Prediction: The five most popular college costumes this Halloween season

Halloween is upon us … and so are overused Halloween costumes. Here are the five costumes that will proliferate both bars and off-campus parties this year:

1. Joe Goldberg from ‘You’

With the recent release of the third season of “You,” Netflix’s favorite stalker is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Lucky for lazy frat boys, this pop culture ‘fit is the easiest possible costume, requiring minimum effort. All you need is a dark hoodie, sunglasses and a baseball cap.

2. Ankha from ‘Animal Crossing’ and TikTok

Ankha the cat, a villager from the “Animal Crossing” games, made big waves on TikTok back in September because of a fan edit. The video was eventually banned, but not before making its rounds and shocking (or exciting) millions. At this point, Ankha is going to be the costume for anyone who spends too much time on the clock app, including me.

3. ‘Squid Game’ guard

“Squid Game” quickly climbed the ranks on Netflix, becoming its most popular original show of all time. The show’s recency and recognizability mean that costumes are going to be popping up in droves, namely the pink jumpsuits and fencer-like masks of its guards. The only thing that may hurt the prevalence of this costume may be one of the things it has going for it, though. Because its popularity was unexpected, this costume hasn’t been in any major retailers. However, “Squid Game” star Yeong-su Oh has been advertising a costume website on his personal Instagram account, which may be the saving grace for this look. It appears only time will tell, so keep your eyes peeled for any square, circle or triangle masks.

4. Loki, Wanda and Vision

This year, Disney+ released four original Marvel shows (“WandaVision,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Loki,” “What If…?”), with “Loki” and “WandaVision” especially capturing fans’ attention. Given that “WandaVision” actually has a Halloween episode, we’re sure to see both classic and contemporary Wanda Maximoff costumes around campus. Plus, the addition of a female Loki means that high-quality, form-fitting Loki costumes will be released for all. Any Marvel fan is sure to be seen donning at least one of these costumes.

5. Hospital staff

With the pandemic still going on, essential healthcare workers are in the media every day. While nurse and doctor costumes are usually popular, the circumstances of the past two years will likely contribute to an influx in these costumes’ wearability in children and adults alike.