One can probably guess what Atlanta loves to dress up as for Halloween.
It starts with a "z" — as in zombies — and ends with a low moan, like the sound the walking dead make while they shuffle. Like the sound of "braaaaains."
"The Walking Dead" is one of the most popular things on television and one of the most popular things in Georgia, period. So of course Spirit Halloween, a national chain of all-in-one stores, would stock a lot to do with it: fake katanas and fake makeup and a fake sheriff's outfit, for both men and women.
The stores even stock exclusive "Walking Dead" masks.
All of it is popular, according to Bryan Tweed, Spirit's district manager in Atlanta. But they aren't the only things people are buying, he said.
Here is what else has been hot.
For kids
Tweed said the littlest kids are loving the costumes for "Paw Patrol," an animated series on Nick Jr. about brave canines.
"The kids come in, their faces light up, they love it. They get so excited," he said.
He said that girls' costumes for "Descendants" characters, based on a recent Disney film about the children of classic Disney characters, have been "selling like crazy."
"Frozen" costumes, and Elsa in particular, were huge following the movie's release and are still big, he said.
Boys have been very into the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," a franchise which is having a "big season this year" already, he said. But the "TMNT" are great for groups, too.
(Boys also love ninjas, Tweed said. But they always love ninjas.)
For adults
Superheroes are only growing in popularity, in part because of a recent, years-long rise in popular culture, Tweed said. Superman and Batman have always been big. Now Thor and Captain America are, too.
Deadpool — whose superhero film hasn't even been released yet — has sold a bunch of costumes, Tweed said.
"Everybody is so excited about that. They're buying up those costumes, they're ready for it," Tweed said.
Spirit's Day of the Dead section, for adults, is popular; as are its selection of sugar skulls, masks and other accessories.
Their skin-suit line — of form-fitting costumes, such as one modeled after a crash test dummy — has expanded, as has their offerings for female superhero fans.
In that way, Georgia is no different from anywhere else. Superheroes "for all ages has been fantastic: boys, girls, adults," Tweed said. "Every possible person."
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