The Toy Book - 2016 NY TOY FAIR EDITION

FEATURE
RUBIE’S COSTUME CO. TALKS
HALLOWEEN
Rubie's Costume Co.'s Executive Vice President Howard Beige
discusses last Halloween's success and his predictions for 2016.
How was Halloween 2015? Did it live up to expectations?
Halloween 2015 was a winner! Retailers across the country had a
very successful Halloween season and noticed a significant increase in
sales the last week leading up to the holiday. As Halloween continues
to grow in popularity, it’s now becoming a friends
and family event for adults, kids, and even pets!
The key to Halloween is parties and getting together
with family and friends just to have fun. It’s the only holiday
that nothing else is expected of you, but to have a good time—and
Rubie’s is dedicated to making that happen!
Will Halloween falling on a Monday this year adversely affect sales?
With Halloween becoming more of a family and friends event, the
day of the week Halloween lands on has become less important as
children and adults alike enjoy dressing up and celebrating together.
Aside from Star Wars, what were the top costumes for Halloween
2015? What will be hot for Halloween 2016?
The top costumes for 2015 were Star Wars, DC Comics, Marvel,
Minions, Jurassic World, and Paw Patrol. As always, blockbuster
movies had an incredible impact on what consumers were buying.
For 2016 the best-sellers are predicted to be costumes based on Star
Wars: The Force Awakens, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Captain
America: Civil War, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Spider-Man,
DC Super Hero Girls, Suicide Squad, Ghostbusters, and Star Trek.
Since there is a tremendous amount of characters to choose from, we
predict Halloween 2016 to be extremely strong.
How does the fashion industry impact your business? How closely
does Rubie’s follow current trends when creating new products?
Rubie’s has extensive product development resources with studios
in New York, San Diego, and Phoenix. All of the studios follow the
latest fashion trends very closely and incorporate them into every
design. This is to ensure that when consumers are shopping for their
Halloween costumes, they see familiar fabrics, trims, and design elements
that they see when shopping for everyday apparel.
What’s in store for Rubie’s this year and beyond?
For continued growth of Rubie’s and its loyal retailers, we are
dedicated to offering our customers the hottest licenses and generic
products in the industry. As we celebrate our 65th anniversary,
Rubie’s continually offers innovative products and a
variety of styles for the whole family to enjoy to remain
true to our founder’s vision. Moving forward, it’s our goal
to make sure every consumer’s Halloween need is satisfied.
With the third generation playing such an important
role in our future, we’re confident Halloween at Rubie’s
will continue to flourish for years to come. »
Left to right Adult Kylo Ren and Batwoman by
Delicious costumes, Wonder Woman pet costume
160 THE TOY BOOK | FEBRUARY 2016 | TOYBOOK.COM