Halloween celebrations for adults are approaching frighteningly fast as youngsters gear up for a night of trick or treating on Monday.
Zombies have come alive as the hottest trend in costumes for adults, while kids have been flocking to Angry Birds suits.
"Zombies are a big trend in Halloween, for both men and women," according to Mary Yaggie, owner of Party City in Grand Forks.
Judy Erickstad and Amber Schwab made the trip from Devils Lake to shop for zombie paraphernalia.
"We have some disgusting glue-on bite marks and some scratch marks and some stuff to make cuts and wounds," Schwab said. "We've got sparkles for some added flair."
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The manager at Spencer's Gifts in Columbia Mall, who asked to remain nameless, was especially proud of the zombie Smurf costume he wore to work.
"Zombies are the most popular thing I'm selling," he said. "Three to four years ago it was all pirate parties. Now it's zombies."
Little kids are still drawn to traditional costumes, like princesses for girls and super heroes for boys.
But one of the hottest sellers this year was Angry Birds, based on the super popular video game phone application.
"We had the Angry Birds," Yaggie said. "It was a hot costume for the boys. It was a late buy, and the supplier didn't even have enough to fill a reorder."
Charlie Sheen is not ringing up sales.
"I thought he'd sell better than he did," Yaggie said. "We have his bowling shirt and wig and mask."
Don't be surprised if you bump into Snooki or The Situation this weekend.
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The Spencer's manager said quite a few people have opted for the "Jersey Shore" look, complete with fake tans, poufy hair and bad accents.
Yaggie said super stretchy, skin tight Morph Suits are doing well.
"Those have been extremely popular this year," she said. "That's probably one of our hottest items."
The suits, which cover the body from head to toe, come in various colors and styles, like skeletons, tuxedos and aliens.
Yaggie said people will often start with a Morph Suit and build a costume around it using other clothes or accessories.
"They're just easy," she said. "You see them a lot at sporting events. You can dress up and be whoever you want to. Their personality changes when you get in those things. No one knows you or can tell who you are. And the adults like them because you can actually drink through them."
Spencer's, which only carries adult costumes, specializes in helping women make their costumes as naughty as they like.
"That's about 95 percent of my girls' costumes," the manager said. "It's the one chance they get to dress up. No one can really blame them for doing it."
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Bieri reports on crime and courts. Reach him at (701) 780-1118; (800) 477-6572, ext. 118; or at cbieri@gfherald.com .
