Culture Lab Newsletter: Trick or Treat? Our Halloween Edition is Knocking… 🎃

As we edge closer to 31st October, it’s certainly been spooky in the land of culture. We shouldn’t pry, but sometimes we just have to stick our skulls in somebody else’s business. (God forbid a ghoul have a hobby.) So sit back, rest your bones and enjoy this special edition of the Culture Lab Boo-sletter 👻

What’s Gone Viral? 🔥

Just want the headlines? Here’s a peek at some of the bigger viral convos before we dive into trends and the more… unhinged.

Something Wicked Comes To The Louvre

A group of thieves shocked the world when they pulled off a highly organised heist in Paris’ most famous museum. The robbers took just seven minutes to steal priceless 19th century jewellery… with TikTok creators also not wasting a second to put their comedic spin on the moment. From GRWMs to songwriting, the Louvre memes have taken over our FYPs - proof that no moment is safe from the ‘unserious’ generation.

Devils Out, Angels IN This Halloween

Or are they? The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returned last week, with music from the likes of Missy Elliott and a roster spanning from Bella Hadid to Ashley Graham. While it gave us some iconic moments that are all over social right now, some still feel there’s a blemish on the event due to the previous lack of diversity they’ve only just addressed…

A Taste Of Japan At The Haunted Hall

Disclaimer: We don’t actually know if the Royal Albert Hall is haunted. What we do know is that it recently had the honour of hosting Japan’s top Sumo wrestlers in their first tournament outside of the country in 34 years, resulting in some viral moments and a newfound love and appreciation for the sport from across the nation. Super wholesome, and a marriage of cultures we love to see 🫶

Trending Format Alert 🚨

There’s no beating around the bush on this one - Gen Z are rawdogging boredom. (When we say rawdogging, please note that we refer to the word by its reclaimed definition…)

We saw people rawdogging flights last year, but now the younger generation are reskinning the trend to encompass everyday behavioural habits - essentially swapping out doomscrolling for decompressing in silence. Dare we say this trend is… healthy? Spooooooky stuff.

In fact, with Hinge’s recent ‘Simple Memories’ study showing that we’re reconnecting with ourselves and becoming more comfortable with self-isolation, seeing Gen Z lead the charge for rejecting technology and distractions could be the catalyst for wider social recalibration.

Our thoughts? We’re more than ready for this ‘touch grass’ era (despite us paradoxically needing the help of tech to get us there) 🌳

TikTok Brand Champion 🏆

It’s time for this edition’s Brand Champion, and we’ve gone a little rogue for spooky szn. Hold on to your pumpkins, it’s Dr Seuss’ Cat in the Hat.

Although not a brand in the typical sense, Dr Seuss is still a household name, with its characters having played a huge role in many of our childhoods. Now, it’s taken TikTok by storm - even showing us how it’s done when it comes to reacting to trends. And who better to become the face of their TikTok than the Cat in the Hat himself? 

Over the last fortnight, we’ve seen him dance to the Law & Order theme song, act out relatable scenarios via sketch format, jump on to viral TikTok trends without it feeling forced and even reply directly to commenters in a fantastic display of interactive community management. 

Now, it does beg the question: why has Dr Seuss returned to TikTok after not posting in two years? A lot of commenters predict that there’s a movie sequel in the works, with excitement building for it before anything has even been announced! Is this a clever way to get people talking about the Cat in the Hat again, or just them rejigging their social strategy?

More Industry News 🗞️ 

Looking for a specific industry or topic? Say no more. Here’s a selection of a few bonus newsworthy moments and trends, organised into categories, ‘Type A’ style.

Travel & Hospitality ✈️

Will the new EES border system change travel trends to Europe?

‘Danger Tourism’ is the latest craze, with Afghanistan ranked number one

Get a headstart on 2026 Travel Trends with Booking.com’s predictions

Food & Beverage 🍹

5 F&B trend predictions for Christmas (ahhh the C word - scaryyy)

Creepy or heartwarming? Introducing the ‘Gravestone Recipes’ cookbook

Burger King have debuted a green Frankenstein burger for Halloween

Fashion & Design 💅

The Gap x Sandy Liang collab has produced this adorable animated film

‘Gothic Revival’ is this season’s new fashion trend for the guys and ghouls

Like a ghost from our past, King Kylie is back… and using Snapchat

TV & Sport  ⚽️

Alan Carr & Celia Imrie have been comedy gold on Celebrity Traitors

Beau Greaves made history after beating Grand Prix winner Luke Littler

Adolescence’s Stephen Graham launches project asking fathers to write to their sons

Trending Meme Alert 🚨

Ever heard of chungus? In this episode of “Gen Z TikTok has its own language”, we’re looking at the new trend of loving (or hating) your ‘chungus life’ - something we didn’t think we’d be writing about in a professional capacity.
The trend, while occasionally a little explicit, demonstrates just how easily words can become part of the TikTok dictionary - something brands need to stay on top of, even if they don’t plan on jumping on the chungus train any time soon!

And on that exceptionally spooky note, it’s now time to say goodbye and stare at a wall to rawdog our boredom. But if you really miss us in the meantime, just get in touch using the button below and we can chat all things trends and reactive content!

Live, laugh, love,

The Culture Lab team 🎃