This Halloween retail season will last longer than last year’s, with Halloween on a Friday rather than a Wednesday. This could mean for retailers that “their strongest sale days are yet to come,” said Howard Beige, executive vice-president of Rubie’s Costume Company.

As for costume wholesalers, they can still sell easily what they have either deemed the “classics” or the “perennials”: witches, pirates, vampires. And more than ever, they are selling to online retailers and temporary stores, ones that stay open solely for the Halloween season. This year, costume wholesalers have been as busy as ever, to bring the new and exciting costumes to storefronts across the U.S.:

• Spotlight Costumes
  “We are small but mighty,” said owner Kim Brown. Spotlight Costumes mainly supplies full ensembles for theatrical productions and themed weddings.However, for Halloween it also ships out to 350 brick and mortar costume shops, with most concentrated in the east coast. The former National Costumers Association president also designs each costume, the most popular ones of the wholesale line being the flapper, the pimp, the Tin Man, and Marie Antoinette.
• Franco American Novelty Company
  Franco American Novelty Company has been distributing to an increasing amount of temporary stores, said Jay Dinhofer, one of the company’s account executives. He added to any number of their 4,000 total retail store fronts, they have shipped thousands of its Cleopatra women’s costumes. That being the company’s best seller is a testament to consumers’ growing appreciation of the industry.
  “Instead of going sexy and short – as the trend may be – this has more to do with the sophistication today that is available at reasonable prices,” Dinhofer said.
• Disguise
  Disguise claims itself to be the second largest costume manufacturer in the U.S. This San Diego wholesaler has sent out about a million costumes this year, said Bernice Nesbit, senior marketing manager. Disguise’s biggest sellers this year stem from their movie and television licenses. Boys will likely be seen as either Iron Man or Transformers characters, while girls will probably transform into either Hannah Montana or Disney princesses. The company also offers an easy, timely idea for adults, with their Obama and McCain masks.
• Rubie’s Costume Company
  This New York-based wholesaler has distributed over 25 million costumes to retail store fronts this year, Beige said. And if any manufacturer/distributor could prove that movies drive the Halloween costume business, it is this one. (After all, it is the largest of its kind in the world. Rubie’s has offices in Europe and Asia, in addition to those all over North America.) Key licenses Rubie’s obtained include “The Dark Knight,” Indiana Jones and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” But of course, the boys cannot be allowed to have all the fun. Popular girls’ costumes this year include Sharpay and Gabriella from “High School Musical.”