Happy Halloween Eve, everybody! Tomorrow night the candy flies and the porch lights glow. First, the numbers. The National Retail Federation (NRF) says Americans are expected to spend $13.5 billion on Halloween this year, up from last year's record $13.1 billion. That works out to about $115.14 per person.
Where does it all go? Costumes lead at $4.4 billion, decorations come next at $4.3 billion, and candy gets $4.1 billion. Decorations are the story, though. Back in 2019 we spent $2.6 billion decking our halls and yards for Halloween. Now it's $4.3 billion.
Why are decorations growing so fast? Blame a very tall skeleton. Home Depot's 12-foot "Skelly" debuted in 2020 at $299 and sold out fast. Some resold for around $1,000 at the time. Six years later, the giants are everywhere. Lowe's sells a 15-foot headless "Skeleton Watcher," and Arby's put out a $46.66 tracksuit made to fit a 12-foot skeleton. Yes, really. (CNBC)
Here's the Home Depot video, so you can meet the big guy.
Video: "Home Depot's 12 ft. Giant Skeleton," from The Home Depot on YouTube.
And the skeleton isn't the only giant out there. In Salem, Massachusetts, a 3,156-pound pumpkin, the first ever to top 3,000 pounds, has been carved into the world's largest jack-o'-lantern. It beat a record set just a week earlier, and it's on display on Salem Common through Halloween. (DOGOnews, The Blast, Guinness World Records)
Then there are the yards. In Dallas, artist Steven Novak filled his Oak Cliff lawn with 40 mannequins in hospital gowns, all staring at a 90,000-lumen light. (FOX 4, Dallas Observer) In Cold Spring, Kentucky, "Dead Spring Cemetery" has roughly 300 props, and its creator is chasing a Guinness World Record. (Hoodline)
@omnisteven on TikTok
@omnisteven on TikTok
So whether you're hauling home an 85-pound box of bones or just carving a pumpkin, enjoy it. Happy Halloween, everyone!
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