Original data · Google trend lists × Keyword Planner
Halloween Costumes 2026: Google's Trend Lists Ranked by Search Data
These are the Halloween costumes 2026 shoppers are hunting for, with numbers. We took Google's 2026 trend lists for costumes, kids, pets and couples and measured every name in Google Ads Keyword Planner for the United States. Each table shows September 2026 searches next to October 2025, so you can see what is brand new and what is a returning classic.
Updated October 20, 2026
- Top new costume
- Buddy the Unicorn, from 0 to 22,200 searches a month
- Biggest costume demand
- Dolly Parton and Michael Jackson, 90,500 each in Sep 2026
- New names in 2026
- 6 of Google's top 25 had zero searches in Oct 2025
- Data pulled
- Oct 20, 2026 · United States · English
Halloween costumes 2026: key findings from the search data
The short answer: Halloween costumes 2026 split into brand-new names from this year's films and shows, and big returning classics that still draw the most searches. Figures below are monthly US searches from Google Ads Keyword Planner, pulled on October 20, 2026, for names on Google's 2026 trend lists published October 14.
Searches for the phrase "halloween costumes 2026" itself reached 49,500 in September 2026. "Popular halloween costumes 2026" drew 18,100 and "trending halloween costumes 2026" drew 8,100.
- Buddy the Unicorn ranks first on Google's trending costume list. "Buddy the unicorn costume" went from 0 searches in October 2025 to 22,200 in September 2026.
- The biggest absolute costume demand on the lists belongs to two returning names: Dolly Parton and Michael Jackson, at 90,500 searches each in September 2026. Doctor Doom and Michael Myers follow with 60,500 each.
- Six of the 25 trending costumes had zero searches last October: Buddy the Unicorn, NeeDoh, Lily Love Braids, Verity, Hazel Hook and Captain Clark. Verity is the largest of them at 27,100.
- All 25 trending costume queries add up to 540,500 searches in September 2026, against 213,500 for the same queries in October 2025.
- Pet and couples costumes are niche, under 9,000 searches per query, but several are rising fast. "Headless horseman dog costume" went from 880 to 5,400 and "nikki and bear costume" from 0 to 1,300.
- Kids classics are big but cooling: "michael myers costume" logged 60,500 in September against 301,000 last October.
Trending Halloween costumes 2026: Google's top 25 with search volume
Google's trending list measures how fast a costume search is growing, not how big it is. That is why Buddy the Unicorn sits at rank 1 with 22,200 searches while Dolly Parton sits at rank 12 with 90,500.
New names dominate the top ten. Agamemnon climbed from 30 searches to 12,100, and Nikki from 170 to 1,900. Further down, the list fills with comic and film characters whose costumes people already know how to find.
Three names drew fewer searches in September than last October: Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Nightcrawler and Carl. There are still weeks until Halloween, so these may still catch up.
| Google rank | Costume | Search query measured | Sep 2026 searches | Oct 2025 searches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buddy the Unicorn | buddy the unicorn costume | 22,200 | 0 |
| 2 | NeeDoh | needoh costume | 8,100 | 0 |
| 3 | Nikki | nikki costume | 1,900 | 170 |
| 4 | Agamemnon | agamemnon costume | 12,100 | 30 |
| 5 | Lily Love Braids | lily love braids costume | 12,100 | 0 |
| 6 | Oliver Tree | oliver tree costume | 6,600 | 480 |
| 7 | Verity | verity costume | 27,100 | 0 |
| 8 | Carl | carl costume | 1,300 | 3,600 |
| 9 | Disco Scooby Doo | disco scooby doo costume | 1,600 | 320 |
| 10 | Hazel Hook | hazel hook costume | 12,100 | 0 |
| 11 | Captain Clark | captain clark costume | 14,800 | 0 |
| 12 | Dolly Parton | dolly parton costume | 90,500 | 18,100 |
| 13 | Thragg | thragg costume | 6,600 | 2,400 |
| 14 | Kenny Rogers | kenny rogers costume | 6,600 | 2,400 |
| 15 | Bowser Jr. | bowser jr costume | 14,800 | 2,900 |
| 16 | Princess Rosalina | princess rosalina costume | 8,100 | 2,400 |
| 17 | Green Lantern | green lantern costume | 49,500 | 14,800 |
| 18 | Michael Jackson | michael jackson costume | 90,500 | 49,500 |
| 19 | Skeletor | skeletor costume | 8,100 | 4,400 |
| 20 | Cyclops | cyclops costume | 22,200 | 9,900 |
| 21 | Dumpling | dumpling costume | 9,900 | 2,400 |
| 22 | Dr. Frank-N-Furter | frank n furter costume | 33,100 | 40,500 |
| 23 | Viltrumite | viltrumite costume | 14,800 | 12,100 |
| 24 | Nightcrawler | nightcrawler costume | 5,400 | 6,600 |
| 25 | Doctor Doom | doctor doom costume | 60,500 | 40,500 |
Method: rank from Google's 2026 Halloween trend list; searches from Google Ads Keyword Planner, United States, English, pulled Oct 20, 2026, for the exact query shown.
The number one trending costume is easier to judge on your own face than on a product page. Upload one photo and see the orange unicorn mascot look before you buy.
Kids Halloween costumes 2026: Google's list with search volume
Kids costumes for 2026 lean on familiar names. Google's kids list opens with Dolly Parton and Ella Langley, and the biggest searches go to Dolly Parton and Michael Jackson at 90,500 each.
This list behaves differently from the trending one. Eight of the 15 names drew fewer searches in September than last October, which points to steady favorites rather than breakout hits. Ella Langley and Dolly Parton both rose about fivefold.
Our photo tools are for adults: please upload only photos of yourself or adults who agreed, never children.
| Google rank | Costume | Search query measured | Sep 2026 searches | Oct 2025 searches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dolly Parton | dolly parton costume | 90,500 | 18,100 |
| 2 | Ella Langley | ella langley costume | 3,600 | 720 |
| 3 | Dumpling | dumpling costume | 9,900 | 2,400 |
| 4 | Shakira | shakira costume | 3,600 | 5,400 |
| 5 | Ash Ketchum | ash ketchum costume | 27,100 | 74,000 |
| 6 | Hannah Montana | hannah montana costume | 14,800 | 27,100 |
| 7 | Spider-Gwen | spider gwen costume | 18,100 | 27,100 |
| 8 | Michael Jackson | michael jackson costume | 90,500 | 49,500 |
| 9 | Pomni | pomni costume | 14,800 | 22,200 |
| 10 | Grogu | grogu costume | 8,100 | 4,400 |
| 11 | Judy Hopps | judy hopps costume | 22,200 | 49,500 |
| 12 | He-Man | he man costume | 8,100 | 5,400 |
| 13 | Michael Myers | michael myers costume | 60,500 | 301,000 |
| 14 | Yoshi | yoshi costume | 33,100 | 49,500 |
| 15 | Bullseye | bullseye costume | 9,900 | 5,400 |
Method: rank from Google's 2026 Halloween trend list; searches from Google Ads Keyword Planner, United States, English, pulled Oct 20, 2026, for the exact query shown.
Pet Halloween costumes 2026: dog costume searches by name
Pet costumes are a small but fast-moving corner of Halloween costumes 2026. The biggest dog costume searches are Headless Horseman at 5,400 and Dolly Parton and Lamb Chop at 4,400 each.
Centipede, Google's number one pet trend, shows the gap between speed and size: 880 searches in September, up from 40 last October.
"Roach costume" is listed for pets, but the query has other meanings, so its 8,100 searches are not all about dogs. Ranks 3, 4, 5 and 7 are missing because we did not measure those names.
| Google rank | Costume | Search query measured | Sep 2026 searches | Oct 2025 searches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Centipede | centipede dog costume | 880 | 40 |
| 2 | Dolly Parton | dolly parton dog costume | 4,400 | 880 |
| 6 | Lamb Chop | lamb chop dog costume | 4,400 | 3,600 |
| 8 | Baked Potato | baked potato dog costume | 2,400 | 1,900 |
| 9 | Roach | roach costume | 8,100 | 18,100 |
| 10 | Tow Mater | tow mater dog costume | 260 | 390 |
| 11 | Headless Horseman | headless horseman dog costume | 5,400 | 880 |
| 12 | Christmas Tree | christmas tree dog costume | 880 | 390 |
| 13 | Glow in the Dark Dinosaur | glow in the dark dinosaur costume | 140 | 110 |
| 14 | Stick of Butter | stick of butter dog costume | 320 | 260 |
| 15 | Cousin Itt | cousin itt dog costume | 480 | 1,900 |
Method: rank from Google's 2026 Halloween trend list; searches from Google Ads Keyword Planner, United States, English, pulled Oct 20, 2026, for the exact query shown.
Not sure your dog will tolerate a costume? Try the look on a photo of your pet first.
Couples Halloween costumes 2026 ranked by searches
Couples costumes draw modest numbers, but the list shows what pairs want this year. Wall-E & Eve has the most searches at 4,400, followed by Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers at 2,900.
The fastest risers are Nikki & Bear, from 0 to 1,300, Mandalorian & Grogu, from 390 to 1,600, and Cyclops & Jean Grey, from 390 to 1,300. Medusa & Stone Man held steady at 880.
Couples queries are long, so each costume is spread across many phrasings. Treat these numbers as a floor.
| Google rank | Costume | Search query measured | Sep 2026 searches | Oct 2025 searches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disco Scooby & Shaggy | scooby and shaggy costume | 1,600 | 4,400 |
| 2 | Cyclops & Jean Grey | cyclops and jean grey costume | 1,300 | 390 |
| 3 | Nikki & Bear | nikki and bear costume | 1,300 | 0 |
| 6 | Cowboys and Angels | cowboys and angels costume | 590 | 480 |
| 8 | Wall-E & Eve | wall e and eve costume | 4,400 | 14,800 |
| 9 | Woody & Bullseye | woody and bullseye costume | 1,000 | 320 |
| 10 | Joe Dirt & Brandy | joe dirt and brandy costume | 720 | 3,600 |
| 11 | Medusa & Stone Man | medusa and stone man costume | 880 | 1,000 |
| 12 | Mandalorian & Grogu | mandalorian and grogu costume | 1,600 | 390 |
| 14 | Gamora & Star-Lord | gamora and star lord costume | 1,900 | 1,900 |
| 15 | Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers | dolly parton and kenny rogers costume | 2,900 | 1,600 |
Method: rank from Google's 2026 Halloween trend list; searches from Google Ads Keyword Planner, United States, English, pulled Oct 20, 2026, for the exact query shown.
Medusa & Stone Man is on Google's couples list, and the snake crown and emerald gown are worth previewing before you buy them. Upload one photo of the two of you and try the pair look together.
Horror films people are searching for in Halloween 2026
Google also published the horror films people searched most this season. These are film-title searches, not costume searches, but they explain where several costume trends come from.
"Resident evil movie" leads with 4,090,000 searches in September. "Buddy movie" follows with 2,740,000, up from 3,600 last October, which is the source of the Buddy the Unicorn costume. "The whisper man" drew 1,500,000.
Film-title queries also catch people looking for showtimes, trailers and streaming, so these numbers are much larger than any costume search.
| Google rank | Film | Search query measured | Sep 2026 searches | Oct 2025 searches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buddy | buddy movie | 2,740,000 | 3,600 |
| 2 | Other Mommy | other mommy | 823,000 | 8,100 |
| 3 | The Whisper Man | the whisper man | 1,500,000 | 5,400 |
| 4 | Passenger | passenger movie | 550,000 | 165,000 |
| 5 | Brute | brute movie | 49,500 | 110 |
| 6 | Insidious: Out of the Further | insidious out of the further | 301,000 | 0 |
| 7 | Resident Evil | resident evil movie | 4,090,000 | 27,100 |
| 8 | Arachnophobia | arachnophobia | 165,000 | 135,000 |
| 9 | Hokum | hokum movie | 49,500 | 720 |
| 10 | The Backrooms | the backrooms movie | 74,000 | 5,400 |
| 11 | Leviticus | leviticus movie | 135,000 | 70 |
| 12 | Send Help | send help movie | 49,500 | 22,200 |
| 14 | Ice Cream Man | ice cream man movie | 49,500 | 8,100 |
| 15 | Colony | colony movie | 135,000 | 880 |
Method: rank from Google's 2026 Halloween horror film list; searches are for the film title query shown (not costumes), Google Ads Keyword Planner, United States, English, pulled Oct 20, 2026.
AI Halloween costume searches and trend looks to try
Searches for AI costume tools are small next to costume names. "Ai halloween costume" drew 1,300 searches in September 2026 and "halloween ai" 720, both below last October.
Trend costumes outside Google's lists are much bigger. "Medusa costume" logged 33,100, "headless horseman costume" 14,800 and "backrooms costume" 12,100. Backrooms is the one already far above last October's 1,600.
That is where an AI try-on helps. Before you order a snake crown, a plush mascot suit or a Backrooms outfit, you can see the look on your own photo. One picture costs 8 credits at 2K and needs a subscription or credit pack.
| Type | Search | Search query measured | Sep 2026 searches | Oct 2025 searches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI search | AI Halloween costume | ai halloween costume | 1,300 | 2,900 |
| AI search | Halloween AI | halloween ai | 720 | 2,900 |
| Trend costume | Medusa | medusa costume | 33,100 | 110,000 |
| Trend costume | Headless Horseman | headless horseman costume | 14,800 | 40,500 |
| Trend costume | The Backrooms | backrooms costume | 12,100 | 1,600 |
Method: not on Google's lists; searches from Google Ads Keyword Planner, United States, English, pulled Oct 20, 2026, for the exact query shown.
Pick any of the Halloween costumes 2026 lists above, describe the outfit and setting in your own words, not a real person's face, and preview it on one photo of yourself.
Methodology and sources for the Halloween costumes 2026 data
Lists and ranks come from Google's 2026 Frightgeist and Halloween trend lists, published October 14, 2026, as reported by Fiction Horizon. Ranks reflect Google's own ordering. Where a rank is missing from a table, we did not measure that name.
Search volumes come from Google Ads Keyword Planner for the United States in English, pulled October 20, 2026. Each row shows the exact query we measured. Sep 2026 is the latest full month; Oct 2025 is the same season last year.
Limits to keep in mind: Keyword Planner groups close variants and rounds its numbers. Names with other meanings inflate counts, for example "roach costume" and "carl costume". Film-title queries include interest that has nothing to do with Halloween.
You are free to cite or reuse these tables. Please link back to this page as the source.
Questions about Halloween costumes 2026
What are the most popular Halloween costumes 2026?
By search volume, Dolly Parton and Michael Jackson lead with 90,500 US searches each in September 2026, followed by Doctor Doom at 60,500 and Green Lantern at 49,500. All four are on Google's 2026 trending list.
What is the number one trending Halloween costume for 2026?
Buddy the Unicorn ranks first on Google's 2026 trending costume list. Searches for "buddy the unicorn costume" went from 0 in October 2025 to 22,200 in September 2026. It is the orange unicorn mascot from the horror film Buddy.
Which Halloween costumes are new in 2026?
Six names on Google's top 25 had zero costume searches last October: Buddy the Unicorn, NeeDoh, Lily Love Braids, Verity, Hazel Hook and Captain Clark. Verity has the most searches of these at 27,100.
What are the trending kids Halloween costumes for 2026?
Google's 2026 kids list opens with Dolly Parton, Ella Langley, Dumpling, Shakira and Ash Ketchum. Most kids favorites are returning names, and many drew fewer searches in September than last October.
What are the trending dog Halloween costumes for 2026?
Google's pet list is led by Centipede, Dolly Parton and Lamb Chop. By searches, "headless horseman dog costume" is the largest at 5,400, up from 880 last October.
What couples costumes are trending for Halloween 2026?
Google's couples list starts with Disco Scooby & Shaggy, Cyclops & Jean Grey and Nikki & Bear. Wall-E & Eve has the most searches at 4,400.
How was this data collected, and can I cite it?
We took Google's 2026 Halloween trend lists and measured each name in Google Ads Keyword Planner, United States, English, on October 20, 2026. Yes, you can cite the tables; please link back to this page.
Can I try a trending costume on my own photo?
Yes. Upload one JPG, PNG or WebP photo up to 10 MB on the AI Halloween costume page and describe the outfit and setting, not a real person's face. Each picture costs 8 credits at 2K and needs a subscription or credit pack; failed runs are refunded.