Children's Safety is a Top Priority for Parents on Halloween

DENVER, Sept. 28, 2006 -- Pirates and princesses are predicted to be the two most popular Halloween costumes this year according to a consumer survey conducted by online retailer eToys.com. The classic witch ranked fifth in popularity, while clowns appear to be falling out of favor.

With each new year comes a number of factors that affect how one plans to celebrate the holiday, ranging from new movie themes to the state of the economy. The 2006 eToys Halloween consumer survey results include these additional key findings:

• How old is too old to trick-or-treat? Twenty-three percent said you're never too old to trick-or-treat, while 69 percent of parents polled by online retailer eToys.com said 12 and older is too old to carouse for candy.
• There are skeletons in most closets ... along with pirate, princess and witch costumes. According to the eToys consumer survey, 47 percent of those polled purchase their child's Halloween costume from one to two months ahead of the holiday. Only one percent say they wait until the very last minute.
• On Halloween, children's safety is top priority with 97 percent of parents polled by eToys.com reporting they never let their children trick-or-treat alone. And while their kids will be costumed, only 32 percent of parents plan to play dress-up.
• Parents who dress up for Halloween will be wearing the look for less. According to the eToys.com consumer survey, two-thirds of adults polled will spend less than $20 on their own costume, but 70 percent said they will spend from $20 to $100 on their child's Halloween costume.
• High fuel prices and scary predictions of a recession haven't spooked consumer spending on Halloween goods. Three quarters of adults polled by eToys.com say they will spend about the same amount as last year on costumes, entertaining and decorations this Halloween. Only three areas measured spending decreases -- respondents plan to cut back on spending on both interior and exterior Halloween decorations by 17 percent respectively, and they plan to spend 11 percent less than last year on their own costumes.
• Santa's reindeer take top dollar followed by the Easter Bunny, the Halloween ghoul, Tom turkey and cupid, according to a consumer study by online retailer eToys.com. According the eToys.com poll, adults say when it comes to holiday spending, they spend the most money on Christmas, followed by Easter, then Halloween, Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day.

About eToys Direct

eToys Direct offers thousands of toys, custom dolls, video games and baby products to online and catalog shoppers through its popular web sites and its strategic retail partnerships. The company owns eToys (www.etoys.com) and the My Twinn doll company (www.mytwinn.com) and operates KBtoys.com (www.kbtoys.com) under a long-term licensing agreement. eToys Direct provides a toy and video game solution to its online and catalog partners, supplying category management, full-featured content, inventory control, order fulfillment and customer support. Additionally, the company's wholly owned subsidiary, Silvestri Inc., (www.silvestriinc.com) offers retailers nationwide wholesale gifts and designs for the home from nationally known artists. eToys Direct is based in Denver.