Google’s Top Trending Halloween Costumes Are Here: ‘Obsession’ and ‘The Odyssey’ Join Unicorns and Squishy Toys

ByValentina Kraljik Published onOctober 14, 2026October 14, 2026

Focus Features / Universal Pictures

Halloween has become a yearly parade of pop culture, and the costumes people search for say a lot about what they watched, played and scrolled through over the past 12 months. With Halloween landing on Saturday, October 31, the hunt for the perfect look is officially on.

Last year’s search results were dominated by ‘KPop Demon Hunters’, with Rumi, Zoey, Mira, Jinu and Baby Saja taking the top 5 spots on Google’s rankings. This year’s picture looks very different, with horror, video games and internet oddities taking over.

On October 14, Google launched its annual Frightgeist site, and its top trending costume searches are a wild mix. The list includes Nikki from ‘Obsession’, Agamemnon from ‘The Odyssey’, Buddy the Unicorn, Lily Lovebraids from ‘Poppy Playtime’, Oliver Tree, Verity from ‘Minecraft’, Carl from ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’, Disco Scooby-Doo, NeeDoh and Hazel Hook from ‘Descendants’. Google says horror movie characters, TV and movie favorites and country legends top the charts, along with some out-of-the-box ideas.

Nikki from ‘Obsession’ is the clearest example of a movie breaking out into costume culture. Curry Barker’s film was made on a $750,000 budget and has grossed over $500 million worldwide, and Inde Navarrette’s performance as Nikki has produced memes and viral scenes. Her look is easy to copy, with a red-and-black zebra-striped top, fake blood and an unhinged grin, and NBCUniversal is even selling official costumes for Nikki and Bear.

Buddy the Unicorn is the cheerful-looking mascot from Casper Kelly’s horror film ‘Buddy’, and Lily Lovebraids is a toy-turned-villain from ‘Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5’. That fits another trend Google highlights, with mascot horror movies and gothic horror movies among this year’s top trending horror searches.

Buddy the Unicorn leads Google’s list of the top trending new Halloween costumes for 2026: 1: Buddy the Unicorn from ‘Buddy’ 2: NeeDoh 3: Nikki from ‘Obsession’ 4: Agamemnon from ‘The Odyssey’ 5: Lily Lovebraids from ‘Poppy Playtime’ 6: Oliver Tree 7: Verity from a ‘Minecraft’ mod 8: Carl from ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ 9: Disco-themed Scooby-Doo 10: Hazel Hook from ‘Descendants’ (Source: @Variety)
— Geek Vibes Nation (@GeekVibesNation) October 14, 2026

Agamemnon from Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is the most elaborate entry. Benny Safdie’s armor drew online comparisons to Batman’s suit when the trailer arrived, and Nolan told Time that his research into Bronze Age records led to a blackened bronze design. The costume designer wanted it to show how elevated Agamemnon is compared with everyone else.

That makes it a tough costume to pull off. One recent costume roundup labeled it advanced, ideal for anyone willing to put serious work into a Greek warrior look.

The rest of the list reflects how fragmented pop culture has become. Verity is a viral ‘Minecraft’ horror web series and alternate reality game created by the YouTuber ThatMob, and it took off in July. Carl from ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ comes from Matt Dinniman’s book series about a former Coast Guardsman and his cat, which Peacock is adapting, and Spirit Halloween already sells an officially licensed Carl costume built around his heart-print shorts.

Hazel Hook, the daughter of Captain Hook, comes from ‘Descendants: Wicked Wonderland’. Musician Oliver Tree appears thanks to his distinctive visual identity, and Disco Scooby-Doo shows that the classic cartoon dog never goes out of style. NeeDoh, a squishy toy made by Schylling, is perhaps the strangest entry, though its Nice Cube version is instantly recognizable.

Retailers are tracking a similar wave of pop culture. Spirit Halloween’s trend report is led by looks from ‘Off Campus’, followed by ‘Toy Story 5’ favorites and ‘KPop Demon Hunters’, with Greek-inspired gods and warriors also strong contenders. The chain opened a record 1,575 stores this season, and Americans are projected to spend $13.5 billion on Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation.

The takeaway is that a costume no longer has to come from a blockbuster franchise. A cult horror hit, a viral Minecraft story, a squishy toy and a Nolan epic can all end up on the same list, which makes this one of the most unpredictable Halloween seasons in years.