Barbiemania refuses to die, with the doll promising to be Australia’s top Halloween costume pick this year – at least for some parts of the country.
According to Google Trends’ most searched costumes for October, the favourites in order of popularity are: Barbie, pirate, witch, Harley Quinn, dinosaur and Wednesday Addams.
The number of pink-clad people you’re likely to see depends on where you live. In New South Wales, Victoria, and the Northern Territory, Barbie has taken the top spot.
But Tasmanians seem to think Margot Robbie’s 2020 film Birds of Prey is a better Halloween fit, with Harley Quinn topping the list. Even dressing up as a cat was more popular than Barbie, with the furry pet taking the second spot and Barbie coming in fifth.
Dinosaurs are the Halloween craze in ACT, but West Australians feel Spiderman is the way to go. Meanwhile, South Australians and Queenslanders know the timelessness of a pirate costume, with it taking the top spot.
Others, like Grace and Jason, will be opting for something a little different to stand out from the rest of the ghouls.
As they shopped in The Costumery in Melbourne’s Reservoir this week, they told Guardian Australia that they plan to dress as characters from Duck Dynasty, the American reality show about the Robertson family who make products for duck hunters.
The Robertson family are known for their long beards, bandanas, and camouflage patterned clothes.
“We’re going to get a beard and everything,” Grace says.
“She asked me if I could grow a beard in two days’ time,” Jason said. “Which I had to explain is not entirely possible.”
“Force it out!” Grace replies.
Shane, who was also shopping at The Costumery, said he might dress up as Spiderman or Thor. He and his partner want to run with a Marvel theme to match their son who wants to be Iron Man this year.
What about Barbie, the most popular costume this year? “Not for us,” Shane says.
Bianca Faye, owner of The Costumery, said people’s decision on what to dress up as for Halloween often follows the trends of what’s been released in TV and film that year.
According to Google Trends data, Barbie always gets a look in, but this year has seen a huge spike.
Faye said they had not had many requests for Barbie outfits, but there had been a lot of inquiries about Wednesday Addams outfits, likely due to the 2022 TV series Wednesday which has brought the Addams family back into spooky vogue.
“Last year it was Stranger Things, this year it seems to be Wednesday,” she said.
This year, it remains to be seen whether people will add some horror flair to their Barbie outfits, or if the doll’s unrealistic beauty standards will be frightening enough.
“Really, Halloween can be anything, it doesn’t have to be scary,” Faye adds. “I always tell people to have fun with it.”
