Long gone are the days when Halloween costumes were cobbled together
with old clothes, sheets or a costume-and-mask combination purchased
at a discount store.

While kids have always wanted costumes reflecting popular culture
figures, parents are likely to spend considerably more money nowadays
than in the past.

Want to look like Spiderman? It could cost you from around $17 at
Kmart to up to $70 at specialty retailer Costume World, which has
stores in Pittsburgh, Deerfield Beach, Fla., and Dallas.

The pricey Spidey comes with built in muscles and nicer materials.

"When it comes to children's costumes, parents are more time-strapped
than ever before so it's easier to buy one than it is to make one or
piece something together," said Ellen Tolley, a spokeswoman for the
National Retail Federation, which tracks Halloween spending.

"Parents know that Halloween is one day out of the year where parents
can encourage their children to be something they're not," Tolley
said. "They can let their children be a princess or be a fireman for
a day or longer."

"Kids live in costumes today," said Jamie Smith, manager of Costume
World's Pittsburgh location.

Many children sleep and play make-believe in their costumes, he said,
adding that recently, one little girl wore her princess outfit out of
the store. Today's children's costumes are better built than those of
their parents, he said.

In a suburban Pittsburgh Target store on Monday, Monica Laughery was
shopping for a "flower child-diva" costume for her 6-year-old
daughter, Brenna, and a butterfly costume for her 3-year-old
daughter, Kylie.

Laughery said she typically shops at discount retailers for Halloween
outfits because costume stores are pricey and to avoid paying
shipping from an online retailer. She wanted to spend no more than
$50 for both costumes.

Before she left, her girls had apparently changed their minds. Brenna
wanted to be a "spider countess," and as younger siblings are wont to
do, Kylie was eyeing the same costume.

Many adult customers rent from places like Costume World, where
prices start around $125 and cover three days' rental, cleaning and
alteration.

Spiderman is this year's top costume, according to the National
Retail Federation, but traditional favorite costumes like witches,
ghosts and monsters point to Halloween's pagan roots.

The holiday has evolved into a retailer's boon.

With an estimated $3.12 billion that will be spent this year,
Halloween ranks as the sixth-largest spending holiday, according to
the National Retail Federation. Winter holidays ($220 billion),
Valentine's Day (news - web sites) ($13 billion), Easter ($10.5
billion), Mother's Day ($10.4 billion) and Father's Day ($8 billion)
rank ahead.

The National Retail Federation estimates that the average costume-
buyer will spend about $28 this year. That includes spending on less
costly costuming accessories such as makeup, Tolley said.

Few off-the-shelf costumes today come cheap.

At Costume World, SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the cheapest
costumes for kids at $30. A Little Orphan Annie-type getup - complete
with a wig - lists for $75.

Phyllis Galembo, an art professor at the University at Albany and
author of the book "Dressed for Thrills: 100 Years of Halloween
Costumes & Masquerade," laments how expensive costumes have become.

"The costumes used to be like 89 cents, $2 ... Now I don't know if
you can get anything for $20," Galembo said, adding she believes the
increase in prices has outpaced inflation over the years.

Taken from Yahoo News

~HalloweenMovie