$370 million for . . . adorable pet costumes?
Americans spend more money every year buying getups for their dogs and cats. Here are 11 inspired creations. Vote for your favorite in the comments below.
Some pets love getting into costume about as much as going to the vet, but that isn't stopping their enthusiastic owners. Shoppers are expected to drop $370 million this year on costumes for their dogs, cats and other pets this Halloween, the National Retail Federation projects. That's an increase of about $40 million over 2011.
Are we sure the economy is in trouble?
"Americans in general don't want to skimp on their pets. If the family is dressing up for the evening, they want to make sure all family members get in on the fun," a federation spokeswoman told The Star-Ledger.
I bought my 4-month-old puppy an Indiana Jones costume, and, well, she hates it. But some animals seem to love the novelty and attention. We set out to find some photos of dogs and cats in awesome Halloween costumes. Some are homemade but very effective, while others are elaborate concoctions that would even make a human jealous.
Pet stores are taking advantage of this consumer trend, launching all kinds of promotions to sell more costumes. Petco is running a "Howloween" photo contest and awarding a $5,000 American Express gift card for the best scene. Petco even created a Pets vs. Zombies video featuring a dog that cures zombies. Get that dog over to "The Walking Dead," fast! PetSmart (PETM) ran costume contests and pet parades in its stores last weekend.
Check out these snazzy pets who know how to celebrate Halloween. And feel free to vote for your favorites in the comments section below.
Credit: Colure, Flickr
Credit: Black.Dots., Flickr
Credit: Plasticrevolver, Flickr
Credit: Evilfoo, Flickr
Credit: Ronnie44052, Flickr
Image credit: Beverly & Pack, Flickr
Credit: andreaarden, Flickr
Credit: Plasticrevolver, Flickr
Credit: Akaporn Bhothisuwan, Flickr
Credit: D'Oh Boy, Flickr
Which one of these is your favorite? Vote in the comments below.
Top photo credit: ilovememphis, Flickr
More from MSN Money
- 13 tips for a frugal Halloween
- Big Bird costumes hot sellers for Halloween
- 'Halloween Effect' treats investors
MORE ON MSN MONEY
VIDEO ON MSN MONEY
DATA PROVIDERS
Copyright © 2013 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
Quotes are real-time for NASDAQ, NYSE and AMEX. See delay times for other exchanges.
Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Thomson Reuters (click for restrictions). Real-time quotes provided by BATS Exchange. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Interactive Data Real-Time Services. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by SIX Financial Information.
Japanese stock price data provided by Nomura Research Institute Ltd.; quotes delayed 20 minutes. Canadian fund data provided by CANNEX Financial Exchanges Ltd.
RECENT QUOTES
WATCHLIST
MARKET UPDATE
| NAME | LAST | CHANGE | % CHANGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| There’s a problem getting this information right now. Please try again later. | ||||
[BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 settled lower by 0.8% after early strength turned into afternoon weakness.
Today's headline event came in the form of Ben Bernanke's testimony before the Joint Economic Committee. During his remarks, Chairman Bernanke said premature tightening of monetary policy could stall the pace of recovery. This followed weeks of conflicting remarks from FOMC members, which sparked speculation regarding possible changes to the Fed's policy course.
However, ... More
More Market News
Currencies
| NAME | LAST | CHANGE | % CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| There’s a problem getting this information right now. Please try again later. | |||
