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Editor’s Note ADVENTURE PUBLISHING GROUP, INC.®
Winter 2014 Table of Contents
Halloween in 2014
Halloween 2014 is shaping up to be a big success. Not only does the holiday fall on a Friday, driving adult costume and accessory sales, as well as home décor sales for all those Halloween parties, but sales are up in general year over year. This indicates a positive trend that will surely continue, especially with the holiday leading into a weekend. Retailers cleared out a lot of inventory last year, providing the ability to start with a relatively clean slate. Smart retailers are making room for a slightly larger inventory of indoor and outdoor decorations as home décor sales continue to rise. They’re making room for Fido, too. As the economy improves, consumers are finding a few extra dollars to dress their pets, and so this segment continues to grow. In this issue, we take a look back at what worked for Halloween 2013 and look ahead at trends and top costumes for 2014. We talked to manufacturers, retailers, and industry analysts to break it all down for you. Enjoy The Halloween Insider! —Jackie Breyer
CO-PUBLISHERS
Laurie Schacht and Jonathan Samet laurieschacht@aol.com and jsamet@adventurepub.com
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Jackie Breyer jbreyer@adventurepub.com
SENIOR EDITOR
Marissa DiBartolo mdibartolo@adventurepub.com
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Phil Guie pguie@adventurepub.com
6 Halloween Stats 8 A Freaky Friday Means a Boost for Halloween 2014 12 H&P Expo Prepares for Another Great Show 14 Rubie’s Launches into 2014 with Perennial Favorites and Hot New Licenses 17 Expert Perspective: Howard Beige, Rubie’s Costume Co. 18 Retailer Spotlight: Costume SuperCenter 20 Las Vegas Halloween Show: The Adult Side of Halloween 21 Fun World Looks to Spook Up Sales in 2014 22 Home Décor Expands as More Consumers Deck Out Their Homes 23 Product Showcases 23 Home Décor 24 Adults’ Costumes 28 Kids’ Costumes 30 Accessories 33 Pet Costumes 34 Toys & Media
Ali Mierzejewski amierzejewski@adventurepub.com
36 Industry Update
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Christine Duhaime cduhaime@adventurepub.com
38 Flashback: Halloween 1994
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Kara Faulk kfaulk@adventurepub.com
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Anthony K. Guardiola aguardiola@adventurepub.com
All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form is prohibited without prior written consent of Adventure Publishing Group. All photographs, logos, and artwork are the property of their respective owners.
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The Halloween Insider
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Winter 2014