FEATURE
RUBIE’S COSTUME CO. TALKS
HALLOWEEN Rubie's Costume Co.'s Executive Vice President Howard Beige discusses last Halloween's success and his predictions for 2016. How was Halloween 2015? Did it live up to expectations? Halloween 2015 was a winner! Retailers across the country had a very successful Halloween season and noticed a significant increase in sales the last week leading up to the holiday. As Halloween continues to grow in popularity, it’s now becoming a friends and family event for adults, kids, and even pets! The key to Halloween is parties and getting to-
gether with family and friends just to have fun. It’s the only holiday that nothing else is expected of you, but to have a good time—and Rubie’s is dedicated to making that happen! Will Halloween falling on a Monday this year adversely affect sales? With Halloween becoming more of a family and friends event, the day of the week Halloween lands on has become less important as children and adults alike enjoy dressing up and celebrating together. Aside from Star Wars, what were the top costumes for Halloween 2015? What will be hot for Halloween 2016? The top costumes for 2015 were Star Wars, DC Comics, Marvel, Minions, Jurassic World, and Paw Patrol. As always, blockbuster movies had an incredible impact on what consumers were buying. For 2016 the best-sellers are predicted to be costumes based on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Captain America: Civil War, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Spider-Man, DC Super Hero Girls, Suicide Squad, Ghostbusters, and Star Trek. Since there is a tremendous amount of characters to choose from, we predict Halloween 2016 to be extremely strong. How does the fashion industry impact your business? How closely does Rubie’s follow current trends when creating new products? Rubie’s has extensive product development resources with studios in New York, San Diego, and Phoenix. All of the studios follow the latest fashion trends very closely and incorporate them into every design. This is to ensure that when consumers are shopping for their Halloween costumes, they see familiar fabrics, trims, and design elements that they see when shopping for everyday apparel. What’s in store for Rubie’s this year and beyond? For continued growth of Rubie’s and its loyal retailers, we are dedicated to offering our customers the hottest licenses and generic products in the industry. As we celebrate our 65th anniversary, Rubie’s continually offers innovative products and a variety of styles for the whole family to enjoy to remain true to our founder’s vision. Moving forward, it’s our goal to make sure every consumer’s Halloween need is satisfied. With the third generation playing such an important role in our future, we’re confident Halloween at Rubie’s will continue to flourish for years to come. » Left to right Adult Kylo Ren and Batwoman by Delicious costumes, Wonder Woman pet costume
160 THE TOY BOOK | FEBRUARY 2016 | TOYBOOK.COM