With Halloween just weeks away, it’s prime time for people to assemble their costumes for holiday parties and trick or treating. While there are some costumes that are always popular — like witches, vampires, ghosts, superheroes, and more — each year there are some costumes that simply dominate the holiday thanks to pop culture and media and this year, it’s Barbie who is the life of the party. According to HalloweenCostumes.com (via TMZ), the company’s officially licensed Barbie costumes have been selling nine times more than they did last year while just “Barbie-inspired’ styles have also seen a 40 percent boost.
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The idea that Barbie and Barbie-inspired costumes are dominating Halloween sales probably isn’t much of a surprise. Released in July, the Barbie movie has been not only a huge box office hit but a massive cultural moment as well. The film has brought in $1.4 billion at the global box office to date, but it isn’t just Barbie that has been popular with Halloween revelers. The Little Mermaid costumes — particularly Ariel — have been popular as well and outside of movies, costumes inspired by Taylor Swift as well as Beyonce have been major sellers as well, further enforcing the idea that 2023 is the year of the girl.
Why Has Barbie Been So Popular?
The popularity of the Barbie movie is something that can hardly be overstated — the popularity of Barbie inspired costumes just further evidence of that — but as for why the film has become so popular, the film’s producer David Heyman says it comes down to originality.
“One of the reasons the film has done so well is because it’s original,” Heyman said. “There’s a real hunger for originality. Greta Gerwig is a singular artist; she pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in the most collaborative way. The film is fun, thematically rich, and very moving. It was challenging, of course, but when we made it, there was a spirit of fun that permeated the production.”
Will Barbie Win an Oscar?
In addition to Barbie being wildly popular and successful, the film is also critically acclaimed and at least one filmmaker things the film should win the Oscar for Best Picture. In a recent interview with The Playlist, Scott Derrickson, who previously worked on Doctor Strange and The Black Phone, argued that the film is worthy of Best Picture.
“By the way, those movies can be amazing,” Derrickson explained. “I think Barbie is the best film I’ve seen this year—well, maybe that’s not true; I saw this horror film, When Evil Lurks at Fantastic Fest, but Barbie and When Evil Lurks those are my two favorite films of the year, which couldn’t be further away from each other.”
“Barbie is a good example of populist I.P. that was treated with true brilliance,” he enthused. “That’s an extraordinary movie on every level. I think it should probably win Best Picture; the writing is so clever and so smart and subversive, the acting is amazing, and it’s so entertaining, it’s artful in its visuals, the style of it, it’s just an awesome film.”
What do you think about Barbie dominating Halloween costumes this year? Are you planning a Barbie-related look for your own celebrations? Let us know in the comment section!
