Boo Who

I’m not sure where the time went, but we’re less than three weeks away from Halloween. We’re starting a bit early on the holiday posts because we have a lot of photos this year. It’s the most wonderful time of the year and we want to get started on the celebration!

But, before I get started, I wanted to show you a fun thing that Kathy found for me on her recent shopping expeditions:

I wrote a post a long, long time ago about my collection of bark and moss pictures that hail from Japan. I have a bunch of them, but neither Kathy nor I have ever come upon one with a wire frame! Most of them are some sort of natural scene which makes sense with the materials used. However, not all of them are as successful with their composition as this one, plus it’s in good shape. The bark and moss is glued on, probably with Elmer’s glue as far as I can tell, and these pictures were mostly made in the 1950s and ’60s. That’s at least 60 years ago, and I can tell you that things start going downhill after sixty! It’s going on the big wall o’ pictures in the hallway so I can see it every day on the way to the bathroom.

Time to get spooky, or perplexed by attempts at spooky Halloween decor.

When you’re a witch, it’s important to get the costume right:

I’m still not clear on why a witch has to have a big, pointy nose, but that is the stereotype. I did read that it was because to be evil like a witch was thought to be, you had to be ugly on the outside and inside. Also, witches are frequently portrayed as old women, and sadly noses and ears keep growing as you age! I kind of like her robe; it looks comfy for hanging around the lonely cottage. Looking at the other costumes, there is a pink witch, at least she has a wand. I wonder if she is Glinda, to the black-robed Elphaba? I sure wish they hadn’t put the price tag over the super hero’s face! How do we know if he had a mask, or was just wearing glasses? I’m most disturbed by the thing in the purple tunic. Is it a spaceman? What is it going to do with the little angel girl? That would be kind of disturbing to find on your doorstep on a dark Halloween night.

Well, this isn’t scary at all:

Far from having a big nose, this witch doesn’t have a nose at all. I like all of her bat friends, and she is pretty cute in a very sweet way. Hardly counts as a witch at all!

This is your stereotypical Halloween witch:

Big nose with mole/wart? Check! Black dress and hat? Check, sort of. I’m not too sure about all the weird unscary trim decorating her hat and dress. It almost looks like that “hairy” yarn that makes such cool scarfs, and that doesn’t work for a scary witch at all. Perhaps the weirdest thing about her is that she has a clear plastic cone under her dress like a Christmas tree topper. Are we supposed to have Halloween trees now? We did do a good thing and reunited her with her twin sister:

Poor purple witch was way down the shelf at one end all by her lonesome, and they obviously belong together. I’m not sure they are any scarier in duplicate, but at least all the witchiness is confined to one spot on the shelf. You know, after a second look, they really don’t look evil at all; their smiles make them look happy, not pissed off. Maybe they are the witches from history that were healers, not killers.

This might have been a witch in the making and it was by far the scariest thing we saw:

I think it has to be the child of the Devil and a witch with those goat-like sideways pupils. Not to mention its fondness for blood. She doesn’t care who knows it, either. This looks to be a commercial product given the alabaster skin, colorless irises, and bestial pupils. The only way I would feel safe with this unholy doll in my house were if it had a stake through its heart, and was stored in a metal box sealed with communion wafers. B.H. could have a lot of fun if he bought it, and then left it on my side of the bed, or in my shoe or something. I would probably scream if I saw it in it on my pillow! Good thing that the thrift store wants $11 for it—too much $$ for a practical joke—at least in my house.

We are softies when it comes to plushies, and Halloween plushies are no different:

He’s trying so hard with his fangs and skull bow tie to be spooky. He needs a much more sinister face, and especially eyes, to even begin to be scary. He just made us laugh, and besides, we like bats quite a bit! Maybe we are witches? Neither of us has a big nose, or a black hat. Kathy likes cats … hmmm.

Thanks for reading and we have more Halloween finds for you! I also have a couple of Halloween yard displays to show, and I’m wondering what Kathy has seen on her travels.