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HalloweenCostumes.com 2026 Press Kit

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ABOUT THE COMPANY

HALLOWEENCOSTUMES.COM AND FUN.COM

A sewing machine and a love of costumes. That’s all Jenice Fallenstein needed to hand-craft dozens of unique costumes for her children every Halloween. The Fallenstein family transformed that love of Halloween and homemade costumes into a small costume rental shop in their garage so the whole town could experience her quality designs. In the beginning, they only had a few dozen costumes, but the shop became an instant hit and grew faster than they could imagine.

Tom Fallenstein saw an opportunity. He brought his mom’s costumes to even more Halloween fans by taking the shop online. Now, HalloweenCostumes.com has become the largest online only retailer of Halloween costumes, carrying over 12,000 styles of costumes with plenty of accessories and home decorations to match—many of which we design and create in-house.

Our incredible team has never stopped growing either. We combined with Elope in 2020 and have grown to over 200 regular team members and 2,500 seasonal team members. Our 200,000 square foot warehouse in Mankato, Minnesota acts as our home base, but we also have design teams working in Colorado and a satellite warehouse in Elsmere, Kentucky.

We ship #NerdyGoofyFun all around the world!

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ABOUT THE CEO

TOM FALLENSTEIN

Tom Fallenstein is the founder and CEO of FUN.com. He was born and raised in Mankato, Minnesota, surrounded by all things Halloween.

Tom built the company’s first website, Flapper Costumes.com, in 2001 with $5,000 he borrowed from his parents. He sold one costume style in just three colors and ran the website out of his college dorm (back then the entire inventory fit in a closet). Soon after, he built three more wtebsites while continuing to study Computer Information Science and Graphic Design at Minnesota State University, Mankato. After graduating in December of 2004, he decided to make Costumes Galore his full time job, transforming the business into what we know today as FUN.com and HalloweenCostumes.com.

The Star Tribute has named FUN.com one of the top places to work in Minnesota in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

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TRENDS FOR 2026

MAJOR TRENDS

Epic stories, iconic looks. In 2026, the costume scene is riding a massive wave of blockbusters and comebacks — from Nolan's Odyssey and the Mandalorian's return to fresh horror hits and celebrity moments. Kids have a packed lineup of new favorites, and pop culture is once again calling the shots.

TOP 5 THEMES

ADULTS

Horror Films (Backrooms, Obsession, The Bride & The Monster)
Odyssey/Greek
Star Wars/Mandalorian
Scream/Scary Movie
Stranger Things
Celebrities (Michael Jackson, Bad Bunny,Taylor Swift)

KIDS

K-Pop Demon Hunters
Spider-Man
Descendants
Minions
Toy Story

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TRENDS FOR 2026

MAJOR TRENDS

Families and groups are going all-in on this year's biggest franchise hits! Mandalorian, Toy Story, Moana, Minions, and Mario are making it easy to coordinate. On the décor side, licensed animatronics are generating serious buzz, and clowns, aliens, creepy dolls, and candy bowls are keeping yards spooky all season long.

TOP 5 THEMES

FAMILIES/GROUPS

Star Wars/Mandalorian
Toy Story
Moana
Minions
Mario Brothers

INCLUSIVE

Plus-Size
Low Cost
Tall
Sustainable
Wagon/Wheelchair Cover
Baby Carrier
Adaptive

PETS

Minion
Star Wars
Disney (Moana, Stitch, Snow White)
Occupation (e.g., Fire Dog, Mail Carrier, etc.)
Horror
Witch Accessories (Black Cats, Bat Wings, etc.)

DÉCOR

Licensed Character Animatronics
Clowns
Aliens
Candy Bowls
Creepy Dolls

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Trends for 2026

Major Trends

2026 is a blockbuster year in every sense. Greek mythology is having a moment thanks to Christopher Nolan's Odyssey, and the Mandalorian's return has Star Wars back at the top of the list. Dune is still going strong, and the long-awaited new Scary Movie is bringing Scream energy back in a big way. Celebrity costumes are riding a wave of cultural moments — a Michael Jackson biopic, Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance, and Taylor Swift's wedding are all showing up on doorsteps this October.

Horror fans have plenty of fresh material too. House of the Dragon's new season is fueling a surge in medieval and fantasy looks, while Backrooms, Obsession, and The Bride & The Monster are giving the genre some new nightmare fuel to work with.

Kids' costume trends are being shaped by one of the most packed theatrical lineups in years. New films for Moana, Minions, Toy Story, Mario Brothers, Spider-Man, and Descendants are all driving serious demand, and K-Pop Demon Hunters continues to prove it's not going anywhere. When the movies are this big, Halloween follows.

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Trends for 2026

Other Trends

Group costumes in 2026 are riding the same wave as everyone else — the year's biggest franchise hits. Mandalorian, Toy Story, Moana, Minions, and Mario Brothers all have new films in the mix, making it easier than ever for families and friend groups to coordinate around something everyone actually loves.

Décor is having a big year. Licensed animatronics are generating some of the loudest buzz in the category, giving yards a level of production value that's bigger than previous years. Clowns remain a Halloween staple that simply refuses to go away, and alien and UFO themes are picking up serious momentum following a wave of government declassifications that have kept the conversation going well into 2026.

Creepy dolls and candy bowls round out the décor picture. Both are trends that lean into the classic, unsettling side of Halloween and keep showing up year after year for good reason.

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Made By Us

A Passion For True Quality

We believe that costumes have the power to create some of life's best moments. That's why we started Made By Us. This diverse selection of costumes, accessories and decor are artfully designed and expertly crafted by our talented team of artists, designers, and developers.

We offer over 9,000 Made By Us costumes and accessories, with costume sizes ranging from Infant to 8X, along with a growing selection of decor and apparel.

Each product begins with a passion for true quality—embroidered patches, faux fur cut with care, and hand-selected fabrics that are as durable as they are comfortable. Those are just a few examples of how much craft and creativity we put into each product. Just for you.

No matter how much time it takes, our goal has always remained the same. To create products that inspire your life’s best moments—the big, the small, the funny, the spooky, and the sweet. The moment we all cherish, that’s Made By Us.

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2026 Animatronics

New Decor

The 2026 animatronic and inflatable lineup is the biggest we've ever put together with over 100 new designs in total. A March debut kicked things off and gave fans an early look. Trick or Treat Tuesdays kept the creepy new designs coming as a weekly sneak peek series that revealed new pieces every Tuesday leading up to the full collection drop in July.

This year's highlights include licensed DC Comics characters like the Joker, Lord of the Rings-themed designs, and brand-new Nightmare Before Christmas animatronics featuring characters that have never been done before. Fan-favorite designs from 2025 are back in fresh color variants, and the new original designs are leaning harder into scare factor than ever, because if there's one thing 2026 proved, it's that we're not done raising the bar.

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