Includes: Jacket, pants and hat. Whip and shoes not included. This is an officially licensed Indiana Jones costume.Halloween and the Presidential Election come within a few days of each other this year. Is there any connection between the costumes people choose and the outcome of elections?
This year Halloween retailers are saying there is an explosion of orders for Barack Obama Masks, John McCain masks and Sarah Palin costumes. Since Obama and McCain basically wear suits, there is no real need for a complicated costume. A standard dress suit worn with a purchased mask does the trick.
Go online and look at pictures of your favorite presidential candidate. Pay close attention to the type of shoe, shirt and tie he typically wears. You might even want to add a campaign button to promote your favorite party.
A Sarah Palin costume consists of the "beehive" wig, glasses, and a campaign button. Depending on whether the purchaser is pro or con Palin, they might add some other touches. What are people saying when they don these costumes? Sarah Palin supporters will show her competency. A business suit, a tasteful brooch or simple necklace, and those hot high heeled shoes make a great costume for a Palin supporter. On the other hand, those wanting to spoof Palin are wearing a tiara, a beauty pageant ribbon, or they have her toting a gun for one of her legendary hunting trips. As they say, the accessories are everything.
With all the discussion about how to dress like the Presidential or Vice-Presidential candidates, it is worth looking at what those costume choices might actually mean. Halloween suppliers say sales of masks of presidential candidates have predicted the winner in the past several campaigns.
In the past three elections, nationwide sales of U.S. Presidential candidate masks revealed the winner days before general election results were in. In 2004 the Spirit Halloween Presidential Index showed George W. Bush masks outselling John Kerry masks at a rate of 65% to 35%. In 2000 the George W. Bush mask took 57% of the sales vs. 43% for Al Gore. And in 1996 Bill Clinton masks were 71% of the market vs. 29% for Bob Dole. A fluke or a real predictor?
The mask factor is good news for Obama so far. After the first month of Halloween 2008, Barack Obama and John McCain mask sales show Obama is leading at 67% while McCain has 33%. There is still a month until election day so anything can happen during that time.
Most important, regardless of which candidate you support, remember to "Get Out and Vote". Voting is a privilege in our society. Nothing is more important than casting your vote on election day. Remember, the election was decided in 2004 by an extremely small margin - every vote does make a difference. So support your favorite candidate by buying his mask for Halloween and then voting for him on November 4.
Dawn Szwec
Professional Market Researcher and Halloween Enthusiast, specializing in consumer research of Halloween trends. For your candidate, see the Barack Obama Mask or the John McCain or Sarah Palin Costumes.
