Hollywood influences costumes this Halloween

NEW YORK — Hollywood is going trick-or-treating again.

Costume suppliers predict the top Halloween costumes this year will come from summer blockbusters and the Disney channel.

Thanks to "The Dark Knight," Batman is a top costume for children, adults and pets, according to the National Retail Federation, while iParty's list of children's favorites adds the Joker, "Star Wars," Harry Potter and Hannah Montana.

Popular adult costumes are a pirate and a French maid, a variation on the revealing costumes popular for women. Politics is another popular theme.

"Ghosts, mummies, witches always sell, and sometimes they sell extremely well," said Sal Perisano, CEO of iParty. "However, pop culture in recent years has pretty much dictated what drives the best-sellers."

Here are some of the year's top options:

Infants/toddlers

Hooded furry animals continue to be popular choices for the littlest ones, said Cari Shapiro, vice president for Babies "R" Us, adding that a monkey was on track to be a top seller again this year.

Trends include "girly-tutu-esque" costumes, such as Tinkerbell and a ladybug with a tutu, along with monster costumes that come in blue and pink, said Shapiro.

At Spirit Halloween, the lion and bumblebee are popular baby costumes, said President and CEO Steven Silverstein. And Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street and Disney's Handy Manny are top choices for toddlers influenced by television characters, he said.

Children

Disney princesses and pirates are top sellers at the Disney Store, with new Cinderella, Ariel and "Pirates of the Caribbean" costumes, said Disney Store spokeswoman Melissa Rozansky.

But this year, it's all about the tweens, she said, with popular costumes including Hannah Montana, Camp Rock and "High School Musical." Disney Store focused on kids ages 6 and under last year.

"Kids are watching these shows every day on the Disney Channel," she said. "They want to be Hannah Montana."

It's the year of "Star Wars" at Toys "R" Us, with several costumes coming from characters in "The Clone Wars," said Robert Giampietro, senior vice president for the toy store chain.

Besides superheroes like Batman, Spider-Man and the Hulk, Power Ranger, Indiana Jones and Transformers are popular. Girls are choosing Supergirl and Batgirl, along with fairies and princesses, he said. Perennial top sellers include witches, skeletons and ninjas, according to iParty.

Adults

Halloween on a Friday bodes well for the adult-costume business, said Perisano; more people are apt to host and go to parties.

Men are dressing up as knights and Sugar Daddies, while women are going for something more sexy and revealing, like a cleavage-showing nurse costume, he said. On Amazon, it's about pirates, with a wench and swashbuckler as best-sellers.

And as with any election year, political costumes are also on top.

In iParty's plus-size category, top costumes are a Mafia Mama and an emergency-room doctor, while Amazon's list includes a beer bottle for men and a sexy schoolgirl costume for women. Halo 3 and a sexy Marilyn Monroe are also popular.

Couples costumes include a plug and socket, ketchup and mustard, bacon and eggs, Fred and Wilma Flintstone and a Love Guru and Hippie Chick.

Pets

Fido and Kitty won't be left out this year.

Amazon is offering costumes for dogs and cats, ranging from Dorothy to Yoda. Other popular pet costumes are a princess, bumblebee and devil.