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Clowns, political masks among popular Halloween costumes this year

What's in the news seems to be driving sales
Posted at 10:20 PM, Oct 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-11 23:20:53-04
Scary clowns, superheroes, presidential hopefuls -- it's a toss up on what the most popular Halloween costume is this year.
 
It's not always easy deciding what you what to be for Halloween, but like in years past, what's in the news seems to be driving sales.
 
Eight-year-old Aidan Yeager was looking for a costume Tuesday afternoon.
 
"What about a hockey player?" TODAY'S TMJ4 reporter Rebecca Klopf asked.
 
"No," Yeager said.
 
"Football player? Klopf asked.
 
"No," Yeager said.
 
"A skeleton?" Klopf asked.
 
"No," Yeager said.
 
But for those who do know, pop culture seems to rule at Kim's Costume Shop in West Allis.
 
"This is the first year that I have had as many people calling about clown stuff," owner Kim Huber said.
 
Police departments across the country have arrested people for dressing up like clowns and making threats, but Huber said so far people seem to want to have harmless fun. 
 
Her shop is actually selling out of clown costumes. People are buying the fun clown costumes and turning them scary by adding a black nose and blood. 
 
However, if it's not clowns, superhero costumes are flying off the shelves. But this year with the presidential election has a lot of people getting political.
 
"The political masks are very big sellers this year," said Paula Strehlow who works at Halloween Express.
 
Jon Majdoch owns the Halloween Express stores in Milwaukee. He said political masks sales have been able to correctly predict the presidential race since Ronald Reagan in 1984. The mask selling the most this year, according to Majdoch, is Donald Trump. Almost three to one over Hillary Clinton.
 
But Majdoch is not confident in the mask vote this year because this is the first year with a female candidate. He said overall most mask buyers are men, while women tend to buy makeup and wigs for a Halloween costume.
 
"More men are buying the masks and that could be why the Trump is more popular," Strehlow said.
 
And just like some voters are undecided, so are costume shoppers.
 
"What about a wizard?" Klopf asked the  8-year-old boy who was still wandering the aisles.
 
"No," Yeager said.
 
"What about a spider?" Klopf asked.
 
"No," Yeager said.
 
"A lion?" Klopf asked.
 
"No," Yeager said.
 
"I'm giving you tons of ideas," Klopf said.
 
"I don't know," Yeager said while shrugging his shoulders.
 
Good thing there is still almost three weeks left until Halloween!