Pumpkin and Hot Dog: The Two Most Popular Pet Costumes, Sized Properly
These are the two costumes most people actually buy. The same hot dog outfit is sold at a 14-inch chest and a 31-inch chest under the same name, so this list leads with the numbers.
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According to the NRF's 2025 survey, pumpkin and hot dog are the two most popular pet costumes in America — roughly one in ten dressed-up pets is a pumpkin, one in twenty a hot dog.
Which means these are the two costumes most likely to arrive in the wrong size. They are sold by everyone, under near-identical titles, across a size range wide enough that the name is useless.
So this page leads with the numbers.
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The size range is the story
Every one of these is sold as a "hot dog costume for dogs":
| Listing | Label | Chest |
|---|---|---|
| POPERIE | Small | 14 in (6–8 lb) |
| POPERIE | Medium | 16 in |
| GOYOSWA | Large | 21–23 in (15–30 lb) |
| DOITOOL | XL | 31.4 in |
Seventeen inches of chest between the smallest and the largest, with nothing in the title to warn you. Measure the dog, then read the chart. It is the same lesson as the big-dog costume list, except here it happens inside a single product type.
1. The classic hot dog — and its sizing trap
This is the one everybody pictures: bun, sausage, a stripe of mustard. It is made by Rubies, which makes costumes for a living, and it is sold as a separate listing per size.
That is worth saying twice, because it is the easiest mistake in this category. Small, medium and XL are three different product pages, not one page with a dropdown. Arrive from a search, add to cart, and the size you get is whichever page you happened to land on.
2. For dachshunds and small dogs
The obvious joke, and the one that needs the most care in sizing — because a dachshund is long and low, and a costume chosen on chest girth alone can end up far too short along the body.
This listing publishes what you need: small is a 14-inch chest, 10-inch neck, 9.5-inch back length, 6 to 8 lb. Medium is a 16-inch chest with an 11-inch neck. Buy on the back length as much as the chest.
Hot dog costume for dachshunds and small dogs
Publishes a full chart rather than a size letter: small is a 14 in chest, 10 in neck, 9.5 in back and 6 to 8 lb; medium is a 16 in chest and 11 in neck.
Listings last checked Sep 21, 2026
3. For large dogs
The far end of the same category: a stated 31.4-inch chest and 19-inch neck, which is the largest hot dog measurement we found anywhere in this search.
Hot dog costume for large dogs
The XL end of the category. The DOITOOL listing states a 31.4 in chest and a 19 in neck, which is the largest published figure we found for a hot dog costume.
Other listings: Pet Krewe
Listings last checked Sep 21, 2026
4. Pumpkin for big dogs
Pumpkin is the single most popular pet costume and almost all of it is cut for small and medium dogs. This 3XL is one of the few exceptions: 31-inch chest, 21-inch neck, 27-inch back length.
Pumpkin costume for large dogs
3XL, stated at a 31 in chest, 21 in neck and 27 in back length. One of the few pumpkin outfits in this category cut past a medium dog.
Listings last checked Sep 21, 2026
5. Pumpkin cloak and hat — the forgiving option
A cape that fastens at the neck plus a hat, rather than a garment the dog steps into.
This is the answer when your dog falls between two sizes, or past the biggest one. Nothing has to close round the ribcage, so the fit problem that dominates the rest of this page mostly disappears. Size L states a 21.7-inch back length and a 15-inch neck.
Pumpkin cloak and hat set for dogs
A cape rather than a garment the dog steps into, so a chest between sizes matters far less. Size L states a 21.7 in back length and a 15 in neck.
Listings last checked Sep 21, 2026
6. Pumpkin for cats
Cats get the same costume in miniature, and the same advice as everywhere else: the hat-only version is the one still on the cat when you get your phone out. We ranked the whole cat category by that principle in the cat costume list.
Pumpkin costume for cats
Sold as a hat on its own and as a hat with a short cape. A full plush outfit version was listed when we first checked on 16 September and had sold out by the 21st, which is normal for this category in October.
Other listings: CZolden
Listings last checked Sep 21, 2026
How to measure, once
Three numbers cover every chart on this page:
- Chest girth — a soft tape right behind the front legs, over the coat, not pulled tight. This is the one that decides whether it closes.
- Neck girth — around the base of the neck, where a collar sits.
- Back length — collar to base of tail. The one most people skip, and the one that matters most for a long dog in a hot dog costume.
Weight is the least useful of the four numbers sellers quote, because two dogs at the same weight are shaped differently. Use it only to sanity-check a chart, never to choose from one.
Safety, briefly
Both of these are full-body garments, which is the most demanding costume shape there is:
- Minutes, not hours, and never in warm weather. A costume is insulation.
- Nothing should restrict the legs, the mouth, or the ability to see behind.
- Never leave a dog or cat unattended in one.
- A costume that has to be forced on is the wrong costume, and usually the wrong size.
What we checked, and when
We harvested candidates across five search terms on 21 September 2026 and loaded every product page directly to confirm stock, seller and delivery. Every measurement quoted here comes from the listing's own bullets.
Delivery when we checked ran from next-day to three-day across the whole page. These are mainstream costumes held by established sellers, which is exactly why they are fast — the contrast with the viral novelty gear is covered on the weekly hub.
These are spec-based assessments, not hands-on tests.
Frequently asked questions
What size hot dog costume does my dog need?
Measure the chest just behind the front legs and match it to the listing's own chart, because the range in this category is enormous. On this page one seller's small is a 14-inch chest and another's XL is 31.4 inches — both sold as 'hot dog costume for dogs'. For a long-backed dog like a dachshund, also check the back length, which is the measurement that decides whether the bun actually sits along the dog.
Why is the Rubies hot dog costume listed several times?
Because each size is its own listing rather than one listing with a size dropdown. Small, medium and XL are three separate product pages. It is easy to land on one from a search, add it to the cart, and receive a size you did not mean to order — so check the size in the title before you buy, not after.
What is the best Halloween costume for a dachshund?
A hot dog, and the joke does not get old. The practical part is sizing: a dachshund is long and low, so a costume chosen on chest girth alone can be far too short along the body. Buy from a listing that publishes back length as well as chest — the small on this page states a 14-inch chest with a 9.5-inch back for a 6 to 8 lb dog.
Is there a pumpkin costume that fits a big dog?
Yes, but not many. The largest we found is a 3XL stated at a 31-inch chest, a 21-inch neck and a 27-inch back length. If your dog measures past that, a pumpkin cloak and hat set is the better route — a cape fastens at the neck and does not need to close round the ribcage at all.
Will a pumpkin or hot dog costume arrive before Halloween?
Comfortably, if you order in reasonable time. Every listing on this page showed next-day to three-day delivery when we checked on 21 September 2026. These are mainstream costumes held by established sellers, which is what makes them fast — unlike the viral novelty gear, which ships from overseas on multi-week windows.