Ah, it’s that time of year again. The weather is starting to cool, the leaves are beginning to change color and your neighbor just took out their 12-foot tall yard skeleton. And now you want one.
The infamous 12-foot Giant-Sized Skelly, as its product name goes at Home Depot, only came onto the market in 2020. But it immediately became an hit, buoyed partly by the pandemic and the increased demand in recent years for Halloween decor.
While a 12-foot skeleton may be an outlier even for the Halloween market, Americans’ spending on Halloween has been steadily on the rise, according to the National Retail Federation. Americans are expected to spend $13.1 billion on Halloween.
If your yard suddenly seems empty without a giant skeleton, we’ll help you find one for less.
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Save More Beyond Your Yard Skeletons
We love a good deal during spooky season, but saving money is our thing year-round. If you’re looking for more ways to save, we’ve got some ideas for you — from saving on interest to insurance.
What’s a Yard Skeleton?
Before we dive into how to get yourself a Skelly, let’s hear the skeleton’s origin story. It all started when Lance Allen, a decorative holiday merchant at Home Depot, spotted a “massive skeleton torso” on his regular perusal of trade shows and haunted houses. He and his team were inspired to put a little Home Depot twist on the Halloween classic, which meant creating a “full-sized, free-standing and completely poseable skeleton.” The original thought was to cap his height at 10 feet, but the team shot “for the stars,” Allen said, and didn’t stop until they reached 12 feet.
The initial design was so successful that Allen expanded the collection in 2021 with the 12-Foot Inferno Pumpkin Skeleton. Part of what makes the skeletons so unique is their LifeEyes, which use LCD screens to give the eyes a lifelike quality.
“What’s great about the screens is that we can fully program whatever image or scene we want on them,” Allen said in a Home Depot post. “That’s what gives Skelly his realistic blue eyes.”
But these skeletons are not just in demand — they’re also quite expensive. Skelly is priced at $299 on homedepot.com. It’s not exactly chump change.
Where Do You Get Yard Skeletons?
The easiest answer to this question is, of course, at Home Depot.
You can find the original 12-foot Skelly with LCD blue eyes, along with a whole graveyard worth of pals, including themed friends, pets, a dinosaur and a hearse (OK, a hearse isn’t a skeleton, but it’s driver is).
It’s important to keep in mind that these skeletons come ready-made. Home Depot employees estimate installation will take about 45 minutes with three people working together. Be prepared for a somewhat arduous task.
If the high price tags and sheer impossibility of actually acquiring one of these beauties is making you think twice, you can find dupes at places like Spirit Halloween. However, they are still expensive and won’t meet the 12-foot height standards.
How To Save Money on Skelly (and Other Yard Skeletons)
So you’re looking for a Skelly (or just a yard skeleton) and you don’t want to pay top dollar. We have some tips for you, especially if you’re willing to be flexible.
Are you an active service member or veteran? Use Home Depot’s military discount.
Home Depot offers a 10% discount on eligible purchases, up to $400 per year, for active military, veterans and their spouses. To qualify, you’ll need to register yourself or your family through your Home Depot account. Dependents of registered service members, dishonorably discharged veterans and non-military members are not eligible, per the store. Once you’ve been verified, you’ll have a barcode accessible through your account. You can then show this to the cashier the next time you make a purchase at Home Depot. If you can find a Skelly, flash your barcode and take one home for about $30 less than the retail price.
Be size-flexible.
If you’re willing to spring for a smaller skeleton, you’ll likely be able to find something cheaper — and more widely available. For example, you can get a 5-foot posable skeleton with LED eyes at Home Depot, Amazon and other retailers for under $50.
Try yard skeleton Facebook groups or Facebook Marketplace.
When in doubt, we always say turn to Facebook Marketplace or Nextdoor. By searching frequently for skeletons or the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton, you may find someone ready to sell their skeleton after a few years of use. Also consider joining the myriad Facebook groups that exist for 12-foot skeleton owners.
So Now You’ve Got a 12-foot Skeleton. How Do You Store It?
Home Depot has a detailed step-by-step maintenance guide on how to put your skeleton together and how to take it apart.
And if all of this just seems like too much work, there’s another option: keep Skelly up year-round. Consumers are repurposing these 12-foot skeletons for other seasons, from Christmas with Santa hats to a skeleton beach scene. Sometimes laziness (after all, who wants to disassemble a 12-foot skeleton?) can turn into creativity.
Writer Elizabeth Djinis is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder, often writing about selling goods online through social platforms. Kelly Gurnett is a former contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
