If your dog is about to become a pumpkin for the night, you have plenty of company. Americans are expected to spend $920 million on Halloween costumes for their pets this year, up from $860 million in 2025, according to National Retail Federation survey figures reported by the pet trade publication GlobalPETS. That works out to roughly a 7% rise.
For comparison, the same survey projects $2 billion in spending on adult costumes and $1.5 billion on children’s costumes. The NRF polled 7,889 consumers between September 1 and 9.
The most popular pet costumes
Pumpkins are the clear favorite, chosen by 11.6% of people planning a pet costume, followed by hot dogs at 5.9% and ghosts at 2.8%. Further down the list:
- Fourth place is a three-way tie between bats, bees and spiders.
- Cats come in fifth and superheroes sixth.
- Batman and dogs share seventh place, with witches in eighth.
- Lions and vampires tie for ninth, while Chucky, devils, dragons and Scooby-Doo share tenth.
Online searches tell a slightly different story. A Google Trends analysis by dog daycare franchise Camp Bow Wow found that hot dogs are the most-searched dog costume in the U.S. this year, followed by chicken, shark, spider, princess, ghost, dinosaur, pumpkin, dragon and lion. Wyoming showed the most search interest in dog costumes, ahead of New Hampshire, Utah, California and Colorado.
In the Midwest, a separate survey by retailer Meijer found that one in three people (33%) across six states plan to dress up their pets this Halloween.
DIY costumes and AI ideas
Not everyone is buying off the rack. GlobalPETS reports that 25% of consumers plan to make their own costumes for themselves or their pets, compared with 30% who plan to buy ready-made ones. One of the popular AI prompts people are using for Halloween ideas is turning a cardboard box into a pet costume.
Stores are cashing in
Retailers on both sides of the Atlantic are leaning in. PetSmart held in-store Halloween events in October, Rural King hosted a free Pet-O-Ween costume contest for pets and livestock, and PetSmart Canada launched a seasonal collection of costumes, toys and treats. In the UK, Pets at Home and Aldi rolled out Halloween ranges, and Purina’s Beggin’ brand released three limited-edition Halloween treats.
Keep it fun for your pet
A costume should never stress your pet out. If your dog or cat seems uncomfortable, a festive bandana or collar is a perfectly good way to join in, and keep candy well out of reach of curious noses.
Spooky season names
Getting a new pet around Halloween? Seasonal names like Pumpkin, Ghost and Spooky are perfect, and our black cat names list is full of witchy ideas.
Source
GlobalPETS: Pet brands and retailers tap into the Halloween spending spree (October 26, 2026, citing National Retail Federation, Camp Bow Wow, Meijer and PwC survey data).
Featured image is an AI-generated illustration and not a photo of any real animal or person.
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