Most popular Halloween costumes each year

[Jim K, Bat fan]

One week late for Halloween...but I found this article from Reader's Digest that lists the most popular Halloween costume each year. Batman was 1966...no wait a second...1954??

https://www.rd.com/list/popular-hallowe ... en%20night.

The article suggests it had to do with "Seduction of the Innocent" but I don't know if I buy that.
Any thoughts as to why 1954??

[Batfanman]

Ben Cooper didn't get a license for one until '64 - who was making them in the 50s?

[BiffPow]

I’m guessing the article is Clickbait. Maybe written by AI.

[SprangFan]

There's no way I believe that. Batman's footprint in pop culture ca. 1954 was near zilch compared to Superman, Daniel Boone, Popeye, Zorro and about a hundred other characters, and I'm not even sure licensed characters were that big a deal at that point in time.

The notion that Eisenhower era families would respond to Wertham's insinuations about the Dynamic Duo by saying, "Let's dress little Timmy as that guy" is beyond absurd. I also don't believe kids were dressing up like Gene Kelly, Deborah Kerr, Marilyn Monroe or even Tarzan (not very practical in late October).

I agree the only possible "intelligence" behind this post would have to be an artificial one. Kind of sad to see what's become of Reader's Digest, but considering I haven't read it in decades and don't know anyone else who has either, I guess it's impressive they're still in business at all.

[AndyFish]

My initial thought was they clearly misread a 1964 copyright on the Ben Cooper's as '54-- but the rest of the list (as Sprang said) is completely bogus. Readers Digest never was that good to begin with-- I never liked the idea of edited books. This is a new low.