Popular Halloween costumes tend to come from characters in popular movies. And the most successful films right now are action hero movies.
“The Dark Knight” has been the biggest blockbuster movie in years, grossing more than $522 million so far. So it’s no surprise that characters in “The Dark Knight” dominates the top 10 most popular Halloween costumes this year.
Whitney Wisdahl, manager of Dottie Mae’s costume store in Kansas City, said The Joker and Batman characters are two of the top picks this year.
“Anything that hits big in the movie theaters usually does great on Halloween,” Wisdahl said.
After consulting with several Halloween stores around the area and several Web sites, here is The Examiner’s Top 10 most popular costumes for the coming season.
10 Uncle Sam – or one of the candidates running for office, such as Sarah Palin, Barack Obama or John McCain
Perhaps one of the most important elections will take place Nov. 4, making this costume more popular than previous years.
9 Sexy dirty cop
Adult costume parties are rising in popularity and the sexy dirty cop costume should be a huge hit and turn heads. Don’t think you’ll have to worry about impersonating a cop here.
8 The red devil
This is a popular costume for women who want to be bad for at least one day a year.
7 Incredible Hulk
You can buy green foam muscles, unless of course you’re a professional bodybuilder. Then all you need is green paint and shredded jeans
6 Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Wishdahl said the Aqua Teen characters are popular and the store gets inquires about characters on the force. The teen force is a cartoon about three anthropomorphic fast food items, along with their next-door neighbor, and their life together in South Jersey.
5 Pirates
“Pirates area always a good seller each year,” Wishdahl said. They can range from costumes from Capt. Jack Sparrow to more elegant pirate outfits.
4 Indiana Jones
You don’t need much to dress up like Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. All you really need is a hat and brown jacket. Probably the most important is a whip, which makes you stand out from an average guy wearing a brown jacket to Indy himself. Again, the return of Indy in May makes this a top-5 costume.
3 Hannah Montana
The Barbie idea has always been a hit with girls and Hannah Montana is this year’s Barbie costume. Finding an adult sized Hannah costume could be a challenge. All you need is a blond wig, a microphone and tacky clothing and you got it.
2 Batman
The Dark Knight himself, played by Christian Bale, will be popular because of the movie. Clearly, however, good is not as popular as evil when it comes to Halloween. Any version of the numerous Batman characters are popular, Wisdahl said.
1 The Joker
The villain for “The Dark Knight” was creepy and disturbing. It’s popular because Heath Ledger, who played the character, died before the movie was released. His death adds mystery and intrigue to The Joker. “That is 100 percent for sure No. 1,” Wisdahl said. “We have been getting asked about it all summer long. It’s just been nonstop being asked for it.”
Joker, Batman big Halloween hits – Independence, MO 64050 – The Examiner.