Prepare for thigh-high socks, red and blue wigs and T-shirts that read “Daddy’s Little Monster.” Denver’s favorite costume this Halloween is Harley Quinn.
Every year costume shops stock up on the past year’s popular movie and T.V. characters. In 2015 it was Rey, Kylo Ren and others from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” This year, it’s “Suicide Squad,” “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and for some stores, Pokémon like Charmander and Pikachu.
Other popular costumes have come from “The Walking Dead,” the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and the video game franchise Assassins Creed, said Brent Coker, assistant manager of Spirit Halloween on South Colorado Boulevard. At Fun Services’ Party Store in Westminster, the comic book and film character Deadpool, is a popular choice for adult men.
Both stores said that their most purchased and requested costume is Harley Quinn. Google created a special website to track searches for Halloween costumes in the U.S. and Harley Quinn is the most searched for character, followed by the Joker and “Superhero.”
“The costume industry wasn’t prepared for Pokémon Go,” said Diamond Clarin, manager of Fun Services’ Party Store, where they sell costumes, “We just had a lot of Charmander and Pikachu costumes.”
At The Wizard’s Chest, one of Denver’s oldest and costume shops, the top sellers are more classic: “‘Top Gun’ flight suits, astronauts, and steam punk stuff has done very well,” said Kevin Pohle, one of the shop’s owners. Costumes from the all-female “Ghostbusters” reboot are also selling well.
Donald Trump may be losing ground in Colorado, according to recent polls, but his merchandise is moving well in Denver’s Halloween stores. ” We sold more Trump costumes than Hillary costumes,” Coker said. “Political masks are doing really well, Trump a little bit more than Hillary,” Clarin said.
A month ago, the political climate may have more closely resembled The Wizard’s Chest. There, Clinton and Trump are neck and neck, Pohle said, “we sold out of both.”