From Zombos' Closet

Halloween 2022 Sighted at Spirit Halloween

It wouldn't be Halloween without visiting a Spirit Halloween store to get into the mood (and lighten your wallet). Here are some highlights to savor. I picked up a Billie Butcherson side stepper, just too cute not to. Had I storage space, I'd be picking up the mad monkey and more, too. Franchises to get the spirited treatment include Beetlejuice, Hocus Pocus (enjoyed Hocus Pocus 2 by the way), Trick 'r Treat (dig that wonderful retro drunk by the lantern vibe), the usual monstrous classics, and rotten tots and assorted crazies galore. I usually avoid the spiders, though, they really creep me out. The devilish door knocker is a fantastic design with those light up eyes and paint job.

Halloween 2022 Spotted at Party City

All I can say is, if I had the room, that 12 foot evil clown would be coming home with me. It's awesome and makes a wonderful partner for your 12 foot skeleton from Home Depot. With both you'll have a giant Halloween, guaranteed. Aside from the usual plethora of costumes and accessories, here are some cool items to put a dash into your décor. The Yoga skeleton is rad.

Halloween 2022 Spotted at Home Depot

Home Depot has yet to disappoint with their larger offerings to adorn your lawn or liven up a Halloween party. You may need a bigger shed, though, to store all the wild stuff they dream up each year. I didn't see anything on the smalls side that was collectible for me, in particular, but that seems to be true for most of the places I'm visiting this year. 

Halloween 2023 Spotted at Target

They are almost done stocking the shelves with Halloween coolness, but I grabbed these shots of some of the offerings at my local Target. This year they are putting stuff out sooner than last year. Usually the return to school shelves are still packed, but maybe Target got some sense into their collective business noggins realizing that Lowe's already has their Christmas decorations out. So the selling cycle is getting earlier and shorter for sure. I can remember a time when I went to stores the day after Halloween to try and snag some bargains. Now, if you wait until October starts, you're a goner.  And damn you, Lowe's, what the hell? The candy isn't cold yet and you put out the ho ho ho, tidings of cheer merchandise? Don't snow on my parade, man!

I did pick up the skeleton bike rider, and will be going back for more (depending on how well I can sneak anything into the house before my wife catches me). Target always stocks fun items: some animated, some Day of the Dead, lots of skeletons, and a very neat crystal plasma skull this time around (okay, clear plastic, but the effect is still great) should be enticing to everyone (or maybe it's just me, already enticed and all).

Halloween 2022 Sighted at Michaels

The most wonderful time of year, Halloween, for those more akin to The Munsters (the originals, not the lame follow ups) or the Addams Family (ditto on the originals) kind of upbringing, has begun. Of course, give it a week or two before Christmas butts in, but enjoy it while you can. Michaels, as usual, is quick to the shelves with merchandise, the stuff that nightmares are made of. Whether you're into goth, dark, light, whimsical, classic, or just plain love it all, those shelves will provide you and your family with ample creepy and kooky fun. Lemax also has yet to disappoint. My favorite is the Mummy Mortuary. So Uber that broom and fly over to a Michaels if you are so inclined. Halloween is happening, baby.

The Halloween That Almost Wasn't

Halloween 2021 is looking a little pale. Yes, it is only early September, but that is the point. Shelves, normally stuffed with decorative tricks and treats, have been slow to fill. Candy, of course, always the true king of Halloween, is popping up, but even it seems reluctant to do so.

My recent trip to Walgreens showed a lot less candy and much less spirited shelves for Halloweeny fun. Much of the action has been online as people buy up the cool ghoulie items from Target and Michael's, carefully avoiding any pandemic woes; and with distribution of merchandise at a crawl (where did all the truck drivers go?), I do not expect much in the way of wow and pizzaz for Halloween in the stores. But time will tell.

I did see the usually large and groovy gruesome at Home Depot, although Lowe's seemed anemic with their showing, so far, in comparison. Michaels had a pallbearer's worth of items, but certainly nothing compared to last year at this time. And there was no signature Lemax Spooky Town display set up, though I vainly looked for it. I had to purchase the Web of Terror ferris wheel from their online website. Certainly not the ghost of Michael's past when it comes to Halloween that I have come to expect.

Perhaps this year will be the Halloween that almost wasn't or perhaps I am being too worrisome. With limited supply and high demand, I still expect little creatures to crawl through the streets come Halloween day, but how many will dare to scare remains to be seen. The suspense is killing me. Here is some of this year's Halloween cheer to scream the year for you.

Home Depot always kills with the large lawn decorations and creepy smaller children of the night to deaden any party. Of note is the gondola with Charon. I'd take a ride in that myself; just not one way.

Target Halloween 2020

Target is getting smarter and putting up their Halloween merchandise earlier this year. They always have a wide selection of bones, costumes, and colorful Day of the Dead items. Some fun animations and decorations this time around, though I miss the excitement and glee I had the time they did the Universal Monsters items when that movie dud, The Mummy (2017), came out. However, the 5.5 inch animated Halloween TV and the 6 inch animated Halloween Pumpkin are to scream for. Dare I use the word "cute!" And I got one of them for a steal. Picture this: I come upon this cute Halloween animated TV scene; only one left and no sticker on it; the register person asks if I know the price--I don't,it was the last one on the shelf; she asks the floor manager (I'm presuming that's who the person was anyway); the floor manager turns it on, looks all over it for a clue, then says 5 bucks!; yup, a steal. Later that night I realized I could have (as well as that floor manager) just gone to the Target website, searched on Halloween, and found the item; I did! I saved 10 bucks! And I saw there was an animated pumpkin scene too; I ordered it online and picked it up this morning. Now that's a real Halloween treat , I'd say.

Here are some other highlights to drool over.

Spirit Halloween 2020

I met up with some nasties and ghoulies at Spirit Halloween recently. I'm not sure who does their production and art designs, but that person has some serious issues with clowns, kids, and holding onto sanity. Every time I walk into the place I find myself constantly looking around to make sure none of these monstrosities have left their pedestals (or stalking grounds). You never can be too sure in a Spirit Halloween store. I'm just waiting for them to finally have somebody dressed up as one of their pychotronic beasties and let the human-hybrid go after the customers. Just not when I'm in the store, though, please.

Here's a rogue's gallery of terror to whet your dreams. Or nightmares.

Home Depot Halloween 2020

Once again, Home Depot brings out the BIG Halloween novelties; the ones meant for your lawn but, damn, you wouldn't mind putting them up all year round in your home (if you had the room and a like-minded significant other, that is). Between Michaels, Home Depot, and a BIG wallet, you'd be in Halloween heaven (but possibly not your neighbors and house guests) for Halloween cheer all the year. And this year, more than previous ones, we need all the Halloween cheer we can muster.

Here are my favorite ghoulies and ghosties. I'm sure they'll be yours, too. The only people I know who would hate them are my lawn maintenance people. (Last year they mowed over a brand new haunted tree and ghosts blow-up. Let's see what mischief they can get into this year.)  The head-nodders and the singing raven are pretty nifty; just saying. And that alien is out of this world.

Michaels Halloween 2020

Michaels, once again, packs the shelves with enough spooky goodies to satisfy just about every taste. Year after year, they focus on helping you decorate the inside of your home, with Day of the Dead, vintage-styled, gothic-styled, and lots of skeleton-styled artifacts. If Indiana Jones went looking for Halloween, he'd find it here. Very crafty of them. Here are some highlights to savor as we wait for the ghouls and ghosties this challenging season.

Lowe's Halloween 2020

The Home Depot by me still doesn't have the Halloween decorations out, but Lowe's did. And boy, some cool looking animated goodies this year. My favorite is the spooky radio.

Halloween 2020: Michaels

Okay. Maybe I'm rushing the Halloween season along a bit too fast, but can you blame me? With the pandemic, I'll take whatever little bit of Halloween Heaven I can find as quickly as possible. I think a lot of Halloweeners are feeling the same way: both adults and kids. Will it happen, won't it happen? Boy, the Halloween Tylenol and razor in apple scares of the 1970s and 1980s was a cakewalk compared to this virus. 

Home Depot, disappointingly, didn't have anything out yet, but I swung by Michaels and...they didn't have much of anything out yet either, just the so-cute it's safe Fall decorations; you know, the scarecrows, colorful autumn leaves, and blank-faced foam pumpkins just filling store shelves while die-hards wait for the REAL deal to start with the spooky stuff. But...

Michaels did have Lemax Spooky Town starting to take shape! So here's a look at some of the newer creations for 2020. And there were Halloween trees! I don't recall seeing these before, but for the true fan of Halloween like me--if my wife would let me, but she wouldn't--there are spooky trees you can put up and decorate rather gloomily and doomsily and ghostly. If your wife or significant other would let you, of course.