Anybody pumped up for Halloween ?!?!

[yendor1152]

Thanks, Charp--I think I'll take your advice about keeping the vintage stuff out. At almost 60 (my birthday is November 2nd, and sometimes I'd get a stale Halloween cake!), I'm old enough to remember when the vintage stuff was just on sale everywhere. In the 60s, Beistle and Dennison (the two best Halloween companies, in my opinion) cornered the market. Even in Catholic school, the nuns would decorate our classrooms. I recall one particular decoration, Dennison (I think) that showed an evil witch cutting out the eye of a pumpkin while it's screaming! And this was tacked by the blackboard, right under a crucifix!

Alas, most of the decorations sold in stores today are but a pale imitation of what came before. Somewhere along the line, things became "cutesy." Instead of a scarecrow that really looked like a classic scarecrow, suddenly he has blushing cheeks and a cherry for a nose and a goofy smile. The cats no longer snarl and scratch. Instead, they just sit there, looking like Figaro from Pinocchio. The jack o'lanterns all have goofy faces, too. The repros from Beistle look good, but they're also cheaper looking than their vintage counterparts. Christopher Radko licensed some of the old Beistile decorations and did them right. I have a vintage Beistle "dancing jack-o'lantern man" that used to hang on neighborhood doors back in the 60s (now a very hot collectible), and Radko redid that, adding a thicker cardboard and glitter! A really nice job.

I wonder--when did Hallowen become sanitized?

Rod

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

I got the haunting season started last night with the 2012 Louisville Zombie Attack. Here's my character from the Louisville Halloween website, The Phantom of the Ville, showing off my John Carpenter signed Criterion "Halloween" laserdisc. Happy Halloween!

[Hepcat]

And sit on my patio sharpening a big axe and wearing pantyhose over my head.

For Halloween though you need to step up your game and do something out of the ordinary.

[Hepcat]

Halloween is definitely my favorite time of year, and living in Maine is especially sublime when the season hits.

I love Maine. I think it's sublime all year round. I went to boarding school in Kennebunkport for ninth grade.

I wonder--when did Hallowen become sanitized?

Around about the same time that parents started to chaperone their kids when they went out trick or treating.

[Zombiology]

Alas, most of the decorations sold in stores today are but a pale imitation of what came before. Somewhere along the line, things became "cutesy."

I wonder--when did Hallowen become sanitized?

Rod

Not sure when but I've regretted the same thing.  Whenever I look for neat stuff to add to what I have, I find mostly cute friendly ghosts instead of something more realistic - -at least to me.  I recently saw a picture of a graveyard where the ghosts were coming up and smiling for the camera.  Not what I remember the last time I played in a cemetery.

[neonnoodle]

Stuff has been getting cuter and cuter over the decades, but I think it crossed the line in the 1980's.  The Beistle decorations were still pretty creepy in the 70's, but after that, the cuteness got to be pretty strong, and it got worse from there...so I only hang up old Beistle stuff.  It's expensive to buy but I think it's worth a little extra expenditure!

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

I agree with you guys that I think the 80's were the absolute worst decade for Halloween decorations. Everything got "cute." I actually think things got a little better after the end of the 80's except for the endless parade of animated figures that sing "I ain't got no body" or "I'm your boogie man," etc.

I love Beistle decorations too. I grew up with the late 60's and 70's Beistle decorations and I still love them. I've been out to the local novelty shops and reproductions of those same decorations are still available at very low prices. If your tastes run more to the 1930's Beistle decorations, Beistle has set up a website and started to reproduce some of them as well.

Check out http://www.vintagebeistle.com/

Radioactive Rod

[yendor1152]

I agree with you guys that I think the 80's were the absolute worst decade for Halloween decorations. Everything got "cute." I actually think things got a little better after the end of the 80's except for the endless parade of animated figures that sing "I ain't got no body" or "I'm your boogie man," etc.

I love Beistle decorations too. I grew up with the late 60's and 70's Beistle decorations and I still love them. I've been out to the local novelty shops and reproductions of those same decorations are still available at very low prices. If your tastes run more to the 1930's Beistle decorations, Beistle has set up a website and started to reproduce some of them as well.

Check out http://www.vintagebeistle.com/

Radioactive Rod

If you notice, in the 80s, the colors also got brighter--very little black or grey. Instead, there was a lot of pink and blue. I remember seeing several Beistle ghosts outlined in pink! Scarecrows all had cherry noses, with a cute little mouse on their shoulder. Dancing jack-o'lantern men lost their traditional look and suddenly wore disco outfits and goofy smiles. Witches were no longer leering and nasty looking; they were pink-cheeked and smiled, with a twinkle in their eye. All Halloween decorations showing the Devil were kaput. When I was a kid, in the 60s, we could get "shakers" of skull heads, witch's heads and devil's heads. There's a red plastic devil head I'm sure you've all seen from that era. Sometimes, it's at the end of a black stick, other times, it has a handle and once contained lollipops. No more Devil. Devil is bad, bad, bad!

I have absolutely no doubt that the mid-west has had some effect on all this cuteness. Fundamentalists don't like Halloween--in fact, they hate it. Leering witches and spooky ghosts don't go over well in the Bible Belt, I'm afraid.

[vintagehalloweentoys]

Pumped up for Halloween?

I would have to say YES to that notion.

[charp13]

I don't want to sound too halloweenforum/hauntforum, but I finished painting a scrap wood tombstone prop today and I just need to stencil on some lettering. I'm looking forward to making some more yard props this weekend. It's fun when you make stuff from scraps or Dollar Tree finds!  I'm still waiting for Chocula, though. I haven't seen it in any stores yet.

[Hepcat]

Eight days to go!

[charp13]

WooHoo! Crunch time! I bought some b&w striped socks for my costume, going out tomorrow to buy fresh fruits & vegetables for my party recipes on Saturday, and I started making treat sacks while watching Halloween last night. After Friday, I will start soaking in the fun. We spent the last 2 weekends fixing up the yard display, and cleaning up. Next Wednesday (knock on wood), I'll be more than ready for the trick or treaters! BTW- I checked my last entry, and I wanted to update that I have had my Chocula     about 4 bowls in the last 3 weeks!

[Hepcat]

Seven days to go! That's one short week!

[Opera Ghost]

Our House on Rodeffer Hill is listed in the local paper...with an Eyeball.....I'd like to think this is a must see reference!

[Hepcat]

Have you posted any recent pictures?