CLEVELAND, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Halloween is not just for kids anymore. Coming just before the hectic holiday season, it offers adults a chance to enjoy a special occasion for the sole reason of having fun. According to American Greetings trend spotters, the newest group to latch on to Halloween in a big way is young adults. In fact, a new study from the National Retail Federation shows more than 85 percent of 18-24 year-olds plan to celebrate the holiday, up from 66.8 percent last year. In addition, over 76 percent of consumers aged 25-34 and 71 percent of 35-44 year-olds will take advantage of the ghoulish holiday. "From party goods to home decor to apparel, products in nearly every industry are showing the influence of this group," said Alana Campana, program manager for Halloween at American Greetings. "Since greeting cards are like mini time capsules reflecting larger cultural trends, it's only natural that our latest greeting card designs and messages are showing a strong influence from the adult side as well." The biggest Halloween spenders are 25 to 35-year-olds, plunking down more than $60 on average. Halloween products for this group incorporate a broader range of humor, from dry, understated jokes to sarcastic one-liners. Several cards from American Greetings reflect this trend. One shows a woman with fangs wearing a bat necklace. The card reads, "Classic and refined, but it's the wicked inside that counts." Another card offers a different take on the usual "Roses are red, violets are blue" poem. The purple card has the feel of an old black-and-white horror film and shows a white rose on a black background. It says, "Roses are withered, Violets are dead. Halloween is here, Let's paint the town red." For the adults who seek out the finer things in life, Halloween cards have also taken on a noticeably more sophisticated feel. A brocade pattern is used to emulate tree branches on a tangerine card that shows bats flying in the distance. And, for those who appreciate an even more refined look, several cards also feature intricate die-cut shapes and words to create a delicate yet spooky feel. The words of the three witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth, "Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble," are etched out of a purple card to reveal to a lime green background. And, since the greatest growth over the past two years in Halloween spending has occurred among 18-24 year-olds who upped their spending by 30 percent last year alone, the Creative Studios at American Greetings made a special effort to include cards that reflect the irreverent humor and punk rock style that pop culture has made popular with this crowd. One such card resembles stained glass and uses gothic fonts to list several horror film staples, including "Broken glass," "A doll without eyes," and "Hands in a mirror." The inside copy reads, "Childhood memories last forever. Happy Halloween." The popularity of TV shows like Fear Factor have inspired cards that appeal to those who get a kick out of squeamish stunts and scary movies. One has a green eyeball as the focal point on the front of a bright orange card that asks, "What's grosser than touching your eyeball? Touching your eyeball with your tongue." Skulls are not only a trend on the runway; they are also a hot theme on adult greeting cards for Halloween. A skull is the focal point of a black, purple and gray card that simply says, "Oh, yeah," on the front. Inside, the card adds, "I got your Happy Halloween right here." The online sites of American Greetings are also offering more content geared for adults. This year, each of the popular AG Interactive websites -- AmericanGreetings.com, BlueMountain.com, Egreetings.com and BloombyAG.com -- offers more than 50 Halloween e-Cards. Choices range from the latest "singing chins" song to a dancing barnyard crew at a hilarious Halloween hoedown to a scary movie plot. The sites provide a wide variety of animated, flash and 3D ghoulish sentiments to suit every goblin in the house. "This year's cards truly represent the range of personalities and tastes in Halloween celebrations. Few other holidays span such a wide range of tastes, from squeamish to scary to sophisticated and cute," said Campana. DATASOURCE: American Greetings CONTACT: Megan Ferington of American Greetings, +1-216-252-7300, ext. 4931, or Web site: http://americangreetings.com/ http://bluemountain.com/ http://egreetings.com/ http://bloombyag.com/

Copyright