THE STARS COME OUT HALLOWEEN COSTUME TRENDS 'FLAGGING'.

Byline: Dave Melendi Staff Writer

Red, white and blue may edge out black and orange this Halloween.

Consumers have been looking for brighter, less ghoulish costumes lately, and that trend probably will be solidified after the recent terrorist attacks.

Don Arenz, manager of Aaardvark's in Pasadena, said they decided to take masks of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi off the shelves following last month's terrorist attacks, along with other outfits that could be found objectionable.

``We're not going to carry anything like that,'' Arenz said. ``If anybody calls in asking for it, we're going to discourage them.''

Peter Redman, owner of Old Town Costume Co. in Pasadena, said the terrorist attacks have helped his business because people are renting more patriotic costumes than ever before.

``They usually don't go out except for the Fourth of July, so now they are going to go out, which is good,'' he said.

The costume shop's 10 Uncle Sam outfits and eight Statue of Liberty costumes are all gone, Redman said. The store is not carrying Osama bin Laden masks but does have some ``Middle Eastern-type'' costumes on hand that were available before Sept. 11.

Real-life hero outfits also are popular. Kmart and Wal-Mart predict strong demand for firefighter and police outfits such as those of rescuers in New York and Washington.

At buycostumes.com, firefighter outfits were so out of fashion, the online shop didn't even bother to offer them this year. The Web site is pushing its cop, commando, fighter pilot and construction worker costumes instead, under a special link that reads, ``Show Your Patriotism: Click for These Costumes.'' All are doing very well, says Diana Krohn, director of Internet marketing for the company.

On the dark side, sales are down a bit for Grim Reaper costumes, especially for kids, Krohn says. And her company is backing off directing people to a section that features gorier items, such as bloody body parts, ``just because of taste and tact.'' The items are still available, she says, but the link isn't ``screaming out'' at customers.

Sales also are down significantly for adult-size ``Arab sheik'' costumes, the Web site marketers say. It's normally a very popular look, because it's easy to put together and adult men don't mind donning a turban and robe if they have to dress for a party, Krohn says. But this year, according to retailers, if the sheik look sells at all, it'll probably be as a gag costume - remade into something that pokes fun at Osama bin Laden.

``The disaster will still clearly be in people's minds,'' says Charles Riotto, president of the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association. Spokesmen from Rubies Costume Co. Inc. of New York and San Diego-based Disguise Inc. agree.

The Pokemon and Digimon crazes have petered out in favor of endearing characters from TV and movies.

- Wire services contributed to this story.

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Justine Holleran and Alex Budinoff of Stamford, Conn., pose in Betsy Ross and Uncle Sam costumes for Halloween.