Locals sticking with traditional Halloween costumes

Popular online searches include television characters, pop stars

Disney is selling a Limited Edition Rapunzel Costume for $149.50 at www.disneystore.com. There is a Disney outlet store at Cincinnati Premium Outlets off Ohio 63 in Monroe that is also selling Halloween costumes.

Disney Stores/contributed Disney is selling a Limited Edition Rapunzel Costume for $149.50 at www.disneystore.com. There is a Disney outlet store at Cincinnati Premium Outlets off Ohio 63 in Monroe that is also selling Halloween costumes.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Greg Lynch/Staff photographer A Lady Gaga costume is available at Beckett Ridge in West Chester Twp.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Halloween Headquarters at Beckett Ridge in West Chester Twp. has a wide variety of popular costumes and accessories.

Greg Lynch/Staff photographer Halloween Headquarters at Beckett Ridge in West Chester Twp. has a wide variety of popular costumes and accessories.

ENLARGE PHOTO

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By Christy Ott, Contributing Writer 11:15 AM Tuesday, October 18, 2011

While a Pan Am stewardess, Lady Gaga and Charlie Sheen are some of the most popular Halloween costumes searched online this season, locals may be sticking with tradition.

Yahoo! Search Data shows some of the most-searched include pop stars Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber, and controversial figures from the news such as Sheen, Chaz Bono or even Osama bin Laden. But Simon Ekelund, general manager of the Halloween Headquarters store on Princeton-Glendale Road in West Chester Twp., said Butler County shoppers usually are looking for something more traditional.

Witches, “Wizard of Oz” characters, “Star Wars” costumes and cowboys and Indians continue to be favorite choices of local adults, Ekelund said. Also popular both nationally and locally are vampire costumes, which Ekelund said have seen a resurgence in recent years thanks to the popular “Twilight” and “True Blood” franchises.

From Captain America to the Green Lantern to Catwoman, comic-book stars also are one of the top picks for 2011 with both children and adults.

“It’s the year of the superhero,” Ekelund said.

Another top trend for 2011 is the retro costume. Adults are looking for “things that remind them of their childhood,” Ekelund said. Shoppers in his store have shown a lot of interest in Smurfs costumes, which are both current and offer a feeling of nostalgia, he said, as well as characters from “Scooby Doo” and “The Flintstones.”

“Genre” costumes from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s also are perennial favorites, Ekelund said, because they work well for both individuals and couples.

For children, costumes run across the board, Ekelund said.

“Each kid is really different with what they’re looking for,” he said. “They gravitate toward movies that they’ve seen or they want to be something scary.”

Ninja and Harry Potter costumes are going fast for boys, he said, while girls often want to be princesses or to create their own scary look from Halloween Headquarters’ selection of makeup and prosthetics.

Princesses also reign supreme at the Disney Store at the Cincinnati Premium Outlets, where little girls can choose between 10 princess dresses, from Cinderella to Pocahontas to Disney’s newest princess, Rapunzel. Boys can transform into pirate Capt. Jack Sparrow, race car Lightning McQueen or the lion king, Simba.

No matter what one plans to be this Halloween, retailers suggest shopping soon for the best selection. Ekelund said his store is seeing a steady rise in business each week, especially as the weather turns colder.

“Once people get in that fall spirit, we start seeing them more,” he said. “That fall feeling puts you in the mood for Halloween.”