Lusting after Home Depot animatronics, or, Creating a truly bonkers Halloween display on a budget

[frimble3]

For the first time in a long while (he's been gone for over 20 years) I wish my Dad was here: between Mrsmig's skills and Dad's tinkering abilities, Buz, your yard would be a twitching, flickering traffic hazard!
(Dad was neither an electrician nor a plumber, but he was of that generation where an alert young man could pick up these skills. Which Dad was, and which he did.)

 

[JJ Litke]

Regarding making props—I’m a little concerned this isn’t quite what you meant and risks adding complication by Giving You Ideas instead of resolving existing ones. But I stumbled across this video demoing using spray foam and plaster to create costume props.

On a related note, Lowes has these 14 inch skeletons that are super cute and posable, and happen to be a nice size for riding a yard flamingo (my original plan for them). In case you’d like a few little skeletons for any of this.

 

[frimble3]

Regarding making props—I’m a little concerned this isn’t quite what you meant and risks adding complication by Giving You Ideas instead of resolving existing ones. But I stumbled across this video demoing using spray foam and plaster to create costume props.

On a related note, Lowes has these 14 inch skeletons that are super cute and posable, and happen to be a nice size for riding a yard flamingo (my original plan for them). In case you’d like a few little skeletons for any of this.

14"? That's only slightly larger than a Barbie/action figure (12"ish)! And slightly smaller than a 16" Fashion doll.
A nice size for dressing up and making stuff for!

If you had a small pond, they could ride a floating duck-decoy!

Are they for outdoor use? Make them a treehouse! With a fake door at the bottom of the tree! And a parasail/chute on a wire at the top!

 

[worrdz]

…or you could just set up a giant monitor in the yard and scroll this thread on it.

Some really tingly stuff in here.

 

[buz]

I learned relentless-in-search-of-supplies (along with 'You might be able to use that one day') from my father, who could look at a junkyard and see a field of endless opportunities. I get my hoarderish tendencies from him.
I am not so much 'relentless' in search of ideas, as 'easily inspired'.
My mother had a lesser case of it, pretty much solely focussed on fabrics.
BTW, leechwise: look at the bottom of plastic/rubber mats, etc, for small suckers.

Oof I can relate. It seems really wild to me that I have like…a whole box of used horse bits or a six foot pvc pipe or random washer/dryer parts or whatever and still don’t have the shit I need for whatever ridiculous thing I have in mind

Like the chicken-wire basket/barrow idea!
Also, if you have access to a pair of un-mounted bicycle wheels, they'd look appropriately 'wiry' with a basket-barrow, either one in front like a traditional wheelbarrow, or side-by side, like a cart (pipe or broomstick for an axle).

I’m a bit woefully under supplied in the wheel department, but I found I can get wheel shaped wood cutouts and figure that could work if the whole thing is flimsy enough

Also, you say you have skeletons? How 'bout one arm, rising pitifully from the pool of leeches?

Hahahah nice

Would also increase the strength/weight-bearing capacity, I suspect, at least for the barrow portion of the wheelbarrow. Now, the wheel part and the whatever-the-structure-attaching-wheel-to-barrow-is-called-in-English part, that's a different story, and those are likely the bigger risk of failure if putting too much weight in. (One way around that would be cheating a little bit and putting something strong and solid under the non-wheel side of the barrow, so that most of the barrow's weight isn't *actually* resting on the wheel. Say, a couple of bricks or an upside down flower pot.)

yesss nice nice I do have some things I could use for underneath … also a very good thought

 

[buz]

For the first time in a long while (he's been gone for over 20 years) I wish my Dad was here: between Mrsmig's skills and Dad's tinkering abilities, Buz, your yard would be a twitching, flickering traffic hazard!
(Dad was neither an electrician nor a plumber, but he was of that generation where an alert young man could pick up these skills. Which Dad was, and which he did.)

I have a tremendous amount of jealousy-slash-respect for people who just pick up skills like this. I try to approximate by "doing random nonsense even though I have no idea what I'm doing" but it really doesn't translate to skill all that well...

And you know...I have what I consider a healthy fear of electricity, but if there was one time I'd try to get past it...it'd probably be this

Regarding making props—I’m a little concerned this isn’t quite what you meant and risks adding complication by Giving You Ideas instead of resolving existing ones. But I stumbled across this video demoing using spray foam and plaster to create costume props.

This is awesome. Thank you for this! It is sort of what I regard as "next-level" for me though; maybe not this year ...It may be something I get to eventually, but I do have some concern about using sprays and products that are potentially hazardous if you're not careful, +/- putting them outside in rain/weather --not that it can't be done safely, I imagine, but I'm already more un-careful and impatient than I should be with wood sometimes (which is why I only have handsaws and no power-cutting things aside from a drill) --in general I have a learned to have a great deal of mistrust for myself However--someday I may get over it.

On a related note, Lowes has these 14 inch skeletons that are super cute and posable, and happen to be a nice size for riding a yard flamingo (my original plan for them). In case you’d like a few little skeletons for any of this.

OH MY GOD your yard is going to be RAD, I love that

 

[buz]

14"? That's only slightly larger than a Barbie/action figure (12"ish)! And slightly smaller than a 16" Fashion doll.
A nice size for dressing up and making stuff for!

If you had a small pond, they could ride a floating duck-decoy!

Are they for outdoor use? Make them a treehouse! With a fake door at the bottom of the tree! And a parasail/chute on a wire at the top!

Please someone do this or something like it, I'm begging y'all, I've already got some full-size stuff in motion but I love this so much

 

[alexp336]

I spotted a battered old wheelbarrow amid some other trash outside a house yesterday, with a "free" sign propped up, and thought of this thread. And you've now got me thinking about how an old oscillating fan, wedged underneath a tarp in a barrow full of pool noodle leeches, might make it look like they were heaving and rippling in a suitably nauseating way.

Every year, at Halloween, I kick myself for not having thought ahead and set up a projector to put spooky things on the front of the house. I like the idea of a vast eye, glaring at passers-by.

 

[frimble3]

I have a tremendous amount of jealousy-slash-respect for people who just pick up skills like this. I try to approximate by "doing random nonsense even though I have no idea what I'm doing" but it really doesn't translate to skill all that well...

And you know...I have what I consider a healthy fear of electricity, but if there was one time I'd try to get past it...it'd probably be this

Well, most of them lived 'Back In The Day' when there were no computery/on-line distractions .

On the other hand, there were no instructional videos or on-line guides.


Re: electricity
Family history: my family history involves coal mines. When Great Grandpa was a young man, the coal mine he worked in was electrified. After the contractors came in and installed, there was a need for local workers to tend the system, repairs and maintenance, etc.
So the company assembled the men and asks anyone interested to step forward. There will be a trifling raise in pay, but, they point out, it's dangerous work, this messing with electricity. Now, these are coal miners, aware of the risks of fire, explosions, ceiling and wall collapse. They were constantly at Death's door. But, this new stuff made then uneasy.
Then, at the back of the room, a hand was not merely raised, but waved.
"Dangerous, you say? Could kill a man if he's not careful? Put me in, boss! I want to play, today!"
And Great-grandpa Frimble became an electrician (and lived to raise a family).
There is a risk-taking gene, I think. I seem to have missed it, but my Dad and my sister have it, in different ways.

 

[Cobalt Jade]

On my drives through Connecticut and New York this past week, I spotted one yard with at least 30 life-size skeletons in it, of different colors, like a Grateful Dead rave.

 

[frimble3]

On my drives through Connecticut and New York this past week, I spotted one yard with at least 30 life-size skeletons in it, of different colors, like a Grateful Dead rave.

Oooh! How about a yard full of those inflatable tube people, in white, with waving arms!

 

[buz]

I spotted a battered old wheelbarrow amid some other trash outside a house yesterday, with a "free" sign propped up, and thought of this thread. And you've now got me thinking about how an old oscillating fan, wedged underneath a tarp in a barrow full of pool noodle leeches, might make it look like they were heaving and rippling in a suitably nauseating way.

LOL well, I do like where your head is at

Every year, at Halloween, I kick myself for not having thought ahead and set up a projector to put spooky things on the front of the house. I like the idea of a vast eye, glaring at passers-by.

Hmm. Well. This might be the year?

Then, at the back of the room, a hand was not merely raised, but waved.
"Dangerous, you say? Could kill a man if he's not careful? Put me in, boss! I want to play, today!"
And Great-grandpa Frimble became an electrician (and lived to raise a family).
There is a risk-taking gene, I think. I seem to have missed it, but my Dad and my sister have it, in different ways.

I mean, I do think there's a significant...uh...well. Something to be said for "the devil you know," but they had some devils. Were these the days when women would wash clothes in like, pans of gasoline, in their houses?

On my drives through Connecticut and New York this past week, I spotted one yard with at least 30 life-size skeletons in it, of different colors, like a Grateful Dead rave.

awww yiisssssss I love it

Oooh! How about a yard full of those inflatable tube people, in white, with waving arms!

"This entire car dealership died twenty years ago this very night"?