A towering figure of Jack Skellington from the film "The Nightmare Before Christmas" holds court in front of a house in Westchester County, N.Y.
SALLEE ANN HARRISON
Associated Press
HALLOWEEN
Home Depot was about to launch something big -- really big -- when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020: a 12-foot skeleton.
"There were a lot of internal discussions. It was like, is there going to be Halloween this year?" said Lance Allen, senior merchant of decorative holiday at Home Depot. "Are customers going to think this is in poor taste? Should we go forward with it?'"
Home Depot did -- and the towering skeleton arrived at the perfect time.
"Nobody could possibly need a 12-foot skeleton," Allen said, "but everybody wanted a 12-foot skeleton."
The gamble upped the game for decorations, creating a Halloween phenomenon that's now bigger than any one store; other retailers now carry versions of the larger-than-life skeleton.
People are also reading... Floodwaters ravage homes, businesses in Washington County's Damascus Things getting back to normal in Abingdon Floodwaters also impacted those on outskirts of Damascus Towel factory in Bristol, Virginia ceasing operations Vance: Appalachians can't be overlooked as flood recovery begins HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Prep Predictions for Oct. 4-5 Emergency officials working diligently to get Damascus back on its feet Supervisors informed part of the Creeper Trail to close in December Damage assessments underway; VDOT reports some roads, bridges still closed HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Tennessee High tops Abingdon, 21-0 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: "Big Play" Baker still making plays for Ridgeview PREP FOOTBALL: Bostic leads Union to Mountain 7 District win SATURDAY'S HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Rye Cove, Ridgeview, Holston, Twin Springs, Grundy among football winners; Tennessee High wins volleyball tourney UPDATED: Thousands without power in wake of Tropical Storm Helene Thousands without power in wake of Tropical Storm Helene
As stores race to get the latest and greatest Halloween score out as soon as possible, superfans say it's about time.
Celebrating earlier
Home Depot's 12-foot skeleton is affectionately known by fans across the internet and globe as "Skelly."
When Skelly was launched, the thinking was that he'd be out for a week or two leading up to Halloween night, Allen said, the usual consumer behavior observed at the time.
But the pandemic changed that time line.
"Everybody started decorating in early October for something to do," Allen said. "And we've really seen a shift in the market where now, people are decorating for Halloween how we've seen with Christmas historically, planning out decorations five to six weeks, two months ahead of time."
Mak Ralston, a Halloween fanatic known as Haunt Former on YouTube who posts Halloween videos year-round, noticed the shift.
"There used to be a kind of a calendar as to when I would expect things to come out in stores," Ralston said, noting orange and black, witches and skeletons used to roll in at the start of September, maybe mid-August.
"This year, I saw some stuff in stores for Halloween in June, early July," he said. "It's never been earlier."
For some, it's always Halloween
"Some average people who aren't as invested don't realize that for people who are really committed to both Halloween and the horror culture, they're in it to win it like all year," Ralston said.
"I can post a video about a horror movie or about a Halloween mask that's coming out in October in February, and people eat it up," he said.
Nate Rambaud, known as That Guy Nate on Youtube, started his channel by posting videos of abandoned stores such as Toys R Us, a niche interest on the video-sharing platform.
Now with more than 440,000 subscribers, he posts videos touring Spirit Halloween locations, which often occupy abandoned stores. He's been to more than 300 Spirit Halloween locations across all 50 states.
Christmas "kind of requires other people, your family. You're out buying stuff for people. And then kids sit around and wait for Christmas -- that's really all they can do for Christmas," Rambaud said. "But Halloween -- anyone can associate with Halloween and you can do it any time all the time."
As a result of the year-round party, Skelly's had some work done for his fifth birthday. Allen said the new Skellys for sale this season will have more UV additive to hold up against the sun longer, along with a more durable resin mixture to withstand colder temperatures.
Skelly also now has a dog.
"People are taking the skeletons on dates," Allen said. "They're going out to the beach, he's playing in the sand. We've seen him at weddings."
Jacob Humphrey, an artist in Texas, helps moderate a Facebook group of Home Depot Halloween superfans. There is a little bit of healthy competition over decorations, he said.
"A lot of times people will say, 'I know this is not as good as everyone else's, but I wanted to share this,'" Humphrey said. Group members join to find likeminded fans, he said, "but let's be honest, people want to show off ."
Why go so wild?
Perhaps it all has to do with a fundamental part of the holiday: children.
Humphrey was painting his fence recently when a girl walked by. She told him his house always has the best decorations.
"I didn't realize kids memorize that. And that's really kind of a badge of honor," Humphrey said. "Also, like, great, now I have no choice, I'm going to make sure I do a great job."
Rambaud, whose videos showcase Halloween animatronics worth hundreds of dollars, remembers a simpler time from his childhood that helped spark his love for Halloween.
"My dad used to make what he would call a spook tunnel. He would take cardboard boxes, like refrigerator boxes, and he put them all together and made a maze that we had to crawl through," he said. "That was our little haunted house.
"Halloween is an extrovert day for introverts," Humphrey said. "Why wouldn't you want to celebrate that?"
Be the first to know
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.