Google’s top trending Halloween costumes revealed — and you may have never heard of them

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Halloween is upon us, and with it the summons to costume.

Google recently revealed its top trending costume searches for 2026, and the list is littered with the year’s biggest movies, including some surprise characters many may have never heard of.

Driven by pre-Halloween search surges, Google’s rankings reveal the characters, trends, and video games dominating pop culture in 2026.

The list follows the anti-fun revelation that fewer than a quarter of Americans plan to dress up for Halloween this year.

The same survey found that, by and large, Americans are “over sexy Halloween costumes,” a preference reflected in the Google list.

Taking the top spot for costumes this year is Buddy the Unicorn, the eponymous, murderous mascot from Casper Kelly’s horror film “Buddy.”

Second place goes to NeeDoh, a popular “sensory” gadget designed to be squeezed, stretched, and smushed. While not related to a horror movie per se, NeeDoh is no stranger to scary.

Despite clear manufacturer warnings that read “Do NOT heat, freeze, or microwave; may cause personal injury,” doctors say children are being exposed to increasingly dangerous online trends encouraging exactly that.

In Missouri, 7-year-old Scarlett Selby was placed in a medically induced coma after a NeeDoh toy exploded in a microwave and coated her in molten, sticky substance.

Yikes indeed.

The third most-searched costume on Google is Nikki from “Obsession.”

“Obsession” hit theaters in May and has since grossed over $500 million worldwide. The horror flick, from 26-year-old filmmaker Curry Barker, cost just $750,000 to make and hinges on the protagonist Bear’s dark wish that his crush, Nikki, will love him more than anyone else in the world.

Cue the bludgeoning, love bombing, and disconcerting lack of blinking.

The number 4 most-searched costume is child-sacrificing, Troy-conquering, mohawk-helmet-wearing Agamemnon from “The Odyssey.”

In terms of children’s Halloween costumes, the late great Dolly Parton takes the top spot.

Dolly also dominates pet costumes, second only to centipedes in that category.

For duo costumes, Disco Scooby and Shaggy take the top spot, followed by X-Men’s Cyclops and Jean Grey and Nikki and Bear from “Obsession.”

In terms of who is suiting up and masking up, Gen Z and millennials are 10% more likely to dress up for Halloween than other generations.

Google’s top trending costumes

1. Buddy the Unicorn (“Buddy”)
2. NeeDoh
3. Nikki (“Obsession)
4. Agamemnon (“The Odyssey”)
5. Lily Love Braids (“Poppy Playtime”)
6. Oliver Tree
7. Verity (“Minecraft”)
8. Carl (“Dungeon Crawler Carl”)
9. Disco Scooby-Doo
10. Hazel Hook (“Descendants”)

Google’s top kid costumes

1. Dolly Parton
2. Ella Langley
3. Dumpling
4. Shakira
5. Oliver Tree
6. Ash Ketchum (“Pokémon”)
7. Hannah Montana
8. Spider-Gwen
9. Michael Jackson (“Thriller” era)
10. Pomni (“The Amazing Digital Circus”)

Google’s top pet costumes

1. Centipede
2. Dolly Parton
3. Bullseye (“Toy Story”)
4. Diet Coke
5. Princess Donut (“Dungeon Crawler Carl”)
6. Lamb Chop
7. Baked potato
8. Roach
9. Tow Mater (“Cars”)

Google’s top duo costumes

1. Disco Scooby and Shaggy (“Scooby-Doo”)
2. Cyclops and Jean Grey (“X-Men”)
3. Nikki and Bear (“Obsession”)
4. J.Lo and Maverick (“Off Campus”)
5. Hannah and Garrett (“Off Campus”)
6. Cowboys and Angels
7. Ricky Bobby and Carley Bobby (“Talladega Nights”)
8. Wall-E and Eve (“Wall-E”)
9. Woody and Bullseye (“Toy Story”)
10. Joe Dirt and Brandy (“Joe Dirt”)

Last week, Spirit Halloween — the largest Halloween retailer in North America — dropped its costume trend report. The New Jersey-based seasonal retailer also called out “Obsession” and “The Odyssey” as driving costume trends, along with “K-Pop Demon Hunters.”