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Are you ready for spooky season? Don’t shoot the messenger — I know we haven’t even really gotten into the thick of back-to-school sales yet, and it still kind of feels like the kids just got released for summer break. If your mind — like my own — is still stuck on sipping mojitos by the pool, that’s totally normal. But we need to talk about Costco Halloween and how it’s already upon us.
Halloween is kind of a big deal, and a lot of retailers start releasing their cutesy and/or ghoulish wares over the summer. Costco is no exception, with a handful of products released in June and the majority of inventory coming out in August.
As you prepare for one of America’s favorite holidays, here’s everything you need to know about the most popular Costco Halloween items that are surely flying off the shelves as we speak.
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1. The Disney Halloween Village is already back at Costco.
The viral Costco Disney Halloween Village is back, and it’s still priced at $99 in stores (just like last year) and $109.99 online. It’s the same 12-piece set you could buy in 2022 — you know, that one everyone went crazy for. It’s battery-operated with a built-in timer. You flip a switch and it lights up, and there’s even Halloween music to go along with it.
This set’s got all your favorite Disney characters — Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto — all as individual figurines. Scattered throughout the village are these little Mickey-shaped pumpkins. The house has Donald Duck and Daisy Duck, plus the nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
Heads up though, this set tends to sell out fast. Remember last year? The Disney Halloween Village hit Costco shelves in the last days of June and was gone before we knew it. Costco shoppers on social media first start reporting it in their stores around mid-June 2023. So if you spot it, you might not want to wait around. Starting Halloween prep in early summer? That’s just how we roll at Costco!
You’ll pay a little bit more to buy it online, but it’s finally in stock on Costco.com:
2. Costco Halloween decor hits shelves in August, with discounts of 10% – 20% starting at the beginning of October.
While there are a few exceptions — like the early release of the Disney Halloween Village — you can expect to see the bulk of Costco’s Halloween decor available sometime in mid-August.
If you wait a bit — until, say, the beginning of October — you’ll start to see prices marked down. These early October sales started at 10% – 20% off in 2022, and creeped higher as the holiday got closer.
It might not be worth waiting for the discounts, though. People do not PLAY about their Halloween decor. So by the time October rolls around, you can expect the selection to be picked over. If there’s an item you simply must have, buy it when you first see it.
But if you’re more lax about which particular Halloween decorations will adorn your home, you will start to see lower prices after September makes her exit.
TIP: Wanna save money on your Halloween decor without waiting until the last minute? Check out these DIY Halloween decorations to save a buck or twenty.
3. You can get the 10-foot Costco skeleton at the end of August.
Yes! The infamous 10-foot skeleton! If Costco follows the patterns of years past, we’re expecting our buddy to make his appearance during the last week of August. That’s also when we expect the majority of Halloween decor to land on Costco’s shelves.
4. FYI — Home Depot’s massive skeleton is bigger (and cheaper) than Costco’s, but it’s not animatronic.
Ten feet not big enough for you? Home Depot’s giant skeleton is 12 feet tall, and it’s also cheaper. Last year at Costco, you’d pay $319.99 for the 10-foot, Skeletor grim reaper. At Home Depot, you’d only pay $299 for Skelly.
The biggest reason for the price difference is that Costco’s is animatronic, while Home Depot’s Skelly is not. That said, Home Depot did roll out some giant, animatronic Halloween creatures last year — with prices ranging from $199 – $399.
TIP: Keep an eye out for markdowns on Costco’s animatronic skeleton during the first two weeks of October. Last year we saw price reductions of up to $60. Just like with costumes, though, bear in mind that if you wait for the markdowns, you risk Costco running out of inventory.
5. New Costco animatronics are coming for Halloween 2023.
Now, this is not confirmed 100% yet for the U.S. But in the UK, Costco has already announced a new line of animatronics, including a punk rock skeleton (6 feet, 18 inches tall), a garbling tomb guardian mummy (6 feet tall), and the stuff of my nightmares — a giant, lunging clown (9 feet tall).
There’s good reason to assume these will also be released into the American market near the middle or end of August. Why? Because the same animatronics have been available both here and across the pond in years past.
Also, because the default measurements are in feet and inches, it’s pretty safe to assume that they were originally created for an American customer base.
As of July 3, we’re already seeing these animatronics in stock on Costco.com:
6. Expect Costco Halloween costumes to run you between $33 and $40 starting in August.
Costco’s Halloween costume selection is ghoulishly phenomenal! But don’t worry — if you’ve got little ones, scary Halloween costumes aren’t your only options. Last year we saw kids’ costumes in the following flavors:
- Mermaid
- Fighter pilot
- Dragon
- Knight
- Fairy
- Unicorn
- Ninja
- Astronaut
- Kitty Cat
- Firefighter
- Butterfly princess
Depending on the store location, costumes typically get rolled out starting in mid-August. Last year, pricing was $33.99, but with inflation, we’re expecting to see those prices inch up a little more in 2023.
7. If your kid’s not picky, wait to pick up a costume until late October.
If your kid is dead set on being a unicorn, you’re going to want to pick up their costume as early as possible lest Costco run out of their size or (heaven forbid) unicorn costumes altogether.
But if they’re not really committed to one costume idea over the other, you can score some deep savings by waiting until the last week before Halloween. For example, by October 25 last year, you could find costume markdowns that brought the price down to $19.97 or even as low as $9.97 depending on the style.
8. Pet costumes at Costco will run you between $25 and $30.
Last year, Costco’s adorbs pet costumes ran you $24.99, and they were released around the same time as the people costumes (August-ish). With inflation, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a slight price increase in 2023.
9. Costco’s Halloween candy sales are to die for.
Costco is a great place to shop for Halloween candy. Last year, they ran laps around Walmart, who was charging $0.32/ounce for a bag of assorted chocolate goodies like M&Ms and Kit Kats.
If you shopped at Costco, you could pick up a bag with Kirkland Signature branding (but the same brand-name chocolates inside) for just $0.26/ounce. Plus, Costco’s bag was dramatically larger — and this is great news because Halloween candy is an item you’ll want to buy in bulk.
TIP: Costco does have great Halloween candy prices when you break it down to the price per ounce, but you’ll also want to run their prices against drug stores, which can sometimes give the wholesaler a run for their money during the month of October.
10. Don’t overlook Popcornopolis for trick-or-treaters.
When I was younger, I lived on top of a classically-steep Pittsburgh hill. As a result, we didn’t get that many trick-or-treaters. My mom would buy whole candy bars to reward those who made the strenuous hike to our front door.
If you’re in a similar situation but want to give those candy bars a 2023 update, know that you can get a great deal on the super-popular Popcornopolis gourmet popcorn cones at Costco. You can get a set of 12 assorted cones for $14.99, which comes out to just $1.25/cone.
To give you an idea of just how great a deal this is, the lowest price you can get for a mixed set of cones through Popcornopolis directly is $1.87/cone.
TIP: Amazon does give Costco a run for its money when it comes to Popcornopolis. You can get the same product for the same price — plus free two-day shipping for Prime members. Costco will require a minimum order amount of $75 to get free two-day shipping.
11. You can no longer buy Halloween Horror Night tickets at Costco.
Bummer, but true. Costco Travel underwent some pretty hefty changes over the past couple of years. Technically, you can still buy Universal Orlando tickets at a discount through Costco, but only when you purchase an entire vacation package that includes airfare and lodging.
And even if you do that, Halloween Horror Night tickets are no longer an option to add on to your package. You’ll have to purchase those directly through Universal.
