Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, and the person who thought it would be funny to dress up their cat like Guy Fieri: These are some of the geniuses whose ideas have shaped the modern economy.
A recent PetSmart survey found that nearly half of fur baby parents dress up their animals for Halloween. And all of those costumes add up to big bucks. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF):
- Consumers will spend $860 million on pet costumes this year.
- That’s about 61% of what will be spent on human children’s costumes.
It’s not just dogs and cats: Both PetSmart and Petco sell costumes meant for rabbits, guinea pigs, and lizards.
What’s paw-pular
Animal costumes tend to be cute rather than scary, so you won’t see too many cats and dogs dressed up as fleas, ticks, or heartworms. Per the NRF, the most popular pet getups this year are:
- Pumpkin
- Hot dog
- Bumblebee
- Ghost and superhero (it’s a tie)
Nearly 20% of pet costumes will match their owner’s or family’s, according to PetSmart.
Pet costumes can have knock-on economic benefits, too. Once the pets are dressed up, people want to show them off, and that means photo shoots and parties. Some cities also host dog Halloween parades, which are used to drum up support for local animal rescues.—BC
