All right, put down that beachball and grab your broomstick--Home Depot (HD) -) is going Code Orange.
Yes, while most people are planning barbecues or going to the beach, the home improvement retailer is unleashing its Halloween product line-up in the dog days of summer.
"Shop this year’s Halloween assortment now, while supplies last," Home Depot tweeted, along with an image of its most popular creations in a line up.
Code Orange 🟧 Shop this year’s Halloween assortment now, while supplies last. If you don't see what you're looking for, try refreshing. https://t.co/08W33lFqle pic.twitter.com/tF2ewgmvbx
— The Home Depot (@HomeDepot) July 13, 2023
"To meet extraordinarily high demand, and because who doesn’t love a good scare, The Home Depot is officially kicking off Halloween in July," the company said on its website.
Online sales began July 13, and most products will be in stores by Labor Day weekend.
Naturally--or should we say, unnaturally--Skelly, the 12-foot-tall skeletal sensation who debuted in 2020, is back and selling for $299.
Skelly is still larger than life. pic.twitter.com/8hIQv3BZPf
— The Home Depot (@HomeDepot) July 12, 2023
Skelly stars in his own video, which Home Depot tweeted on July 12 and which plays like a 90-second horror flick, proudly proclaiming that "Skelly is still larger than life."
"It's baaack," the narrator says. "Everyone's favorite boney behemoth has risen from the grave once more, ready for another All Hallows' Eve."
Creepy Company
And when Skelly is activated, we're told that Skelly's LED light eyes "open to the world blinking and moving as if possessed, searching for something deep in the darkness."
Lance Allen, Home Depot’s senior merchant of decorative holiday, told the New York Times last year that he pitched the idea for a giant skeleton in 2019 after seeing a “giant” skull and rib cage at the TransWorld Halloween & Attractions show in St. Louis.
Skelly is still larger than life. pic.twitter.com/8hIQv3BZPf
— The Home Depot (@HomeDepot) July 12, 2023
Skelly has got plenty of creepy company in Home Depot's Halloween decorations selection this year, including the 13-foot-tall animated Jack Skellington from Disney’s (DIS) -) “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” marking the first in a collaboration between the two companies.
A company spokesperson said that Home Depot doesn't share sales figures for any of its categories or products but added that “we been selling our Halloween assortment online in July since 2020.”
“The public response has been positive with customers enthusiastically waiting for our products to launch each summer since,” the spokesperson said.
Then there’s the nine-foot-tall Animated Predator of the Night, a roaring, shrieking demon who comes with a 12-and-a-half-foot wingspan, making it the widest Halloween prop Home Depot ever created.
We also have the THD-3000, a seven-foot-tall satanic cyborg who packs a beaming red laser eyeball and bionic blue blade with his left hand should be.
And let's not forget Lethal Lilly the Witch, Dean the Deathologist and Marie the Meddling Maid. You certainly won't forget them after you see them.
Halloween Spending Climbs
When it comes to celebrating Halloween, people are so serious it's scary.
The National Retail Federation reckoned that Americans spent a spooky $10.6 billion in 2022, exceeding the previous year’s record of $10.1 billion.
Consumers dropped about $100 on average for Halloween candy, décor, cards and costumes. And when it came to the top ways people looked to celebrate, decorating their homes or yards came in second behind handing out candy.
Home Depot said that enthusiasts "are decorating earlier than ever before" and the federation's research shows that nearly half of consumers will start beginning in September or earlier. In 2022, many got started in August.
Despite the warm temperatures and creeping humidity, there seemed to be a lot of enthusiasm for Home Depot's Halloween hit parade on social media.
"Most things that were new and really sought after went live an hour earlier, most are gone," one person tweeted. "Skelly is no longer big news."
"Well I wanted skelly and got it lol so I’m happy.. hope you get what you want," another tweet read.
"Guys I GOT SKELLY!!!" one shopper announced.
And since we're all in a festive mood, Home Depot also showcased some of the decorations it will offer for the holiday season in December.
Among the things you can expect are a furry, dancing 4-foot-tall Grinch, an 8-foot-tall lawn Santa, and a 7.5-foot LED-laden artificial tree, according to Fast Company.
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