Like the parents of many 7-year-old girls, Natasha Marks had a big Halloween problem. Her daughter wanted to be Mira, the red-haired, blade-wielding heroine of “KPop Demon Hunters.”
The Mira costume was sold out online, but Spirit Halloween’s website said it was available at the store near Marks in Manassas, Virginia. She drove over, even though she knew she might be too late.
“I knew it was likely sold out because I’ve been seeing tons of people on Facebook saying, ‘Where can I get a Rumi/Zoey/Mira costume? My kid is having a meltdown.'” Marks said. She went to the store, but, as expected, the costumes were sold out.
Desperate, she asked the clerk: “If I give you $50 and my phone number, would you call me when the new shipment comes in?” She said he chuckled, but declined.
Let’s just say it: This is a movie production company’s nightmare: It’s not what Netflix wants. It has a megahit kids’ movie, but hardly any merchandise to sell.
Even more horrifying, the movie is currently peaking in cultural penetration — its soundtrack has three songs in the Billboard Hot 100, including “Golden” at No. 3 — the week before Halloween. And Google released a chart showing the top search terms for Halloween costumes: Various “KPDH” characters are the top 5 most searched.
But even though it’s having a cultural moment, “KPop Demon Hunters” costumes — the officially licensed ones that Netflix would get a piece of — are completely sold out online and in most stores at Spirit Halloween, which has the deal with Netflix.
Think of all the money being left on the table! Spine-tingling! (To be fair, the only thing worse is the fact that there are kids whose Halloween might be ruined because of an off-brand costume that doesn’t show up on time or can’t be found at all.)
So what went wrong with the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ costumes?
Representatives for Netflix told Business Insider that they had reached out to licensing partners before the movie’s debut, but interest from those toy and apparel makers was “soft.”
As Hollywood relies more and more on known franchises and sequels, licensees might also be skittish about making big production runs of toys, clothing, or costumes for brand-new, unknown intellectual property.
Indeed, “KPDH” was a surprise hit. It’s become Netflix’s most popular original movie ever, and even had a theatrical release of a sing-along version a few weeks after it debuted on streaming. (My household can vouch for at least six of those viewings, and I don’t even want to think about how many times my kids have streamed the song “Soda Pop.” Let’s just say my Spotify Wrapped this year is going to be a wash.)
But merchandise has been slow to roll out. There are currently T-shirts at Target, Old Navy, Gap, and Zara Kids. Netflix’s website also sells some limited merch, like light-up fan wands (as seen in the movie), and Funko has made figurines.
On Tuesday, Netflix announced a new deal with Hasbro and Mattel for licensed toys. This unusual arrangement involves the two toy makers being “co-masters” of the license, which speaks to just how popular (and potentially lucrative) the IP is. Still, this deal feels late — the toys won’t be ready until after Christmas, missing out on the crucial holiday season.
Spirit Halloween has the exclusive license to produce official “KPDH” costumes, but it appears the company underestimated demand. Costumes for kids and adults are completely sold out online, and only a few kids’ costumes remain on shelves in retail locations (adults are completely sold out).
Marisa Simonson, a representative for Spirit Halloween, told Business Insider she couldn’t share numbers on the quantities of costumes sold, but said “the initial release was offered in limited quantities and has seen incredible demand.”
Meanwhile, unlicensed versions of “K-pop singer” costumes are all over Shein, Etsy, and Amazon.
Marks, the mother on the hunt for a costume, ended up getting her daughter one of those unofficial Mira costumes from the TikTok Shop — probably not exactly what Netflix or Spirit Halloween wants to hear.
“The quality is what is expected of TikTok Shop,” she said. “But my 7-year-old doesn’t know the difference.”
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