Beware! There are shortages of these costumes this Halloween
Halloween 2021 is being haunted by supply chain shortages due to shipping delays, so if you haven’t ordered your costume yet, you might need to get creative.
“After last year, people are more excited than ever to dress up and get out,” Allison Albert, a member of the Halloween & Costume Association (HCA), told TODAY Parents.
According to the HCA, 93% of millennial parents plan to celebrate Halloween and 80% of Americans plan to ring doorbells after the Centers for Disease Control green-lighted trick-or-treating outdoors.
Consumers should buy costumes ASAP to avoid disappointment, according to the HCA. But good luck if you’re trying to get your hands on the Ghostface mask made famous by the horror franchise “Scream.”
“‘Scream 5’ is coming out, so it’s seeing a resurgence in popularity,” Albert explained. But it’s also in high demand because dancer Slavik Pustovoytov — known to his more than 4.5 million TikTok followers as itzslavik — wore a Ghostface mask in one of his videos.
“It sold out pretty quickly after that,” Albert said.
Related: These great options start at just $5.
Here are other costumes that are selling out or have sold out completely as a result of pandemic-related disruptions:
Animal costumes
If you were hoping to dress up your little one as a store-bought rabbit, dinosaur or gorilla, you'll likely need a plan B.
The Kool-Aid Man
“Nostalgic costumes are really popular,” Albert said, noting that people also want to be werewolves, witches, the Grim Reaper, aliens and Michael Myers from the "Halloween" movies.
Related: "Michael Myers, I love you!"
Gaming costumes
You'll have a tough time getting your hands on a Minecraft costume. Same goes for Among Us.
Fantasy/cartoon costumes
Parents are scrambling to find mythical creatures, fairies, Harry Potter and characters from the animated films “Frozen” and “Toy Story.”
Pop culture costumes
It should come as no surprise that costumes inspired by the Netflix hit “Squid Game” are nearly impossible to find.
Related: Here's everything parents need to know about Netflix's No. 1 show.
Heroes
Doctors and nurses fall under this category. “People want to honor those on the front lines of the pandemic,” Albert said.
Accessories
White-out contact lenses, werewolf makeup kits and wigs are hot commodities.
Pet costumes
Albert, founder and CEO of pet costume store Pet Krewe, also warned that you shouldn’t wait much longer to purchase an outfit for your fur baby.
“Based on our data that we pull year after year, we know parents like to match the dog to the kids,” she shared. “Lions, lobsters and 'Sesame Street' costumes are selling out.”
Related: Well, aren't you just the cutest little... um... shopping bag?
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