Nikki from Obsession has become one of the costumes to beat this Halloween. In Google’s Frightgeist rankings, she’s the third most-searched costume overall, and IGN reports that Nikki and Bear also place third among couples’ costumes. If you’re still without a plan for 31 October, the data points to a ready-made pairing.
How the 2026 list shakes out
Frightgeist uses Google Trends data to predict which costumes are surging in searches ahead of Halloween. Time Out reports that Buddy the Unicorn takes first place, NeeDoh second and Nikki from Obsession third, and its top 10 also includes Agamemnon from The Odyssey, Lily Love Braids from Poppy Playtime, Oliver Tree, Verity from Minecraft, Dungeon Crawler Carl’s Carl, Disco Scooby Doo and Hazel Hook from Descendants. Two of the three podium spots come from horror films, since Buddy is the unicorn from the horror movie Buddy.
Nikki’s rise tracks the film’s own momentum. Obsession came out in May to strong reviews and made a star of Inde Navarrette, who IGN says has since landed the role of Rogue in Marvel’s X-Men reboot. IGN also reports that Nikki has even appeared as a roaming character at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights.
The costume search data is unusually specific. Google says Nikki’s red zebra halter top has had a particularly high search volume. IGN adds that Google describes searches for the top as higher than ever following the film’s release.
Couples and the horror charts
On the couples’ side, IGN says Nikki and Bear rank third, behind Disco Scooby and Shaggy in first place. NBC Chicago’s rundown of Google’s duo costumes puts Cyclops and Jean Grey in second place. Time Out’s rundown of trending pairs also includes Wall-E and Eve, Woody and Bullseye, Cyclops and Jean Grey, and Ricky and Carley Bobby from Talladega Nights. That makes the Nikki and Bear pairing the one horror-driven entry in a mostly family-friendly field.
Searches for costumes don’t track searches for films, though. IGN reports that Obsession didn’t make Google’s top 10 most-searched horror movies. That list is led by Buddy, followed by Other Mommy, The Whisper Man, Passenger, Brute, Insidious: Out of the Further, Resident Evil, Arachnaphobia, Hokum and The Backrooms. IGN notes that the success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms has also helped greenlight film adaptations of other creepypasta projects, including Siren Head, The Mandela Catalogue and The SCP Foundation.
The rankings reported here come from Google’s US lists, so they won’t necessarily match what people in the UAE, Saudi Arabia or Egypt are searching. Frightgeist also has a searchable trending map if you want to check how a costume is doing near you.
Is Nikki from Obsession really the third most-searched Halloween costume?
Yes, on Google’s Frightgeist rankings reported by IGN and Time Out. Buddy the Unicorn is first and NeeDoh second. The rankings reflect Google search trends in the US, not sales.
What do you need for a Nikki costume?
Google says searches for Nikki’s red zebra halter top have hit a record high, and IGN describes it as the top the character wears in a pivotal scene in Obsession. That makes it the piece to start with.
Where can I check Halloween costume trends?
Google’s Frightgeist site collects trending costumes, pet costumes and couples’ costumes. Time Out says it also includes a searchable map of local trends.
