Google's Most-Searched Halloween Costumes of 2020 Could Be Better

So many missed opportunities...

Every year, Google Trends releases Frightgeist, an interactive report of the most-searched Halloween costumes during the month of September. This year's spooky interface shows the year's top 651 costumes overall, the most popular costumes by region, and recommends a personalized Halloween costume based on users' preferences.

Luckily, even during an exhausting election year, there's not a political figure in sight (unless you're counting clowns, skeletons, or monsters), and since the vice presidential debate happened in October, searches for fly costumes were left out. Instead, you'll find all the usual suspects and the sporadic topical reference, like the frighteningly relevant plague doctor and Gen Z personality Jojo Siwa. There are also a few random costumes on the list, like a light-emitting diode, which you probably know as an LED, and a potato, which I know as my reflection.

For obvious reasons, classic characters like Mulan and Sonic the Hedgehog trended upward this year. Nacho Libre, Hello Kitty, and squirrel costumes also saw a spike. Yoda still outranks Baby Yoda, coming in at No. 43 and No. 47, respectively, and Harry Potter and Hermione Granger saw a decline in searches, perhaps because of J.K. Rowling's upsetting anti-trans comments.

Overall, most of the results are basic. Americans definitely didn't focus their efforts on creative Halloween costumes this year, which makes sense, you know, considering everything else going on. Here's a more holistic look at Google's 2020 data.

The Most-Searched Halloween Costumes

1. Witch
2. Dinosaur
3. Harley Quinn
4. Rabbit
5. Clown
6. Angel
7. Fortnite
8. Devil
9. Ninja
10. Spider-Man
11. Cowboy
12. Doll
13. Zombie
14. Pumpkin
15. Purge
16. Pirate
17. Cheerleader
18. Fairy
19. Vampire
20. Chucky
21. Bear
22. Superhero
23. IT
24. Mermaid
25. Skeleton

The Most-Searched Costumes by State*

Alabama: Harley Quinn
Alaska: Beetlejuice
Arizona: Rabbit
Arkansas: Doll
California: Witch
Colorado: Dinosaur
Connecticut: Powerpuff Girls
Delaware: Doll
District of Columbia: Beyoncé**
Florida: Rabbit
Georgia: Witch
Hawaii: Monsters, Inc.
Idaho: Witch
Illinois: Dinosaur
Indiana: Witch
Iowa: Chucky
Kansas: Mickey Mouse
Kentucky: Zombie
Louisiana: Witch
Maine: Dinosaur
Maryland: Ninja
Massachusetts: Dinosaur
Michigan: Rabbit
Minnesota: Witch
Mississippi: Angel
Missouri: Dinosaur
Montana: Purge
Nebraska: Joker
Nevada: Witch
New Hampshire: Ninja
New Jersey: Witch
New Mexico: Clueless
New York: Dinosaur
North Carolina: Dinosaur
North Dakota: Star Wars
Ohio: Witch
Oklahoma: Dragon
Oregon: Fortnite
Pennsylvania: Witch
Rhode Island: Hermione Granger
South Carolina: Wonder Woman
South Dakota: Spider
Tennessee: Harley Quinn
Texas: Harley Quinn
Utah: Witch
Vermont: Deer
Virginia: Rabbit
Washington: Angel
West Virginia: Zombie
Wisconsin: Witch
Wyoming: Physician

*Pulled from raw data in Frightgeist's fine print.
**Yes, we know this isn't a state, but close enough.

Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email and subscribe here for our YouTube channel to get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.

Kyler Alvord is a news writer at Thrillist. Find him on Twitter and Instagram. Or don't. It's really up to you.