Kari Treat's kids walked into Spirit Halloween with a plan. That plan lasted about four minutes, until a trash-can raccoon animatronic hijacked the entire trip.
This article is sponsored by Spirit Halloween. Macaroni KID publishers were compensated to visit their local stores with their families and share their experiences. All opinions are their own.
Ready to start your Halloween shopping?
Find your nearest Spirit Halloween store or shop online →
Quick take, if you're skimming
- Jump scares: Yes, but the animatronics were more "fun to trigger" than "scary" for kids ages 4 and 7
- Sizing: Worked well for Kari's kids, with room to grow. Good for costumes that may stick around after Oct. 31 too!
- Costume shopping: You can build a full look in-store with costumes, masks, accessories and makeup
- Best for: Kids who like to browse and explore all the Halloween options
- Budget: Plenty of flexibility, whether you’re adding a few accessories to create a look or shopping for a full head-to-toe costume
- Giving back: Spirit of Children supports Child Life programs at more than 165 partner hospitals
Their first stop wasn't the costume racks
For Kari Treat, the publisher of Macaroni KID Schaumburg, Ill., Spirit Halloween was already familiar territory. Her kids watch videos of people visiting Spirit stores and knew exactly where they wanted to go first: The displays and animatronics.
This year's Camp Harbor Lake setup gave them plenty to explore, with clowns, witches, aliens, Five Nights at Freddy's characters, and other surprises tucked throughout the display.
The family favorite? A trash-can-loving raccoon the kids promptly named Jimothy. They kept going back just to trigger it again.
“It’s amazing what kids focus on,” Kari said with a laugh.
 |  |
A Halloween tradition for families everywhere: One year they're hiding behind you at Spirit Halloween and the next they can't get enough.
Is Spirit Halloween too scary for little kids?
The animatronics were a major part of the fun for Kari's 4- and 7-year-olds. There were a few jumps, but they didn't hide behind Mom as much this year. Instead, the kids made a game out of running from display to display and seeing how many animatronics they could activate.
That's worth knowing if your child is more cautious around Halloween scares. Spirit Halloween can be loud, dark, and intentionally spooky in certain sections, so families with younger or more sensitive kids may want to take the displays at their own pace.
For Kari's kids, the scares were part of the entertainment.
"They used to be hiding behind mom and now they're running off to tap on the animatronic," she said.
Costume shopping got easier once the kids saw everything in person
This part may sound familiar: One child knew exactly what he wanted, and the other figured it out once she started browsing.
Kari's son is a big Star Wars fan and was thrilled to find a Stormtrooper costume after having trouble finding one elsewhere. Her daughter went in more open-minded. After browsing the different witch options, and with some recent Harry Potter movie watching likely providing inspiration, she landed on a traditional witch costume and added a Harry Potter wand.
Then came another visit, another discovery and another addition: A knight helmet her son now wants to work into his Stormtrooper look.
Kari said he was “over the moon” when he found it and expects he’ll be wearing it nearly every day until Halloween — and probably beyond.
 |
A parent win: They found the sizes they needed
One thing that genuinely surprised Kari was the size selection. She found plenty of options for both her 4- and 7-year-old, and said the sizing worked well for them with enough room for a little growth, useful when costumes may be worn to school events, trunk-or-treats, parties and around the house long before (and after!) Oct. 31.
Her advice to parents who tend to wait because their kids might change their minds: Don't.
Waiting can mean fewer sizes and styles available when you finally shop. If your child finds the one, Kari says it is worth grabbing it now.
Can you build a whole costume in one trip?
For this family, yes. Along with the main costumes, they browsed masks, accessories, makeup, wands, and plenty of add-ons. Kari and her husband even went back to find costumes for themselves.
The coordinated family-costume era may be over in their house, but the final lineup has plenty of personality:
- Mom: Pumpkin poncho
- Dad: Pumpkin suit and tie
- Daughter: Classic witch, with a touch of Harry Potter inspiration
- Son: Stormtrooper, with possible knight accessories. Because why not?
Nobody planned it that way. Nobody's mad about it either.
Another family's take
Kari's wasn't the only Macaroni KID family to make a Spirit Halloween run. Shay Brase, publisher for Broomfield, Thornton and Longmont, Colo., visited with her four kids — two teens and two younger children.
Her 6-year-old had his heart set on a Fortnite costume, but it was a set of cartoon-style Fortnite daggers that really sealed the deal. "He knows I typically don't like the idea of toy weapons, but these were pretty silly and definitely in character," Shay said. "We heard about them the ENTIRE visit, and he was so incredibly thrilled when I told him we could get them!"
Her teenage daughters took a completely different approach, skipping premade costumes and building their own looks with wigs, corsets and accessories. One is going as the Queen of Hearts and the other is creating a My Little Pony look.
And Shay? She chose a SpongeBob character for her own 2026 Halloween look, another reminder that Spirit Halloween's selection isn't just for kids.
Shay also liked that families can approach costume shopping at different price points. Her teens built their looks with individual pieces like wigs, corsets and accessories, while her younger kids gravitated toward more complete character costumes.
Whether you’re adding one or two pieces to something you already own or building a full look from scratch, there are plenty of ways to shop based on what works for your family.
And then there's everything you didn't plan to buy
Costumes may be the hook that gets families to visit Spirit Halloween, but Kari's family spent plenty of time browsing decorations, masks and other Halloween extras too. They came home with a large fogging pumpkin display for the yard, and Kari also spotted treats she could use in community Boo Bags.
Fair warning: You may go in for a costume and end up finding a few unexpected and fun Halloween extras too!
 |
More than Halloween shopping: Spirit of Children
There's another piece of Spirit Halloween that especially resonated with Kari's family.
Through Spirit of Children, the company supports Child Life Departments at children's hospitals, helping fund programs and experiences designed to make hospitalization less frightening for kids and families.
Since 2006, the program has grown from supporting 11 hospitals to more than 165 partner hospitals across the U.S. and Canada. Spirit Halloween says 100% of funds raised go directly to Child Life Services in the communities where the donations are collected, with a goal of raising more than $20 million this year.
That mission is personal for Kari. Her family has received services through Shriners Children's Chicago, where they've seen firsthand how Child Life and recreation programs can help kids feel more comfortable and confident during medical care.
For Kari, knowing that shopping at Spirit supports services and programs her family has personally benefited from makes the mission especially meaningful.
"That behind-the-scenes mission makes a big impact," she said.
Is Spirit Halloween worth taking the kids?
Absolutely! If your goal is simply to grab the fastest costume possible, there are plenty of places to buy one. But that isn't really the point here.
At Spirit Halloween, the Halloween fun is part of the costume shopping experience. Kids can explore, change their minds, laugh at all the animatronics, try on masks, and find Halloween accessories and other treasures you never planned to buy them... but now realize you want just as much as they do!
"Spirit Halloween makes costume shopping actually fun instead of stressful," Kari said.
And somewhere along the way, you might just adopt an animatronic raccoon you name Jimothy.
Planning your own Spirit Halloween visit? Browse costumes, decorations and seasonal offers at SpiritHalloween.com. If your child has their heart set on a particular costume or size, it may be worth shopping sooner rather than later as Halloween gets closer.
You can also sign up for Spirit Halloween's email list or follow @SpiritHalloween for current promotions.
