Americans vote 'sexy' costumes as most played out Halloween look

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Halloween Humbug: Less than a quarter of Americans are planning to dress up for Halloween this year, according to new research.

The survey of 2,000 Americans found that a surprising 76% noted that they are not planning to dress up for Halloween this year.

Another almost eight in ten respondents (77%) also said that they were not planning to attend a Halloween party this spooky season.

Gen Z and millennials are 10% more likely to dress up for Halloween than other generations, even though the majority of the sample (68%) said that you can dress up at any age.

It may come down to the costumes themselves, with 75% of respondents saying that there are costumes that are just too played out.

A “sexy” version of anything came in as the most overdone costume, with 29% of respondents saying it’s time to retire the age-old gimmick.

Pirate costumes came in a close second (25%), with any variation of the Joker (22%) rounding out the top three.

People also noted that they were tired of seeing cowboys/cowgirls, Harley Quinn, hippies and Minions.

The survey (https://talkerresearch.com/76-wont-dress-up-for-halloween-this-year-and-these-are-the-top-10-most-played-out-costumes/) also asked respondents what they planned to dress up as this Halloween and the creativity was endless.

Among the most unique costumes were “A circus peanut”, “a flock camera”, and “A Polish sausage.”

One respondent is going full “Jurassic Park” and dressing up as Dr. Alan Grant, while another is throwing it back to the Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz.”

But some respondents are keeping it simple yet festive, with a number of respondents saying they will just opt to throw on their “Happy Halloween” or pumpkin T-shirts.

And dressing up doesn’t have to stop once you’re too old to trick-or-treat. According to the results, 68% of Americans agree that you’re never too old to get in costume for Halloween.

Top 10 MOST PLAYED OUT HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

“Sexy” version of anything 29%
Pirate 25%
Joker 22%
Cowboy/cowgirl 21%
Harley Quinn 18%
Hippie 13%
Minion 13%
Thing 1 and Thing 2 11%
Where’s Waldo 10%
Mime 6%

Survey methodology

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned, administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Sep. 2 and Sep. 8, 2026. A link to the questionnaire can be found here.

To view the complete methodology as part of AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, please visit the Talker Research Process and Methodology page.

Survey questions

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