation," Silverstein said. "He has stirred so much emotion."

Classic costumes, such as a French maid, nurse, ghost and cat continue to be top choices on the National Retail Federation's list; iParty has "Star Trek" characters, flappers, hippies and vampires.

Retro character costumes, such as Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, Mario and Luigi, are also growing in popularity, said Silverstein.

Over the last 5 years the trend has been for more couples - young and old - to shop for costumes together, said Dorice Dionne, founder and senior vice president of merchandising at iParty. She said costumes include fun pairs like Plug and Socket, or Fred and Wilma Flinstone.

PETS

Animal lovers are increasingly buying their pets' costumes - essentially treating them as a member of the family, said Betsy Saul, co-founder of Petfinder.com.

"Because animals are already so cute on their own, even the most simple costume idea can be the biggest hit, she said in an e-mail.

According to Yahoo, the top dog costume searches in the past month were Yoda, a Bumblebee and a horse. Batman and Super Dog were on iParty's list and top pet costumes on BuyCostumes.com were a Dog Bee, Prisoner Dog and pirate.