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Here are 2026’s hottest Halloween costumes, as ranked by Google searches

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FOX Local
Holidays
Published October 15, 2026 5:27 PM CDT
Published October 15, 2026 5:27 PM CDT
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Buddy the unicorn at a Special Screening of Roadside Attractions and Saban Films' "Buddy" at Aero Theatre on August 24, 2026 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Roadside Attractions via Getty Images)

The Brief

    • Google published its annual Frightgeist list showcasing the most-searched Halloween costumes for overall searchers, kids, and pets, led by top overall trends like "Buddy the Unicorn" and "Needoh."
    • Recent music history heavily influences trends, with the recent death of Dolly Parton propelling her onto the overall, kids, and pet lists, along with a 10-year search high for Michael Jackson's "Thriller" era costume.
    • The Frightgeist website includes a map tool allowing users to enter their ZIP code to check the top five most searched costumes in their specific area.

If you’re still looking for Halloween costume ideas or you’d like to get an idea of what to expect from trick-or-treaters, Google just released its annual Frightgeist list of the most-searched costumes this year.

The top costumes come to us from popular thriller and horror movies, toys, and superhero and cartoon characters. 

The death of pop icon Dolly Parton in August at age 80 propelled her onto this year’s list, along with fellow singer and collaborator Kenny Rogers, who died at 81 in 2020. 

Searches for costumes for singer Michael Jackson are being searched at a 10-year high this year, Google says. 

Here’s a look at the key costumes people are searching for this year: 

This Year's Rankings:

Top overall costume searches for 2026

  1. Buddy the Unicorn
  2. Needoh
  3. Niklki (from "Obsession")
  4. Agamemnon (from "The Odyssey")
  5. Lily Love 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")
  11. Captain Clark (from "Backrooms")
  12. Dolly Parton
  13. Thragg (from "Invincible")
  14. Kenny Rogers
  15. Bowser Jr.
  16. Princess Rosalina (from "Super Mario")
  17. Green Lantern (from DC Comics)
  18. Michael Jackson (from his "Thriller" era)’
  19. Skeletor (from "Masters of the Universe")
  20. Cyclops (from "X-Men")
  21. Dumpling
  22. Dr. Frank-N-Furter (from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show")
  23. Viltrumite (from "Invincible")
  24. Nightcrawler (from "X-Men")
  25. Doctor Doom (from Marvel Universe)

Top kids costumes for 2026

  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
  11. Jody Hopps (from "Zootopia")
  12. He-Man
  13. Michael Myers
  14. Yoshi
  15. Bullseye (from "Toy Story")

Top pet costumes for 2026

  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")
  11. Headless Horseman
  12. Christmas Tree
  13. Glow in the Dark Dinosaur
  14. Stick of Butter
  15. Cousin Itt (from "The Addams Family")

Local perspective:

Google’s Frightgeist site also offers a map where you can enter your zip code and see the top five most popular costumes where you live. 

The Source: Information in this story came from Google's Frightgeist website. This story was reported from Orlando/.



 

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