Are you on the hunt for a Halloween costume for your cat or dog (or both)? You’re not the only one. In fact, the trend is on the rise. According to the National Retail Federation, which surveys Americans on their Halloween habits on an annual basis, the percentage of pet parents who planned to dress up their pets grew from 11.5 to 15.1 in just one year, from 2011 to 2012.
Below, find some of the most popular pet Halloween costumes for inspiration. As you can see, pumpkin and devil have taken the top two spots for the last three years.
Pet Halloween Costume Ideas: The Most Popular Costumes
Costumes ranked in the same place were tied for that spot.
Top Pet Costumes*
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Top Pet Costumes, 2012
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Top Pet Costumes, 2011
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Top Pet Costumes, 2010
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1. Pumpkin
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1. Pumpkin
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1. Pumpkin
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2. Devil
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2. Devil
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2. Devil
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3. Hot dog
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3. Hot dog
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3. Witch
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4. Cat
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4. Bee
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4. Hot Dog
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5. Bee
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5. Cat
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5. Bee/Cat
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6. Dog/Ghost
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6. Witch
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6. Dog
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7. Action Hero/Super Hero
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7. Bowties/Fancy Collars/Bandanas
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7. Superdog/Supercat
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8. Witch
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8. Pirate
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8. Ghost
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9. Bowties/Fancy Collars/Bandanas
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9. Dog
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9. Pirate
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10. Superman
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10. Ghost
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10. Bowties/Fancy Collars/Bandanas
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According to Google Trends, some popular searches related to dogs and Halloween are “hot dog costume” and “Yoda dog costume.” A common search related to cats is “Cheshire cat costume.”
Halloween Pet Costume Ideas: Where to Do Research
In 2012, National Retail Federation survey takers said they found inspiration for their Halloween costumes from social media (with Facebook and Pinterest being the two most popular sources), browsing in stores, shopping online, asking friends and family, and looking in magazines and catalogs.
Halloween Pet Costume Ideas: DIY
Though pet costume shopping can add up—Americans planned to spend $370 million collectively on pet costumes in 2012*—some costumes can be made at home on the cheap.
Pumpkin Pet Costume Ideas: Why not repurpose an old orange T-shirt, pillowcase, or sheet into some snazzy pumpkin duds? Leaves, batting (generally just a few dollars per bag at a craft supply store), cotton balls, or old grocery bags could serve as stuffing.
Devil Pet Costume Ideas: Horns, a tail, and a pitchfork can easily be fashioned out of red pipe-cleaners (an inexpensive craft-store find). And how about red tissue paper or a castoff red clothing item for wings or a cape?
Hot Dog Pet Costume Ideas: This may be your cheapest option yet: Pair bun shapes cut from cardboard (or use brown bags for smaller pooches) with red or brown colored cloth or construction paper. Use pipe cleaners, clay, felt, puffballs, or paint for your (or your pup’s) favorite condiments.
Witch Pet Costume Ideas: A simple witch hat will do the trick. Cut in ear holes, if you need to. If you’re feeling adventurous, a black piece of fabric from an old sweater or sheet can easily double as a cape.
Bee Pet Costume Ideas: Are you feeling crafty? Try black and yellow crepe paper (or strips of colored construction paper) for the body, cellophane and wire or pipe cleaners for the wings, and use pipe cleaners and yellow puffballs for the antennae.
Cat Pet Costume Ideas: Store-bought dog costumes for cats essentially look like stuffed animals draped over your pet’s body, so if you have a stuffed dog that’s the size of your cat, now’s your chance to put it to good use and turn it into a Halloween get-up.
Dog Pet Costume Ideas: See above and reverse it, and voila, your dog will be a cat for the night!
Action Hero Pet Costume Ideas: Turn old clothing or fabric into a cape. What else do you need? If you’re really creative, you could turn an old pair of tights or leggings into four-legged super-hero leggings for your pet and cut out a mask and belt from construction paper.
Ghost Pet Costume Ideas: As for humans, this is quite possibly the easiest costume to make: Take an old, white sheet, pillowcase, towel, or t-shirt and cut out eye holes.
Pirate Pet Costume Ideas: The eye patch may be all you need to buy (but black construction paper and black ribbon or pipe-cleaners could do the trick). If you have a bandana (or a scarf or scrap fabric) clip-on hoop earrings, and a stuffed parrot, you can really go all out.
*According to the National Retail Federation
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