With Halloween just days away, Kotaku explored the aisles of Spirit Halloween 2026: between unlikely costumes, nostalgic nods, and downright bewildering finds, the costume hunt holds plenty of surprises.
As Halloween 2026 approaches, a visit to Spirit Halloween feels less like a simple costume hunt and more like an expedition through trends, memories, and the most improbable curiosities. In its roundup, Kotaku takes a look at a selection of outfits and accessories, from surprisingly successful choices to downright bewildering finds. Here’s what this gallery reveals about the holiday’s commercial imagination.
With the big night just days away, the aisles have already been picked over, while prices can climb as options grow scarce. For those who still haven’t found a costume, there are classic outfits, last-minute accessories, and deliberately improvised ideas. An ordinary pair of overalls, a green shirt, and a recognizable cap can sometimes evoke Luigi without turning the preparations into a commando mission.
But the American store doesn’t cater only to fans of meticulously assembled costumes. There are famous franchises, retro references, inflatable creatures, and items whose very existence seems designed mainly to provoke a reaction. The result is a strange snapshot of what makes visitors laugh, dream, or grimace in 2026.
Video game heroes, somewhere between faithful and approximate
The Mario universe is especially prominent, even if some costumes feel like compromises. Yoshi comes with an inflatable shell, while Toad appears in an outfit that seems oddly incomplete. For adults, a “mushroom queen” version serves as an alternative to an officially licensed Peach costume. Even the best-known characters sometimes seem to have been reimagined in a hurry.
Pokémon is not immune to shortcuts. Some designs seem to amount to a loose jumpsuit and a hood, where a more elaborate creation could have paid better tribute to the series’ creatures. Over in the Spider-Man section, one outfit leaves the legs bare even though a full costume is waiting just nearby. The juxtaposition makes the contrast almost comical.
Other references seem more convincing, especially for kids. Sonic and Shadow get instantly recognizable looks, while a Zero costume from The Nightmare Before Christmas inspires much more genuine enthusiasm. Halo also makes an appearance with an outfit evoking its iconic hero. These choices aren’t all equally polished, but they show that the aisle can still hold some lovely surprises.
Popular franchises and references that are showing their age
Recent phenomena take up plenty of space, particularly Poppy Playtime, whose products are still visible without taking over the whole store like they did in previous seasons. Fortnite still has its wall of costumes, but there seem to be fewer new arrivals, and the items still in stock so close to Halloween raise an amusing question: have young players already moved on? The aisles sometimes give the impression that trends move faster than inventory.
By contrast, some choices draw on older memories. Lamb Chop, the puppet character made famous by Shari Lewis, appears as a baby costume, even though her name is unlikely to mean much to today’s children. E.T. also makes an appearance that may leave you puzzled when you imagine wearing it on a trick-or-treating run. These retro nods have their charm, but it’s hard to tell who they’re meant for.
The selection also plays with video game and horror movie tropes. A purple Jason echoes an old video game adaptation, while a mask associated with Dead by Daylight would probably need some explaining to anyone who might mistake it for one from the Scream franchise. Costumes inspired by Mortal Kombat or Call of Duty, meanwhile, seem to rely on resemblances without the benefit of an official label. For fans, the difference can be glaring.
The oddities that catch your eye
Not everything on this stroll is clothing. A sword reminiscent of the great weapons of fantasy stands alongside accessories that call several famous universes to mind without explicitly using their names. A protective suit associated with The Backrooms stands out for its minimalist idea: rather than depicting the strange and unsettling places, it offers a safety outfit instead. A weird chair might have been a more faithful option for capturing the fiction’s atmosphere.
The displays are part of the spectacle, too. A partition decorated with Joker faces seems to be a fixture in the chain’s stores, while a Pikachu placed near Saw-inspired elements creates a little macabre scene that needs no explanation. Inflatable dinosaurs, meanwhile, remain a safe bet: imposing, instantly recognizable, and delightfully absurd. They don’t need a license to make an impression.
Some characters even get unexpected makeovers. Oogie Boogie, traditionally associated with a burlap-sack silhouette, now comes in a green version in some merchandise. The color is partly explained by his appearance under black light, but it divides fans of the character. The debate between those who prefer beige burlap and those who favor fluorescent green may be the most serious discussion this aisle can provoke.
Between charming finds and more questionable choices
The costumes that work best aren’t necessarily the most complex. Fall Guys offers rounded, colorful silhouettes that look just like the game’s characters, while several kids’ costumes rely on simple, instantly recognizable designs. That effectiveness matters especially on Halloween night, when an outfit needs to be recognizable in the dark and comfortable to wear. The most obvious idea may therefore be the strongest one.
At the other end of the spectrum, some horror-inspired options seem less suitable for toddlers. A baby outfit that turns the child into Art the Clown raises a question of taste, since the character comes from particularly bloody movies. The baby, of course, knows nothing about the reference; it’s the adults who choose the costume and what it represents. The mismatch may be funny, but it could also make people uncomfortable.
Fake weapon accessories don’t always improve matters. Decorative knives with an advertising-like look seem more like promotional items than pieces meant to complete a costume. Other items play on visual puns, like a character holding a pizza box whose delivery seems to be handled by the pizza itself. In these aisles, absurdity sometimes matters more than coherence.
When the humor gets downright weird
The store also displays costumes that lean into provocation or adult references. A 1920s gangster suddenly seems anachronistic, since we’re precisely in the 2020s, while deliberately suggestive police outfits rely on rather heavy-handed humor. AI-generated meme characters occupy another corner of this landscape. For some young people, these new figures may be more familiar than established movie heroes.
Franchise mashups sometimes produce unexpected results. A Chewbacca getup struggles to recapture the charm of the famous Star Wars companion, while a discounted Darth Vader helmet comes with a not particularly reassuring caveat about its clasp. Still, the presence of a Halo character alongside these imitations is a reminder that the aisle can combine clumsiness with instant recognition. Every shelf has its own game to play.
And then there are the costumes whose concepts seem to have escaped from an absurd conversation. A cartoon character turned into a raunchy version, a provocative take on Mater from Cars, or an Aang wearing a bewildering mask are among the hardest choices to defend. The big SpongeBob wall starts off on a lighter note, though, thanks to a particularly well-done Squidward mask. The mood shifts as soon as the parody goes too far.
An inventory that tells the story of Halloween
Ultimately, the tour described by Kotaku feels like a disorderly snapshot of what people are into right now. There’s nostalgia, trendy franchises, rough knockoffs, adorable finds, and items whose purpose no one can quite explain. The abundance is part of the spectacle, even when quality varies from one rack to the next. It’s also what makes the visit so ripe for commentary.
Between a simple last-minute costume and the elaborate outfits filling the aisles, everyone can choose how much effort they want to put in. Kids leave with recognizable heroes, horror fans with masks, and the curious with plenty to fuel a discussion about the season’s most improbable trends. In this strange gallery, Halloween 2026 looks less like a perfectly orderly holiday and more like a joyfully chaotic assemblage.
Spirit Halloween 2026: A grand parade of strange ideas
With Halloween just days away, the aisles of Spirit Halloween look like a funfair where pop culture franchises, horror classics, and improbable finds compete for every hanger. Kotaku’s roundup highlights a store that’s as much a playground as it is a museum of costume trends. You’ll find video game heroes, movie monsters, and outfits whose inspiration sometimes seems to have gotten lost along the way.
Between Mario and Pokémon costumes that are a little too simplified, surprisingly incomplete superhero outfits, and references to Fortnite or Poppy Playtime, the selection also tells the story of what captivates kids in 2026. Some ideas are instantly appealing, like the Zero costume, while others mostly prompt raised eyebrows. And when a questionable version sits next to an official product, the comparison becomes a spectacle in its own right.
Adults aren’t spared this carnival of questionable choices, either. Suggestive costumes, unsettling accessories, distorted characters, and unexpected takes on familiar figures make up an inventory where kitsch sometimes seems like an Olympic sport. The store even dares to mix nostalgia with very recent references, from retro silhouettes to characters drawn from today’s digital phenomena. The result: every aisle holds a surprise, though not always the one you were hoping for.
This visit also reveals the particular charm of seasonal stores: they capture the spirit of the moment, but transform it in their own way. Popular franchises become costumes, viral trends take shape on packaging, and the most absurd accessories find a place right next to the classics. As the holiday approaches, the question isn’t just who you want to be, but also how much weirdness you’re willing to embrace as you walk through the door.
