NYT keeps me informed! All the relevant info is just at my fingertips, in one place. Bravo, gray-madam (or as I think of it, the skeleton of the dead gray-lady...).
But, I'm an outsider in this country of Great traditions: since my kids have left home, I turn off all the lights, and use a flashlight to read, while hiding in a closet.
48
Hunting the skeleton for "years"? When it was first marketed in 2020? Well, yeah, that's two years, 2020 and 2021; this would be the third Halloween, but still, only two years have elapsed since Halloween 2020. "Years" repeated at least twice in the story, seems like overwriting.
43
I knew I should have bought 12 foot skeletons instead of that 'Meta' stock
57
all he needs is a red hat.
13
Great, more plastic waste destined for the landfill or ocean.
49
Life must be good and finances solid for those adults that will spend $300 for a plastic skeleton for Halloween.
57
Hahaha! We Americans are so weird. But fun! Happy Halloween everyone :)
22
A neighbor now has three skeletons that have emerged from the dirt, one-by-one, changing every few days over the last month. The best part has been the smaller, life-size skeletons that first bowed to the rising arms and torsos, and are now dancing and hugging the legs of the ascendant 12-footers. I can't wait to walk my dog past this house each morning to see what's changed.
79
This is what Putin sees when he looks in the mirror.
9
Uhm, no, thanks. I’d rather go after the Boston Birkenstok sold out sandal ( which I found online in some trendy/indie store ).
7
This alternative clever idea in a NJ town:
The owner of this house was looking for something really unique to display outside his house when he got the idea to put the grim reaper or a skeleton or something otherwise ghoulish on his lawn. He scoured landscaping and decorative shows and found nothing. Eventually he encountered an artist who carved tree stumps. He requested the carver create a grim reaper, and a few weeks later voila! one grim reaper carved from a 6 foot length of tree trunk. Once he was equipped with an actual wooden scythe from an old farm auction, he was complete.
14
Boy, you people sound fun. I can't wait to see how angry you'll be when happy people start decorrating their houses with lights for Christmas.
30
A perfect specimen of the archeological remains of Homoskyscrapus.
9
Rumor has it he’s the new spokesperson for Twitter.
17
So what's the word we use for the grinches of Halloween in the comments section? Not feeling creative enough...hallogrinch? Sorry the American consumer can't spend $300 bringing joy to themselves, their families, and the neighborhood kids who will flock to see the decorations. The American consumer must only spend their hard earned money on bills, groceries, and rent and they must not complain!
39
It's name should be Skully. I have one in the front seat of my pick up while finishing up landscape work for the season. I tell people that it's the perfect co-worker, is always there, doesn't talk and works for free.
17
Is it me, or are these THE perfect visual metaphor for a dying invasive species - human beings?
Interesting to see these memento mori show up immediately after a world pandemic, and just as we humans kill off our home planet.
17
This came from Herschel Walker’s house, right?
7
This article was a delight and such a nice break from the doom and gloom of usual news. We have two tiny Skellys so to see this big Skelly is so fun. We love you, Skelly(s) and festive holiday decor.
22
The sad part is that it is so much fun making your own “scary” Halloween decorations if you’re really into the “spirit” of the season. For example, I save a lot of fed ex and ups boxes I get all year long, reassemble them inside out and then paint them with a wash of black and white paint. They look like a bunch of old headstones and I set them all over my front yard. It really starts to look like a cementary. Cheap, fully recyclable, a ton of fun to make and even more fun watching kids getting creeped out by the headstones. Oh yeah, I save bigger boxes and hot glue them into “coffins” that get left around too. If someone steals one, it saves me from having to break it up before recycling.
35
@SG1
I was in Glastonbury CT and a lot of people do their own Halloween decorations - there is a witch napping on a crescent moon at one house, a giant spider in the bushes at another and an even bigger spider at a third. There is a guy who has it set up so that skeletons are attacking his house. There is a woman who has it set up so the floating ghosts in her year will actually startle you. I think you are right about making your own being part of the fun
20
Last year, I saw a house with three giant Halloween skeletons and later it had three Thanksgiving skeletons and you guessed it three Christmas skeletons. Just because you have the energy to put them up doesn't mean you'll have the energy or storage space to bring them down.
31
@Tom this made me laugh. I love that they just redress them. Sounds like my kind of people.
18
@Tom We store ours in two large Christmas tree bags. Works great!
3
but were they decorated??? that would be so great if they were!
1
These are fun and I’m glad they bring joy to people… but I cringe at the amount of plastic this trend is pumping into the world.
Like the Skelly at the end with a fractured arm and skull… those parts will probably just go in the trash.
18
Keeping up with the Boneses
133
$300 for a "decorative" skeleton that will be in front of someone's house for a week and a half. Dare the buyers even BEGIN to mention the price of gas?
22
I saw a picture of a dude that had three at his yard, my redneck friend sent it to me telling me the dude was winning Halloween 2022.
I had no clue what he was talking about. OK, I see now. People buying the latest hype.
Uhm ... congratulations?
8
I realise this is a bit off topic but …
In Sydney, 34 yrs ago, the midwife squealed “he’s a halloween baby!”
I rolled my eyes and knew this could be a bit tricky with parties in his lifetime .True to form he hates his birthday and resents all things halloween 🎃 … never liked competition.
He resides in Brooklyn
Happy Birthday Jono !
20
Interest rates are not high enough yet.
28
Sadly with high interest rates, the banks win and America loses.
6
Big Halloween monsters make big carbon footprints.
17
Now if someone had a Skelly in those taupe Birkenstocks…..
36
People just wanna have fun.
20
@Grace Play that jolly music while the Titanic sinks .
13
@JA not every minute has to be doom and gloom. You can have some fun and still be concerned about the world’s problems.
31
@PA person Yerp. I am happy most of the time. But plastic ugliness that's contributing to my children's ruining earth? Hard pass. But if you need stuff to feel better, to have fun, you do you I suppose. Or reevaluate and remember what real fun was, including and especially on Halloween?
21
I knew people who spent years collecting what they called" Rare Glassware' ....then the internet revealed that none of this was actually 'scarce' per se...Listen, if there really are throngs of people who want some plastic stuff...well, they'll just make more.
13
The neighbors have added to their outdoor collection the 12 foot skeleton featured in this story. Very cool looking. Interesting that our small breed dog reacts to the crude faces in the $7 orange leaf bags (plastic), but is unfazed by the giant skeleton. She would rather harass the deer, anyway. They actually move. (She is always on leash).
15
The article says “Devotees have spent years hunting for a 12-foot skeleton introduced by the Home Depot in 2020”, but two years doesn’t seem too many “spent years”🧐 right? Only two years right?
Also, why people keep wasting money in decorations… 10 BILLION DOLLARS estimated for 2022?? Can you imagine if this money was used to feed hungry people in this country? Yes, hungry people exist in this country, and they are too hungry to enjoy any celebration.
Maybe next year instead of wasting money in decorations, we should use this money to donate Thanksgiving dinners for hungry people. They would then be able to celebrate!
35
@hmmm SERIOUSLY. Plus especially Halloween decor is up for such a short period, SO hideous, and not scary. It's 100 percent plastic ego display except--spoiler--anyone with taste, who knows what real fun is (not consumerism) especially for children, and who understands science sees you not as the winner of your unspoken neighborhood contest, but quite the opposite.
14
@hmmmm you can do both
15
We like our 5’ skeleton from Grandin Road much better. Much more spooky! Just the right size to actually be scary and a better investment, since he’s the greeter in our game room year ‘round. But alas, you can’t get one because evidently skeleton mania is a thing. I get it though because we always had a skeleton as part of our Halloween tradition going back to when I was a kid in the ‘70s. Have fun folks - BOO!
14
I have concluded that there is, for the fathers especially that drive these purchases--much like sports cars--an inverse relationship between the amount spent on Halloween decor and the size of their, hmm, bone?
8
They get stolen if not secured.
8
Good story. Fun. I really enjoy halloween. 
10
And you wonder why self-storage units are everywhere and people feel like they need bigger and bigger houses, and bigger and bigger vehicles. It's abundantly clear that it's because of all the junk they buy.
44
@Laura's Last Ditch Honestly don't know how they stand it. As I say to myself: you don't really "own" something you can't find. And I, anyway, can't enjoy a messy house filled with piles of stuff. Impossible to be organized and to have a beautiful home with piles of magazines, plastic toys, eighty five mismatched cups. We give almost everything away and aren't even minimalists. Officially started no gift birthday parties for my young kids. They missed absolutely nothing in missing the junk gifts.
13
Same goes for the junk XMas grifts.
9
@Tony Yes. Trying to convince my family to do just one gift per kid, buy experiences. We have way more than enough. Going over like a lead balloon with the adults.
8
We had a really windy day last week. The skeleton down the street is now a “pile of bones”.
7
@Edgar Kind of a good metaphor for this kind of kill-us-all consumerism, no?
16
Enough of the skeleton. I just can’t get over naming your kid Gatsby.
87
Isn't it ironic that a twelve-foot plastic skeleton that people can't get enough of us symbolizes with such great accuracy and so grotesquely the end of our civilization? Our neighbors have three. I think it would be just as scary--and more honest--to put up a billboard that declares their total lack of regard for science and humanity. That's all I see anyway: fools in paradise.
21
There's one just up the block from me. They put it up in August. It's ridiculous.
13
A child’s imagination when wandering around in the dark is a lot more vivid and rich than Skelly.
6
@ach Absolutely! Miss those old school Halloweens. No street lights, long dark walls in the woods, giggling with friends. Now it's some kind of ego trip pleasure palace cos play situation for consumerist adult children (yes, a mouthful). Like give your kid a flashlight and a sheet and they'll have more fun than you could ever buy.
15
I wish the article mentioned if Skelly is recyclable. 50 lbs of plastic shipped from China and flying off the shelves— that’s probably the most frightening part of it all.
80
@BFF do you really have to ask?
4
I have seen only one on a lawn, no other decoration. very impressive.
17
I've got a real one and, funny enough, I just carry it around with me wherever I go.
56
@George Park it in the yard--just stand it there staring straight ahead, jangly pose--and I assure you the neighborhood kids will be spooked.
6
You can tell the world is backwards when a couple buys a 12-foot skeleton and their 9-year-old tells them they're crazy
57
Over text message, no less
21
@Derek Adult children who don't understand childhood at all.
11
A neighbor has one in Pensacola, Florida. Although I had seen it before, I was startled when I saw it a few days later. I guess it's worth $300 to really scare someone.
3
Drive around in a giant car to buy a $300 plastic seasonal piece made in China, and sold to you by a store whose founder is a Trump fan. Talk about priorities and mindless consumerism.
104
Just a week ago, one of these highly coveted 12 ft. skeletons was stolen, in broad daylight, from the front yard of a senior aged resident of a Northwest Austin condo community. The resident’s security camera captured the entire theft and I have to say, watching the perpetrator maneuvering this giant plastic contraption through the rear door of her white SUV was a little like observing the loading of a clown car. So happy to report that Home Depot and the skeleton’s creator, Lance Keller, donated a new 12 foot buddy to the victim of the Halloween theft.
40
Amazing what some people prioritize.
24
When this magnificent product first appeared a few years ago, I thought it deserved to be commemorated in poetry. The story keeps coming back every Halloween, so (with apologies to Shelley) here is my poem again:
I met a traveler from a suburban land,
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of PVC
Stand on a lawn. Nearby, in the swamp,
Half sunk, a shattered economy lies, whose mounting debt
And excess of consumption and demand,
Tell that the vendor well those passions read,
Which yet survive, stamped on the receipts;
The urge to ever-greater Halloweens.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“Made in China, sold to USA.
Look on our imports, ye mighty, and despair.”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of all that plastic trash, boundless and bare,
The rising seas have washed all else away.
39
@KBok
Love this
7
I walk by a house where the owner took a bunch of life size skeletons and positioned them so it looks like they are trying to get in the house. He even has them trying to get into some of the windows on the second floor. It is really creepy.
42
Why does it have only 80 percent of the bones? Buyers should expect a partial refund!
7
@Ayzed
If you paid $300 for a 12' plastic skeleton, you do are not entitled to your money back. You have to be that dumb to buy in the first place.
3
I'm aware that this is an article to be enjoyed, but instead it upset me. I did love the aesthetics of the Pride Skelly, but like all of the Skelly's, it was purchased at Home Depot whose founders are supporters of the person who originated the big lie and in fact one of the founders wrote an admiring book about him When I learned that, I never went to Home Depot again.
60
I took an old rocker outside to the front porch. Took a pair of old jeans and a flannel shirt and stuffed them full of wadded up newspaper. Sat it in the chair with an old pair of boots and some gloves for hands. I cooked some pasta until al dente, stuffed it down the neck of the shirt and squirted ketchup all over the pasta sticking out. It got some screams from some of the younger kids.
47
Now that , is the work and imagination of a true artist !
No plastic and makes the kids scream 🤪
12
A lot, but fortunately not all, comments for this article reek of "no fun allowed!" I know it certainly brightens my day when I pass by a house with ostentatious Halloween decorations like this. If you want to complain about something like plastic or trendy conspicuous consumption, maybe wait until you actually see people tossing Skelly in the trash when they're done? And then, maybe direct your complaints to those neighbors rather than painting every skeleton enjoyed with the same brush.
40
@ Hannah, talk about taking all of the fun out of this….. Good job Hannah. Well done.
17
@Hannah Right. So they're going to keep these plastic monstrosities until they die? What then, they're passed on as priceless heirlooms? And if so, that's really not the point is it? The production of this amount of plastic is hazardous to our environment. And yes, you can have tons of fun--more fun--without products like this. Read the comment about the woman who made the scary figure from pasta and ketchup. Just because you enjoy something, that doesn't make it OK. Don't justify your own proclivity by telling yourself that it is OK. Live in that paradox: you like something that is not good for your progeny's earth.
6
“Oh these Dems are so irresponsible with the economy. It’s their fault for inflation.”
Hunts down and buys $299 12 Ft Skelly.
42
There are several of these around the neighborhood - say what you will, I grin like a fool every time I spot one.
48
A couple of weeks ago, ignorant of this urban tale, I saw one of these giant skeletons in the front yard of a home I was driving past. It was an incredible sight, and a surreal feeling, like being dropped into a Twilight Zone episode. The skeleton was literally head and shoulders above the house.
I can see why people are going nuts over this. But it's the shock factor that gets you. Once you see one on every street, then the fun is over.
28
How about this paper start publishing the climate effects of such holiday crap?
Love your kids? How about giving them a planet that’s livable instead of these stupid things?
48
@Picot Verde THANK YOU. So much easier to buy junk. But in the end, especially with this Halloween junk, it's not about the kids anyway, is it? They may be wanted to spend that Saturday you were going from Home Depot to Home Depot, stressed, spending what you shouldn't, unaware perhaps that you were ruining their earth but ruining nonetheless, at the park? Kids want your time, attention, love, responsibility to their futures, guidance, not your damaging flights of fancy.
8
Great more plastic crap for the land fills!
32
While we are all thinking about Halloween: PLEASE DONT USE THAT FAKE SPIDER WEB STUff on your bushes and trees. Its lethal to birds and insects who get caught in it. Even an owl got caught in it and succumbed.
Halloween used to be about rummaging around in closets until you found something weird to wear and shuffling around ithe neighborhood in the dark with your pillowcase full of candy. Guess what, the fun has not increased one iota, and like all things, parents wreck it by buying a bunch of crap and taking over the holiday.
123
I really appreciate your comment !
20
@ach
really liked your comment today. I would like to also state that violence against animals is rampant on Halloween and Fourth of July so please everybody keep your animals inside.
people sure have their priorities in the wrong place. Pelosi‘s husband was just attacked in his own home by a Maga maniac. I don’t hear any voices from the GOP as per usual condemning any of this horrible violence. Such hypocrites. They say they are pro police but look what happened to the capital police and the metropolitan police. GOP could care less. I watched that coverage and literally sobbed along with a friend.
Many Democratic leaders have been issued death threats. Not only for them but their entire families. This is absolutely despicable. I hope you all go out and vote against the GOP because if you think they care about you for one second you are so wrong. Of course I’m excluding the billionaires who give the dark money to their Campaigns. I didn’t think I could be shocked anymore. I’ve always been appalled however now I am also shocked at the attempted murder of a husband whose wife is in Congress. Forget Halloween; it’s going to be the day of the dead every day when we lose our democracy. Let’s pray that it doesn’t happen.
21
@ach YES. You know what is so much scarier and fun than those stupid, not scary, frankly hideous blow up things? Walking down a dark leafy street with a flashlight and friends and NO parents. Now it's all 5 pm town parties and blaring flashing lights from Disneyesque figurines and plastic plastic plastic. Good job, adults who want to be children but have forgotten the thrill of true childhood. Good job.
20
When is it really appropriate to use the opener, "It's been years..." In this case possible 2? I guess that's plural. I do love seeing these skeletons around town.
6
Actually, the best Halloween decorations are made by a guy in Glastonbury CT. He makes one each year and gives them away at the end of the year. His 'witch sleeping on the moon" is right across from the local history museum. This year he has a giant spider on the side of his house. Can't wait to see what he does for next year.
20
Seems quite a few posters have a bone to pick with this product.
101
@Jim laughed out loud! awesome comment!
8
Well, OK.
Next year a 14 foot skeleton?
11
@sjs Seriously. Keeping up with the Joneses while looking like a fool.
4
Skelly, fun.
12’ Clarence and Ginni, very scary.
31
If this thing debuted in 2020, how has one of the people in the article been looking for it “for years”? Like 2 years?
22
Future big box store: Bone Depot
40
Hopefully those that paid that much money on something that "discretionary" first donated a matching amount to help feed some of the starving masses in the world. https://www.wfp.org
And, yes, I do.
19
Saw one for the first time a few weeks ago and did a double take. There’s truly nothing like it. They are amazing.
15
So many negative comments here...relax and enjoy folks.
58
@ Peach, why dont you just relax and let people be….
8
@Peach Melba This sort of consumer consumption is emblematic of what’s totally screwed up about America culture… sorry but that’s the truth. Buy, buy, buy more cheap crap.
21
Kids are dying in Yemen and Ukraine because of American made weapons. Please don’t tell me to relax.
8
What do you call 8 skellys in a scull?
A skeleton crew!
Ba-bump.
51
I know someone who just bought one, off market, for $1200. I shouldn't really admit I know someone who would do this.
42
Sorry. I’ve no joy left. This is just another example of humans consuming.
31
@Marty Ruprecht Yes, you are correct. Much prefer a simple traditional pumpkin, which is 100% biodegradable after the holiday is over. What’s going to happen to a 12 foot tall plastic skeleton after the novelty is over? It will wind up as trash in a landfill, along with the heaps of other cheap plastic crap (ie: cheap inflatable holiday lawn decorations, or that polyester fake spider web stuff that people put on their shrubs) that chokes our world.
17
Many Medicare Advantage plans will cover any orthopedic needs skelly might have. Just ask Martha!
8
A bit of fun or another depressing report on the state of American society? The latter.
28
The sub-head and the article state that "devotees have spent years hunting for a skeleton introduced by the Home Depot in 2020."
So by my count, that's at most 2 years ten months, right?
When you say "years," there's an expectation that it's a longer period of time than a fad.
23
Ms. Santiago's realization: "Like, why was I so obsessed with this?" .. That realization is worth $299+tax! If we question all of our desires and obsessions in the same manner, that is worth a lot.
23
You know what’s even scarier than skelly?
A gas pump.
12
Being a buzzkill is worse than frightening someone.
10
@DM
buzz kill? We’re on the precipice of losing our democracy. This entire story is a waste of journalism. I don’t care how depressed you get you have to pay attention to facts. Not pay attention to alternative facts. Why don’t you watch democracy now! It’s free. Educate yourself. If the Truth is a buzz kill then let’s change that.
6
@GW And you know what's way way way scarier than that? The end of our earth. Now I've really killed the buzz.
7
I’ve had Hagatha for several years now. She is in full witch regalia, nods her head, rolls her eyes and talks to everyone who crosses my threshold. An inebriated lady once thought I had hired an actress to stand there on Halloween night. It might be silly but everyone laughs and thinks she is cool. You need a break from reality now and then.
42
Do they accept “crypt”ocurrency for payment?
208
@GW A ghost of a chance !!
7
Any better way to keep China going into recession?
8
2020 was 2 years ago. So devotees have spent all of 2 years searching for this thing?
20
@tevo I was thinking same thing , wow real quest of 2 years
11
@Poe-
Yes, especially since they’ve sold out and are out of the market in the “off season”.
3
@tevo Maybe just one, after they heard about it the first year.
2
I don’t know, I think a 12 foot Elon Musk would be scarier.
110
@Hal Regular size Elon Musk is scary enough.
45
Just cleaned out a garage with 26 years of accumulated stuff just like this thing. Wish I’d given the money to charity instead.
63
So much plastic! That’s surely is terrifying.
38
My som and his wife were in Home Depot a month ago in the Boston area. They saw Skelly, then saw the price and decided that was ridiculous.
They walked out with a 5 foot high skeleton for 30 dollars. He'll share space on their porch with their hand carved pumpkins. I suspect their house will look just as cool as the houses that spent a fortune.
10
no it won't...
10
@a2zmom The 5 foot skeleton won't be nearly as hard to store either...
There's a house down the street from my mothers, a rancher. Every holiday the WHOLE yard, roof, and porch are crowded with holiday decorations and figurines. It boggles the mind, the sum mass of that stuff is way larger than the house. So in addition to all the money spent on schlocky plastic things destined for a landfill someday they are paying for a storage unit.
4
@laura t maybe it brings them joy...and if they bring it put every year, it's not in the landfill
6
Get this skeleton and a Mc’D’s McRib sandwich and you can rightfully claim you have attained the American dream.
55
I hope the bones are labeled with the correct medical name for information's sake--although, that would add to cost so, they probably aren't
4
@Diane-
Like “thigh bone connected to the knee bone”?
2
@Diane Oh c'mon! Can you imagine what that would look like in limited Chinese-English instruction language?
3
So folks can drop $300 on a 12-foot skeleton which is used for a few days a year, without batting an eye. I bet these same people are complaining that inflation is 8%, gas is "so high" and blame Democrats for all the ills in America.
351
@Zeke ….. or better yet how many people used their stimulus check to get one.
11
@Charles
The stimulus check was supposed to be put to use to stir up the economy, so, mission accomplished if they spent the $299 on a 12 foot skeleton and the balance on whatever they needed or wanted
15
@Zeke
If you did not know that American's live in excess..... I have REALLY HUGE NEWS for yah!
Just look at the latest Hummer. The 10,000 LB EV hummer.
I have a hint for yah. They didn't make it an electric 10,000 lb EV for the environment. They also did not need to give the EV a "crab" walk function.
It is like utterly useless but they included it.
7
we go to distortionsunlimited.com for their famous impressive halloween props, hand made since 1978 and used in hollywood movies and everywhere else
2
I love Halloween. But for $300, I can find better things to do.
20
@Kathy I felt bad abvout paying $300 for custom wallpaper but at least I'll be looking at that for years.
2
Sure, it's all fun and games. Sadly, it's really just more plastic crap that will ultimately wind up in the landfill, along with all the other cheap disposable plastic holiday novelty decorations. That's the real skeleton in the closet.
160
@JS perhaps folks should be more environmentally-minded and use real, biodegradable human skeletons as decorations instead?
16
@V You volunteering? Sign this waiver.
9
@JS
Can't wait for your next Halloween party...
5
I'm only 5' 11", but I have a fresh idea for saving money on funeral services... "For sale, one skeleton, as-is, minor fibula fractures healed".
11
Love this. The dude around the block from my home in the W. Village has one of these standing in front of his house; he also has been hanging a massive spider web across the house w/several spiders.
It's pretty cool.
9
@Kipper So does mine! He goes all out with sculptures, etc. as well. Fun to see something different these days.
4
@Kipper I have a relative I was never fond of, he's been propped up on my lawn since 2016.
27
This is in the category of things I swore I’d never do/buy - but then kids come along… :-) Now, we are fans of giant inflatables including a halloween dragon even if we have not (yet) gone as far as this big guy. We also spend lots of time at Target playing with all the halloween toys on display! Fun! Happy Halloween!
10
@nzu Same. The things we do for kids. And it's fun.
7
I am currently holding the palm of leadership in my neighborhood with no less than 17 various skeletons strategically placed alover my front yard, roof, and such. The smallest is life-size, the largest is near 17 feet tall. I simply love this adorable American tradition. It took a different meaning for me this year though, being originally from the Ukraine.
41
@Alexis it Doesn’t Have To End Either it does end or all of them, yours and the unbelievable number of them around the country will continue to contribute to the end of our planet.
4
@Alexis it Doesn’t Have To End Yes, aren't we so adorable, over-consuming plastic junk to fuel our egos? Our earth is dying but gosh, the cuteness was #worthit.
5
Well, strictly speaking - if the people were hunting for more than 1 year, then hunting is o.k.
Don't be so judgemental, people. If this is what the couple finds fun, that's all that in necessary. There are a lot of ways to blow $300 that only last an evening and nobody questions THAT.
39
@uwteacher
The Puritans do. And your neighbors.
3
@ uwteacher, Well, strictly speaking, aren’t you the one who’s being judgemental about the many ways some people “blow off $300”, sometime in just one evening?
And please stop with the ALL CAP thing. It’s profoundly immature.
@Phil Well, it seems you are unfamiliar with the turn of speech "blow off" - as in an expenditure of little consequence. The ALL CAPS that upset you is one way to communicate sarcastic emphasis. I would think someone as mature as you would get that.
2
Slow news day? p.s... two years does not equate to years of hunting
7
I know they're ridiculous, but my middle-aged husband and I happened to see one in a neighbor's yard while walking the dog last night, and the 10-yr. old kids in us were truly thrilled. I want to hate them but I can't! They're just too fun.
165
300 dollars for this?!! Really. They must have a lot of disposable income for something like this.
14
@firlfriend Sadly, it seems the people who don't have the money for something like this spend like this.
3
Absolutely no reference to the Skelly theft that occurred 2 weeks ago, was captured in the home owner’s security camera, and was all over Redit.
3
It was mentioned and linked…..
3
How does one "spend years" searching for something released ...2 years ago?
22
@Jh Yes, I saw that too. And it's written more than once that way.
2
And this is just for Halloween. I was at Home Depot a couple weeks ago and shocked but not surprised to see all the huge plastic artificial pre-decorated Christmas trees already on display and aghast at the prices. The holidays now are just totally crass and an awful insult to what originally inspired them. But to bemoan the loss is to be a party pooper. So be it.
42
@Ivermarkt Theoretically speaking Christ can never be outside Christmas or any other space time for that matter. So fret not but rejoice. Jesus is alive and well and his purpose is still Love.
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@Sunshine Hello, let us also rejoice that we still have a separation of church and state in our Constitution.
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@Joe All is one and the same. There is only one cosmic consciousness which perceives itself as different so not to be alone. Genesis 2 18. The meaning of life is love. Blessings.
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Hey, whatever floats their boat as the old saying goes. I think its pretty neat, old skelly defintely seems to have some charater to it.
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Conspicuous consumption! Stop polluting a kids' holiday experiences with empty plastic bragging rights.
If you truly want to show off the size of your wallet, you've still got cars and house extensions.
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@BC
Polluting Halloween? Really?
Isn't Halloween literally about conspicuous consumption of teeth-rotting candies, wearing costumes that they only wear once?
Seems like a waste of money to me.
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Anatomy class in your neighborhood. What a clever use for a yard ornament.
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@Everybody's Talking now that's an idea! Laminate the names of the bones like class (in readable print) and teach people!
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I drove by the front yard Brick NJ skeleton earlier this week.
Believe me, Impressive!
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There is a 12' skeleton a couple of blocks from my house.
There are lights directed on it, and the LCD eyeballs are fun. I enjoy it on my walks before dawn.
And I hope it will stay up long past Halloween, maybe with a Thanksgiving/Pilgrim costume, then a Santa hat and beard.
So many holidays, so many possibilities for Skelly.
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@Van I have a niece who has 2 that are decorated for each season.
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My neighbors put theirs up in late September. So silly.
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A house in our neighborhood has rigged two of these things so they look like they are climbing the house. I am a grown man and not feint of heart at all, but that sight actually kinds of scares me!
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And here I am still lookin' for a Cabbage Patch Kid.
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@ Rogelio For Halloween? No wonder.
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@Phil If the Kids are hanging out in a cabbage patch then I figure they gotta be scary.
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Home Depot is able to say how many skeletons it sells. The exec should instead say, “We won’t say how many.”
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Best $300 I’ve ever spent. It absolutely delights me everytime I come home.
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@Joe
Why, does he make you ribs for dinner?
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Skelly is so 2020.
Home Depot’s hot product for this year is the giant wolf.
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@NoWAY someone near us has an apparently flying witch (suspended from a 12’ broomstick in her outstretched hand)—it’s pretty cool!
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There were tons of werewolves available at Home Depot near me all through early October. But it took multiple tripd to snag a Skelly. And to me werewolf looked kindof really cheap and cheesy
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@ Geggle, Cheesy? Seriously? And you’re ok with a 12 foot skeleton? Good grief. The mere thought of buying one of these is as tacky as can be.
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These giant skeletons are all over our neighborhood here, and we are flummoxed by the idea that their owners have to store them somewhere after Halloween is over. They must take up a crazy amount of space.
Where do they put them?
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@Chroma22 where else would you put a skeleton but in the closet!
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@Chroma22 They just bury them till the year after, like any good skeleton!
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Storage Units.
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I have a good friend who bought one this year and we don’t even have a home depot in our town!
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@KM Are you suggesting she used a real skeleton? I think we #cracked the case.
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I've come across two in my area and it's really amazing to come around a corner and see them. The one in an area of high foot traffic in a particularly walkable burb is very cool. I wouldn't ever buy one but I love the enthusiasm of those who do and put it up for the rest of us to enjoy.
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A bit dumbfounded to see two of these in a heavily decorated front yard, far out in the country where few will even SEE them. This is a seasonal tourist area of a couple thousand year-round residents, mind you -- still, halloween decorations are everywhere. Is it about the buyer's fascination, and not about impressing anyone? Now understanding that they shelled out $600 just for the giant skeletons (at Home Depot, no less) feels downright spooky. Mission accomplished...?
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“The couple, who live in Brick, had visited the Home Depot five times, hoping to intercept one of the skeleton shipments that arrive at stores throughout the summer and fall.”
Wow. Life sure is tough….
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@Phil And I'm sure complaining about the cost of gas the whole time.
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@Phil I wonder if they had any idea how terribly they would come off to most readers, evidenced by the comments? Did they think they would seem intrepid? I almost would feel bad, if they weren't mindlessly helping to destroy the planet.
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It is obvious from this article that Americans are cutting back on their spending and only buying necessities .
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@Gail-Every American that buys anything from HomeDepot is contributing to the demise of our democracy. The owner of HD is one of the largest donators to the Republicans.
Want women to have a choice over their bodies? The owner of HD doesn’t, he is one of the largest contributors to the Republican Governor Association, the very body that brought Roe before the Supreme Court.
You are voting every time you spend money.
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So funny, Gail.
You win the NYT commentary week.
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Life is tough in upper middle class conservative suburban America.
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Sadly, there is a Youtube of someone stealing one of these right out of someone’s yard. Jerks.
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@CarnW
That's what the Second Amendment is for.
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@Irving Apparently you missed the article this week where a guy trying to shoot a robber killed a 9 year old girl instead, so, no, this is manifestly NOT what the second amendment is for.
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But that guy was not charged with a crime!!
There’s one on a prominent corner in my neighborhood. I love it.
It’s prompted the whole community to step up its game. Currently, there’s more Halloween decorations than there’s ever been Christmas stuff…
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Biden says our economy is improving. This seems to confirm that
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in our small town of less than 15000, there's at least 3 within a few blocks of each other. people are way into this season around here
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People who buy things like this for their children must be very wealthy.
What's that you say?
They buy it for themselves?
Come on, Halloween is for kids.
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Saw one of these last week, thought it looked ridiculous.
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@TW That's the point.
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And yet somehow we’re still shocked and surprised the world is coming to an end when we see stuff like this in our front yards.
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@Ivermarkt We'd all be so lucky if this was the worst of our problems. Geese, lighten up a little.
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Ivermarkt’s comment is perhaps a bit dramatic but there is something wrong, maybe even disgusting about seeing this couple, being photographed next to their newly acquired overly priced lawn ornament, loaded up in their black SUV. Stupid.
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@mountainone, you’re right, how unceremonious it was to simply buy a pumpkin, carve a jack o lantern for the doorstep with a candle in it for an eerie effect for the trick or treaters and then bake a pie from it the next day when there’s barrels of oil to process into plastic for huge useless skeletons that accomplishes little more than the same thing. Sure, I’ll lighten up and not give a damn if that’s what you want because I’m old and won’t be having to deal with the consequences of such nonsense much longer.
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I've been dreaming of him. I hope to proudly display him in my yard one day. Miss you, giant Home Depot skeleton.
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@SK You sure you just want him in the yard?
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@SK such lofty goals.
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