By Mark Seavy

After a year in which U.S. tariffs affected companies that rely heavily on imported goods from China, attendees at the Halloween and Party Expo in Las Vegas anticipate only a slight increase in business this year.

That’s despite Halloween falling on a Saturday in 2026 and companies having a year to adjust to tariffs, which have vacillated between 30-145% in a category heavily reliant on China-based manufacturing.

For the most part, costume suppliers are forecasting a little more stability in the market this year. But whether retail ordering will return to pre-tariff levels remains to be seen. And while most retail orders won’t lock in until March, Halloween Expo provided an early glimpse of potential trends with generic and licensed costumes getting equal billing along with animatronic and inflatable figures aimed at lawn displays.

The show itself featured 237 exhibitors. Some major suppliers, like Fun World, were absent from the show while others, like Jakks Pacific’s Disguise Division, had tables as opposed to full-size booths. But Rubies Costume Co. and Party City, which parent Ad Populum purchased out of bankruptcy last year, had a large booth and Jazwares took space alongside fellow Berkshire Hathaway-owned company Oriental Trading Co.

“Last year, big retailers re-evaluated and this year they’re ahead of it and won’t be surprised [by the added tariff costs]. They’ve had a year to stabilize,” said Mark Von Ohlen, Brand Licensing Manager at Rubies, which went heavy with costumes for Wednesday, Jason Universe, Masters of the Universe (costumes and inflatables), and the first female-led Supergirl movie that is being released June 26. “We’ve seen growth in easy-to-wear/affordable costumes along with replica and cosplay-level [products].”

Within costumes, there seemed to be a broadening of licensed brands and an emphasis on nostalgia and horror films. Rubies, for example, fielded costumes featuring the convenience store chain 7-Eleven along with those based on toys like Hasbro’s Twister and Guess Who? and Mattel’s Uno, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, and Magic 8 Ball. Headdresses have also been selling well—a trend driven by the release last fall of pop star Taylor Swift’s “Life as a Show Girl” album, according to supplier Zucker Feather.

On the horror side, Trick or Treat Studios featured Droog costumes inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1972) as well as masks based on director Rob Zombie’s cult classic House of 1,000 Corpses (2003). It also had a House of 1,000 Corpses board game featuring Zombie’s artwork. Oktober Studios, meanwhile, featured a costume for the Meg Mucklebones character from director Ridley Scott’s Legend film (1985). And Dental Distortions provided consumer versions of veneer-style bio-compatible FX fang plastic teeth that also have been featured in films like Dawn of the Dead (2004) and the upcoming Resident Evil movie (2026).

Trick or Treat also had masks from more recent films and television shows, including offerings inspired by the Vecna and Demogorgon characters from Netflix’s Stranger Things streaming series.

“With all the new costumes, some retailers are going to be buying a little more optimistically and we are forecasting business to be slightly up given that Halloween falls on a Saturday,” a costume licensing executive said. “But it won’t be up as much as it normally would be.”

Any upturn in Halloween business might also be driven by the pricier animatronic figures that have taken hold for lawn displays.

Morris Costumes, which was purchased by Oriental Trading Co., had a large display featuring mostly generic animatronic figures, including a devil and an angle on a teeter-totter, a seven-foot tall “Dr. Fan Gore,” and 12-foot Forest Creature. And while neither retailer was an exhibitor, Home Depot and Lowe’s have increasingly made in-roads in the category, the latter expected to field a 15-foot “Watcher” that holds its severed head and features LED lights ($425).

Moving forward, a wild card in the business could be Party City. Franchisees that weren’t part of the retailer’s bankruptcy continue to operate 23 locations. Party City also struck an agreement with DoorDash to deliver balloons and has launched an in-store and online format with Staples, where it has a number of party products. At Halloween Expo, Party City showed branded paper plates, balloons, and other products.

“Some behavior has changed with delayed buying, holding onto wallets, and more mindful spending [by consumers]. There may be a decrease in décor spending because people feel they have to cut it somewhere,” a licensing executive said. “[But] the Halloween business feels recession proof.”