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Halloween, Product Review

2019 Halloween Merchandise Review: Michael’s

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It’s my favorite time of year again, and that means the Halloween merchandise is coming out at all my favorite stores. I’ll be posting a short rundown of the Halloween merchandise at each of the major stores I go to in the coming weeks.

First up: Michael’s.

If you don’t have a Michael’s near you, I definitely feel bad for you. The closest one to me is about an hour away, but fortunately, it’s close to family, so I get to go to it a few times a year. I’m a fan of both Hobby Lobby and Joann, as well, for my craft supplies, but Michael’s just seems better to me in a lot of ways. Maybe it’s just because I dont’ have one close.

Anyway, when Halloween comes around, I’m especially excited to get to take a trip to Michael’s because they really do have some cool Halloween stuff. And they seem to be the first store to really put their items on the shelves. Check it out.

One thing I’ve noticed so far this year during my Halloween shopping trips is the new types of skeletons being offered. We’ve had a huge variety of animals to choose from, and now it seems that the mermaid and unicorn crazes have leeched into the Halloween world. Dragons are also making some appearances. Yep, we’ve got magical skeletons now. We saw some last year, but they’re now widely available.

I never really caught on to the whole mermaid/unicorn thing, but I can appreciate the effort. Michael’s doesn’t have a unicorn, but you can catch a pic of a unicorn skeleton in my upcoming post about the merchandise at Big Lots.

One of my favorite things about the selection at Michael’s is they have the type of Halloween decor that is most likely to make it into my year-round decorating. I mean, check out these awesome pillows and skeleton ceramics. I freaking love them (not counting the selfie skeletons and the one on the toilet – not my cup of tea).

Favorite Finds at Michael’s

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  1. Halloween Miniatures: If you’ve seen my dollhouse posts (start here), you know I love miniatures. So Halloween miniatures are, of course, going to be a big deal to me. Michael’s had a really good selection when I first arrived, but it looks like everyone else thought so, too, because most of them were gone when I went back. Sadness.
  2. Skull Moon & Raven: I just thought this guy looked really cool. They had a few moon-themed items, and this was probably my favorite.
  3. Vintage Decor: I don’t know what it is, but vintage Halloween stuff has really started to jump out at me when I see it. It just looks cool. Cute, but not too cute.
  4. Rubber Boa Constrictor: Who doesn’t love a huge fake snake?
  5. Rubber Spider: I almost got him, but I didn’t because I’m looking for a spider that spins a web. I go for realism when possible. Now, I regret not going ahead and buying him.
  6. Animated Witch: She was the only big animated prop at Michael’s, and I thought she was really cool.
  7. Skulls: I love the variety of skulls Michael’s has to offer. Giant ones, little ones, normal ones – just great.
  8. Yoga Skeleton Pillow: I love the yoga skeleton thing, and I really want to get this pillow for my living room.

If you have a chance to go to Michael’s, I highly recommend it. The prices are pretty reasonable, and if you can catch a sale or use a coupon, you can get a really great deal. They also have a fun variety of animal props. I bought a zombie squirrel here last year and a huge frog the year before that.

Have you had a chance to go to Michael’s this season and take a look at their Halloween merchandise? Let me know about your favorite find in the comments.

Halloween, Product Review

2017 Halloween Merchandise Review: Walmart

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I’ve gone over the fun Halloween merchandise to be found at Home Depot and Lowe’s this year, so let’s move on to the next store on my list: Walmart.

Love it or hate it, I’m sure you have a Walmart near you, and I’m pretty sure you spend a buck or two here each week.  I, myself, spend many bucks, but that’s beside the point.

I might not love the place, but it still makes me happy to walk in and see their display.

No. It’s not spectacular or anything, but just look!  There are costumes, big bags of candy, decorations, orange, and black everywhere!  Really, anything Halloween gives me the warm fuzzies.

Walmart’s decorations are pretty run-of-the-mill, but they’d still be enough to really spookify your house inside and out.  Hanging ghosts, skeletons, tombstones, lighting, cobwebs – you’ve got all you need right here.

And they did have these two little skeletal garden gnomes that I was quite taken with.  I haven’t seen these anywhere else, so Walmart definitely wins the Halloween garden gnome race.  That should be a thing if it isn’t already.  Just look at these cool, little things.

They have a small selection of skeletons and skeleton animals.  Because who doesn’t these days?

Walmart also has a great selection of Halloween-themed hats to keep your ears warm when you’re trick-or-treating.  You know.  If you’re lucky, and it’s not still 80 degrees by the end of the month.  Cross your fingers, folks.

And Walmart also has a nice selection of non-costume Halloween makeup and nail art.  Here’s some of my favorites.

So, no, Walmart might not be crazy innovative in the Halloween department, but if you’re looking for crazy animatronics, go to Spirit Halloween or Halloween Express.

Next up on my review is Target, so check back soon.

Halloween, Product Review

2017 Halloween Merchandise Review: Lowe’s

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Home improvement stores have really stepped up their game in the Halloween area these past few years.  I’ve been pretty impressed, and Lowe’s has a really nice assortment of yard decorations and lighting to choose from.  Let’s check out their offerings.

Just check out all the pretty things.

They’ve changed this display since they first started putting out Halloween items, but I really enjoyed the skeleton’s setup.  It’s like he’s saying, “Finally, it’s my time of year.”  Love it.

They have a few animatronics to choose from.  I especially like the American Gothic skeleton couple.

I actually got a video of the vamp lady doing her thang:

They also have some pretty awesome inflatables:

 

Halloween, Product Review

2017 Halloween Merchandise Review: Home Depot

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I had the pleasure today to go to the clear front-runner in this year’s Halloween merchandise race.

Home Depot is just killing it again this year with their stuff.  Just look at this spread:

See that?  I couldn’t even get it all in one pic.

Of course they had your normal stuff: pumpkins, silly dancing toys, skeleton dogs, cats, and dinosaurs.

*Record Scratch*  Dinosaurs, you say?

How cool is that?  You can also see from the pic that they have a skeletal pony.  What you can’t see (because they didn’t have it in the store) is that they are also selling an 8-foot-tall T-Rex to go with the babies.  Yes, you can see them in museums, but now you can have one in your home.  That’s pretty sweet.

They also had this cool gargoyle:

These hanging ghouls:

And this creepy, thin, animatronic werewolf:

For value, I think this 3-pack of skulls for $9.98 is a steal.  Less than 4 dollars for a realistic-looking, good-sized skull is too good to pass up.

And this full-sized poseable skeleton for $29.98 is an excellent deal, too.

 

I also have to give Home Depot props (no pun intended) for bringing back the peeper decorations.  There were a few angry, easily-offended people that called from these to be removed from the shelf this year, and Home Depot decided to bring back – not only the original – but a few different versions.

They also had quite a few great animatronics.  Just check out the videos below:

Pretty cool, huh?

So there’s my rundown of what Home Depot has to offer this year.  I feel like it’s got a definite lead over the other home improvement store this year, which I’ll go over tomorrow.  Be sure to check back then!

Halloween, Product Review

2016 Halloween Merchandise Review: Home Goods

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Home Goods always has a great Halloween selection, and they didn’t disappoint this year.  If you’re not familiar with Home Goods, it’s basically a bigger, fancier home section of TJ Maxx.  They even carry some of the same stuff, which makes sense because they have the same parent company. And like TJ Maxx, their prices are pretty sweet.

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When I first walked in, I was greeted by this cool display:

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I especially loved this tall grim reaper figure.  Most of their items are more decorative in nature, so they don’t have many things that could be used as props in a haunted house or yard.  But this handsome guy here  would look right at home in any cemetery scene.

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As you can see in the pic below, they had a wide variety of decorations, from the cool and creepy to the glam and cute.

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These skulls were also some of my favorites.  Yeah.  I know.  Surprise, surprise.  I liked the skulls.

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Of course, they had pumpkins of all types and colors for those that want to steer their decorating to the fall side of things.

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One thing I thought was really cool at Home Goods was the types of decorative skulls they had (again with the skulls!).  Just look at some of the different kinds in the photos below:

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There was also one that was copper instead of silver and one that was completely jewel encrusted.  I tried taking a picture of the jeweled skull, but my camera turned it into a sparkly blob.

And this little guy with his Burton-esque vibe had me almost getting out my debit card…but I stayed strong.  I can’t go spending all my Halloween moneys this early in the game.

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I would definitely check out Home Goods for your Halloween decorating needs, especially if you’re looking for more decorative items instead of actual props.  They had quite a few unique items that I truly liked.

Plus, if you’re throwing a Halloween party and want to stay away from paper goods, they have a ton of plates, cups, and food serving items to choose from.  Just check out the selection in the pics below:

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I’m pretty sure I’ll end up with that cheese plate at some point.

Make sure to check out my other Halloween merchandise reviews to know exactly where to shop to fulfill your needs.  Also, make sure to follow me on Facebook for blog updates and additional pictures of Halloween products.

Halloween, Product Review

2016 Halloween Merchandise Review: Kirkland’s

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I’m not that big of a fan of Kirkland’s just because I don’t like looking at the type of decorative items the stores carry, but I thought I’d venture inside one a few weeks ago to see what their Halloween selection looked like.

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They are definitely lower on my list for Halloween merchandise providers, but I admit that they had some fun stuff.  I’m going to apologize in advance for the picture quality.  This store was worse than Bath and Body Works regarding the VERY fragrant aroma in the air as I walked in.  I felt like I was slapped in the face hard by 15 different air fresheners.  That being said, I was in a hurry to get out of there, and my pictures suffered.

Here’s blurry pic of some cute ghosts and pumpkins along with a cool Day of the Dead platter at the bottom:

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Here’s another of the back of the same shelf.  Their stuff is definitely more on the cutesy side of the Halloween merchandise spectrum, but I think everyone could find at least one thing they liked out of their selection.

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For instance, I really liked this metal guy:

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They also had some pretty cool canvas pictures, including this one of trick-or-treaters out on Halloween night and the one below of a cool haunted house.

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Right before I fled to save my nostrils and avoid a headache from the overpowering smell, I saw this:

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I think the pillows at the bottom were adorable, and I’m always game for anything skull related.  The little nutcracker-like dolls on the top shelf were pretty cool, too.

So would I go back to Kirkland’s for their Halloween stuff?  Probably not, but I can see where their items would appeal to certain types of Halloween decorators.  If you’re looking for scariness or gore, this ain’t it, but if you want cute and accessible, try it out.

Halloween, Product Review

Where to Buy Halloween Merchandise

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I was out on the town this weekend, and I was happy to see that so many stores are already putting out their Halloween items!  Spirit Halloween and Halloween Express have still not opened their doors for the season yet (at least not here), and Walmart and Target are still peddling school supplies, but never fear!  You can  satisfy your Halloween shopping fix by visiting the following stores:

Hobby Lobby: They might not have a lot of truly creepy items, but if you’re looking for cutesy stuff, Hobby Lobby has you covered.

Michaels: My favorite thing about Michael’s Halloween merchandise is their cool Spookytown Village miniatures.  Minis make me happy.  Plus, Michael’s also has a lot of cool small props, decorative items, and craft supplies.

JoAnn: I love JoAnn’s skeleton animals.  This year they have two different kinds of dogs, cats, owls, and vultures.

Kirkland’s:  This is another one that doesn’t have any really creepy stuff, but, like Hobby Lobby, if you want cutesy, Kirkland’s has it.

TJ Maxx: Skulls, skulls, skulls.  I love the variety of decorative skulls and skeletons TJ Maxx has.  Check out my review of their 2016 merchandise here!

Home Goods: They have some similar stuff to TJ Maxx, which makes sense seeing as they have the same parent company, but check it out anyway even if you have both in your town.

Well, that’s it for now.  I’m slowly working on reviewing all of the merchandise at each of these stores, so I’ll post them as I finish them.  My favorite so far has been Michael’s.  I’ll post some pics soon.