This week, a reader of the Lycos 50 asked in an email if we had begun to see searches yet for Halloween. And yes -- the candy is on the store shelves, the costume ideas are percolating, and the Halloween searches have begun on Lycos. Seems like it comes earlier every year, doesn't it?

Actually, not quite. Believe it or not, last year by August 21 Halloween had already entered the Lycos 50 at #50, and in 2000 it entered the Lycos 50 a week earlier than that. So it is very likely that Halloween will be on our list by next week. Halloween searches truly begin rising in early June, after being stable from November through May.

Oh, and a couple of weeks after Halloween, Christmas will arrive. Last year, it showed up September 25, and the year before it was September 12.

Here were last week's top 10 Halloween-related searches on Lycos:

1) Halloween costumes
2) costumes
3) Halloween
4) haunted houses
5) Halloween masks
6) Halloween decorations
7) children's Halloween costumes
8) Halloween costume ideas
9) Halloween props
10) Helloween

What kind of Halloween costumes can we expect to be seeing more of this year? Well, based on early searches, it looks like 2002's hit movies are going to be all over our streets come trick-or-treat time. Expect lots of Spider-Men and Harry Potters, plus some characters from Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Do not expect many Austin Powers or Scooby-Doo costumes.

Oh, and for adults? Expect to see a ton of Elvises. Or is that Elvi?

TOMORROW: The list they said could never be done -- the top Playboy Playmates!

QUESTION SOLVED: Thanks to a number of readers who emailed with the answer to Tuesday's conundrum -- why did IRS searches go up last week? Turns out that if you apply for an extension, your taxes are postponed from April 15 to August 15. You can apply for another extension to October 15, so perhaps IRS queries will spike that week as well.