THUNDER BAY -- Elsa and Anna are going to be everywhere this Halloween.
That’s because the two sisters from Disney’s Frozen are the most popular costumes for girls according to both Spirit Halloween and Halloween Alley, two stores dedicated to solely to Oct. 31 and a testament to how into the spirit Thunder Bay gets this time of year. For boys, every superhero from Spiderman to Transformers will be out in full force.
Spirit Halloween floor manager Ivan Muzdalo said pop culture is also influencing adults this year but they tend to lean towards a more violent theme.
“Game of Thrones is very popular,” he said. “It’s going well.”
The store also has a whole range of terrifying props from jumping spiders to animatronic mad scientists that can cost hundreds of dollars. They’ve already sold out of a motion-activated zombie girl that crawls across the floor. That’s going to make for a lot of decked out haunted houses across the city. Muzdalo said people willing to spend big bucks for big scars usually don’t stop at one.
“What I see is people who already have stuff coming back to make it bigger and bigger,” he said. “It’s pretty cool.”
Décor is a big seller at Halloween Alley too. Owner Scotia Kauppi said the butcher shop props have been pretty popular so far. Anyone looking to have a zombie-themed toilet cover for their bathroom, complete with an undead hand rising from it, missed the boat though because she’s already sold out.
“This town loves Halloween,” she said.
Kauppi partly credits a new wave of horror shows, like The Walking Dead, for the surge in people looking to go all out for the season. The Marvel Universe crossing generations has also helped.
“That just brings more costumes and more childhood fantasies to life,” she said. “You can be Captain America with your kid.”
Back at Spirit Halloween, friends Kayjay Jamsa-Babcock and Matthew Bishop are looking for a few finishing touches to their coordinated outfits, which started being planned in August. They’ve drawn up designs and gathered material to be an angel and demon. The two will wake up at 6 a.m. on Halloween to start make-up. They plan to hit the mall, school and everywhere in between, capped with as many bars as they can, just so they can show off their work to as many people as possible.
“It’s always fun to pretend you’re something you’re not for a day,” Jamsa-Babcock said.
