Courtesy of Alexander Jawfox
ITN
Columbus’ spider senses must be tingling because the superhero costume has taken the number one slot in local popularity, according to Google. Another comic book character, Harley Quinn, takes second place.
Google Trends uses search data to analyze the top costumes by location for its Frightgeist feature each year. In Columbus, Spider-man and Harley Quinn are followed by timeless favorites: witches, pirates and devils. Witch costumes hold the top spot nationally for Google searches.
Elsewhere in Ohio, dinosaurs roam dominant over the Cleveland-Akron area and devils run the show in Cincinnati. Perhaps most unexpected for the Buckeye state is Zanesville, where Olive Oyl, a character from the Popeye comic strip, leads searches.
According to Frightgeist’s 2020 data, witches reigned state-wide for Ohio. Dinosaurs, Harley Quinn, angels and bears followed for costume-related searches. Witches were on top for 11 states total including Pennsylvania, Indiana and California.
Another Halloween data analysis, by CandyStore.com, recently showed Ohioans to prefer Blow Pops over any other candy – at least in terms of bulk sales on the site. CandyStore.com used 14 years of sales data and concluded that Reese’s Cups were the most popular in the United States.
If Blow Pops seem like an unexpected choice for Ohio, M&M’s followed with Starburst in third place. Healthier options, such as creatively using fruit, naturally don’t make the candy retailer’s list of Halloween treats.
The data showed that Ohio had purchased more than 150,000 pounds of bulk Blow Pops in the last 14 years, which averages out to more than 11,000 pounds each year. After a decrease in candy spending last year, the National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts Americans will rebound to spend $2.72 billion on Halloween treats. The NRF estimates total Halloween spending will top $10 billion this year, a 26 percent increase over the slump in 2020.
Whatever costume you choose or candy you favor, Columbus offers plenty to enjoy the Halloween season, whether you prefer big parties, scarecrows or fall foliage.
Cameron Carr is the associate editor. Feedback welcome at ccarr@cityscenemediagroup.com.
