Halloween partiers go (Lady) Gaga over costumes this year

When you are fighting your way down Court Street at Athens' Halloween Block Party, chances are you will notice some pop-culture icons strutting their way down the street with you.

This year, Lady Gaga costumes are flying off the shelves at Schoolkids on Court Street, confirmed assistant manager Alysia Galt, in between selling wigs, masks and stockings to a crowd of students Monday afternoon. Schoolkids has a shelf full of Lady Gaga wigs to help costume buyers match the singer of "Let's Dance" and "Poker Face."

Not surprisingly, the late Michael Jackson has also been a top seller at Halloween USA on East State Street, said assistant manager Chad Kopenski. The store carries wigs, sparkly gloves and jackets to help imitate Jackson, Kopenski said.

Indiana Jones and Wolverine (from the X-Men film and comic series) are the top-selling male costumes at Schoolkids, Galt said. Many men are also opting to dress like the male characters from the movie "The Hangover," Galt said.

"It's about whatever movies came out," she observed.

At Halloween USA, Batman and the Joker are still big sellers after last year's "The Dark Knight."

Even with all the new media sensations influencing costumes, traditional witches, pirates and nurses have been the most popular costumes for women this season at Halloween USA, said Kopenski.

"Some people want to be warm and clever, and some want to be lovely and cute," Kopenski said.

With Saturday night's temperature slated to be in the 50s, warmer than some past years, costumes may lean toward the "lovely and cute" side.

As always, Indian maidens, witches and pirates are popular among women shoppers at both Schoolkids and Halloween USA.

Many students are also opting to go dressed as "swine flu" this year, Kopenski said, but he would not say exactly how they were doing it.

"I don't want to spoil their costumes," he said. He did add that the costumes may involve pig noses or masks.

A surprise top-seller at Schoolkids this year is the Three Blind Mice.

"I've never really seen the Three Blind Mice being popular before," Galt said. "I don't know where that came from."