Nervous that you just blew 40 dollars on an expensive dog costume they’ll only wear once? Don’t fret – your dog can wear that Batman outfit as often as they like, as canine costumes are becoming a mainstay of social media dog memes and increasingly popular year-round.
Take Wally, a Welsh Corgi owned by Marc and Cynthia Dalangin of Wharton, New Jersey. While he used to go out trick-or-treating every year for Halloween, Wally has a lot more on his plate now. He’s an up-and-coming celebrity on Instagram, with his owners taking pictures of him in an array of colorful outfits and costumes.
In today’s meme-crazy age, it’s easier than ever to make your dog a star. All you have to do is get the right outfit and the perfectly groomed and adorable dog to wear it, and you’re all set. This has heavily expanded the dog costume industry, as the National Retail Federation estimates that $350 million will be spent on dog costumers for the pets of more than 20 million owners.
On eBay, the dog costume market is booming: On any given day, more than 1.5 million pet costumers are purchased from the 800 million items available from 200 different countries.
The price ranges for these pet costumes vary widely as well; however, they tend to be on the cheaper side (between $15 and $25), due to the smaller amount of fabric needed. That being said, many people will shell out large amounts of money just to dress up their pets. Says eBay business development and affiliate marketing director Michael Esposito, “There does not seem to be a ceiling on what people are willing to spend on their pets.”
Think about that next time you pack away your dog’s Halloween outfit – you might want to keep it out to make your dog the next social media star!