Each year thousands of new Halloween costumes hit the store shelves. Costume manufacturer’s produce these costumes hoping to capture the attention (and disposable income) of the consumer. Many of those new costume designs are based on the latest Hollywood movie blockbuster, a trendy children’s TV character or even the hottest video game of the year. This year it’s Angry Bird costumes. Last year it was Lady Gaga costumes. The year before that it was vampire themed costumes … and so it goes. Seems there’s a never ending stream of gimmicks or trendy costumes introduced each Halloween. However, there’s a segment of the market who prefer the more traditional, classic Halloween costume. These are the costumes based mostly on the past 500 years of cultural inspiration. From princesses to witches to pirates, these costumes have been in existence for nearly 500 years and remain popular to this day.
Here’s an infographic that takes a look back at the costumes of the past 500 years — starting with the 16th Century.

[Via: Halloween Express]