Most Popular Halloween Costume Ideas

It's inevitable. Every year you go to a Halloween party dressed in a killer costume just to discover there is someone else dressed the same way.

After all the effort you put into your costume you deserve praise for your work, but if you are dressed as a witch or a pirate you probably won't get many compliments. That is because those are the two most popular costume choices for adults, according to National Retail Federation. Last year 34 percent of adults dressed up for Halloween, and over 6 million chose to dress as a witch. Pirate or vampire costumes were the choice of another 3 million adults.

So how do you choose a costume that is unique and bound to stand out? The best thing to do is know which costumes are most popular so you can make a different choice. This list will be helpful whether you want to know what costume not to choose or even if you need a few ideas for an easy and popular costume. Here are the top 20 Halloween costumes for adults in 2006.

Top Adult Costumes:

1. Witch

2. Pirate

3. Vampire

4. Cat

5. Clown

6. Fairy

7. Gypsy

8. Superhero

9. Ghost

10. Dracula

11. Devil

12. Woman of the Night

13. Nurse

14. Pumpkin

15. Athlete

16. Princess

17. Zombie

18. Angel

19. French Maid

20. Cowboy/Cowgirl

While you may want to be unique, chance are your kids want the same costumes other kids are wearing. Traditional costumes, like the number one choice of princess costumes, never go out of style for kids.

The list of popular costumes stays pretty consistent year to year, but sometimes changes with popular trends like the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. "Pirate costumes are popular among consumers of all ages, due largely to the widespread success of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise," said Phil Rist, Vice President of Strategy for BIGresearch, the company that conducts the The National Retail Federation's Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey.

From pirates and ninjas to cheerleaders and princesses, the list of the most popular Halloween costumes for kids offers a costume idea for every child. Here are the top 20 choices of costumes for kids from last year.

Top Kid Costumes:

1. Princess

2. Pirate

3. Witch

4. Spider-Man

5. Superman

6. Disney Princess (Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Snow White)

7. Power Ranger

8. Pumpkin

9. Cat

10. Vampire

11. Angel

12. Fairy

13. Ninja

14. SpongeBob Squarepants

15. Batman

16. Cheerleader

17. Football Player

18. Tinkerbell

19. Monster

20. Star Wars Character