The spooky season is upon us, with ghosts, ghouls, and pumpkins galore. Halloween has always seemed more of a spectacle in the US, but the UK is catching up fast and chatter has been building for weeks in our Trendspotter panels of kids on both sides of the Atlantic.
At Beano Brain we have spotted that scary content overall has been an increasing feature of kids’ viewing and gaming experience. From Stranger Things to Youtubers Sam & Colby, Roblox Horror Tycoon to the Five Nights at Freddy’s game (and soon-to-be-released movie) jump scares and thrills is a growing genre.
But what else is trending for Halloween 2023? We tapped into our Brain to find out…
Pop Culture Influences
This year our Trendspotter kids are flexing their Gen Alpha creativity and leaning into pop-culture moments:
“I was going to be a scary bunny, but now I’m going to be a vampire because I like Olivia Rodurigo’s Vampire. My friend is going to be my pet wolf” - Amelia, 8
And of course, social media platforms are an essential research tool for kids for trick or treating:
“I’ve been looking on Pinterest to look at ideas for my Halloween costume, my friend and I are going to match, I’m going as Spiderman, and she will be Gwen Stacey.” – Olivia, 9
Other platforms such as Amazon and Instagram are top performers for costume research. The options for kids are limitless, and it’s safe to say, they are executed with increasing sophistication.
Gaming gets scary
Gaming platforms are always quick to tap into festivities with Roblox and Fortnite leading the charge with Halloween updates:
“Oh Exciting news on Fortnite – they are doing a Fortnitemares update which was released on 10th October for Halloween, me, my friends and Youtubers are all talking about it now and what it’s like!” – Theon, 9
New Rituals & Family Fun
Halloween is a key part of the family calendar and the growing trend of experience seeking means that families are often planning ahead:
“We are going to the Harry Potter Studio Tour for Halloween. There’s Death Eaters walking about – I’ve never been before so I’m excited!” – Jake, 10
Meanwhile new rituals surrounding the scary holiday are joining trick or treating and jump scares. Pumpkin picking, a long time-favourite in the US has hit the UK in a big way and Boo Boxes are trending on TikTok. We’ve even seen families change their Nest doorbell theme to something suitably spooky!
Treats for All
Increased awareness of food allergies and intolerance means that families are getting creative and ensuring that everyone is included:
“I leave all the treats that I collect that I can't eat for the 'switch witch' who switches them to treats I can have.” – child
“I will be careful to provide sweets that do not contain nuts. I will be offering Vegan sweets this year” – parent
Cutting the Cut!
Junior and Middle (and Primary Schools in the UK) schools are super-geared up for Halloween. Parties, dressing-up, games and class decorations abound but once kids move on to High School that all vanishes and although some Year 8s profess to be too old for dress-up there is a definite sense that they’d welcome the opportunity to continue the fun – in a teen-appropriate (non-“cringy”) manner.
They’d love the Halloween fun to jump from the TikTok screen or the Fortnite arena and wrap them in – a great opportunity for some super creative brands…