Halloween 2026: What costumes are trending this year?

Halloween is here and the final preps should hopefully be coming together.

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But if you still haven’t settled on what you’re going to wear, Google has crunched the numbers and has come up with a list of the trending costumes for 2026.

The costume that has been searched for so far is Buddy the Unicorn. It peaked from Sep. 6 to 12 before dropping for a bit, but is projected to grow this week. So what or who is Buddy the Unicorn?

The name alone sounds like a family-friendly show, but it is anything but, as it is a mystery & thriller film and is rated R. As Rotten Tomatoes says, “Remember BUDDY--the bright orange unicorn and star of that classic children’s television show who brought joy and life lessons into your living room? Inside the colorful world of “It’s Buddy!”, a group of children spend their days singing, dancing, and helping Buddy spread happiness. But when one child refuses to play along, Buddy is not pleased and cracks begin to appear in this seemingly perfect world."

Buddy is followed by Needoh and Nikki from “Obsession.”

Here is the top 10 trending costumes overall, according to Google:

1. Buddy the Unicorn
2. Needoh
3. Nikki from “Obsession”
4. Agamemnon from “The Odyssey”
5. Lily Loves Braids from “Poppy Playtime”
6. Oliver Tree
7. Verity from “Minecraft”
8. Carl from “Dungeon Crawler Carl”
9. Disco Scooby Doo
10. Hazel Hook from “Descendants”

These are the nationwide trends. They may be different in your area. To see the top trending costume for your state, click here and enter your ZIP Code.

The list is a bit different for kids. Dolly Parton is No. 1:

1. Dolly Parton
2. Ella Langley
3. Dumpling
4. Shakira
5. Ash Ketchum from “Pokémon”
6. Hannah Montana
7. Spider-Gwen
8. Michael Jackson (“Thriller” era)
9. Pomni from “The Amazing Digital Circus”
10. Grogu

You can’t forget the pets, as Centipede is No. 1:

1. Centipede
2. Dolly Parton
3. Bullseye from “Toy Story”
4. Diet Coke
5. Princess Donut from “Dungeon Crawler Carl”
6. Lamb Chop
7. Pua from “Moana”
8. Baked Potato
9. Roach
10. Tow Mater from “Cars”

If you have someone special going with you to a party or trick-or-treat, Disco Scooby and Shaggy are the top search:

1. Disco Scooby and Shaggy
2. Cyclops and Jean Grey from “X-Men”
3. Nikki and Bear from “Obsession”
4. JLO and Maverick from “Off Campus”
5. Hannah and Garrett from “Off Campus”
6. Cowboys and Angels
7. Ricky Bobby and Carley Bobby from “Talladega Nights”
8. Wall-E and Eve from “Wall-E”
9. Woody and Bullseye from “Toy Story”
10. Joe Dirt and Brandy from “Joe Dirt”