Frozen Halloween Costumes in High Demand
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Kids just won’t let it go. “Frozen” hit theaters nearly a year ago, but the animated adventure is still so popular today that it’s snowballed into the most coveted theme for Halloween costumes in 2014.
Outfits and accessories inspired by the Disney smash — which has raked in $1.2 billion worldwide since its November release and is the fifth-highest grossing film of all time — are flying off the shelves. The statistics, in fact, are chilling:
"Frozen" is the number-one theme on social shopping community app Bestie's Top 10 Costume Trends of 2014. (In spots two and three, respectively, are characters in homage to the late Robin Williams — Aladdin, Peter Pan and Mrs. Doubtfire — and outfits in the image of cult-favorite hot sauce Sriracha, a nod to news this spring of L.A.-area officials threatening to shut down a southern California plant after residents made a stink about the smell).
Photo by Disguise Costumes/Amazon
As of press time, items inspired by the flick’s sparkling heroine Elsa hold 13 of the top 20 best seller spots in Amazon.com's Dress Up & Pretend Play category. The young queen has quite a few required accessories, of course: tiara, gloves, a cap, and a wig for any young girl who's not already rocking a foot-long blonde braid. Elsa's cohorts are on the list too: An Olaf the Snowman toddler costume just begging for his signature warm hugs ranks at No. 10, and a dress in the likeness of her sister Anna’s scores spot No. 25.
Halloween Express has bequeathed the honor of their top kid costume for 2014 to a $40 Elsa outfit.
And Party City names “Frozen Fabulous” its No. 1 costume trend this year, offering eight different items within the theme, from $7 wands to $10 glittery leg warmers for kids who are in fact bothered by the cold.
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Why is the snowy story so, well, hot? Kathy Grannis of the National Retail Federation, which tracks retail trends, tells Yahoo Parenting she has a guess: “I think it’s just as simple as it being the biggest Disney movie ever made.”
But one mom, who spoke with Yahoo Parenting about how her nearly-5-year-old daughter has been planning for months to transform into Elsa on Halloween, swears it’s more about the fun of living out a dramatic performance. “Every kid loves ‘Let It Go,’” says Michelle Downs of the movie’s Academy Award winning song. “And every kid wants to sing it and wear the sparkly dress.”