12-Foot Giant-Sized Skeleton, colloquially known as Skelly, is a 12-foot-tall skeleton lawn decoration created by Home Depot for Halloween.
Description and use[edit]
The home improvement corporation Home Depot created a 12-foot-tall skeleton lawn decoration made with metal pipe and LCD eyes.[1] Listed as "12-Foot Giant-Sized Skeleton" on its website, the skeleton became colloquially known as "Skelly".[2]
Skelly went viral on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic from consumers showing the skeleton either as it is or in different costume or locations. Examples include showing Skelly with custom clothes, flashy jewelry, and as an accessory in a car. The hashtag "12footskeleton" had over 89 million views on TikTok by 2023. After its original virality, Skelly continued to feature in parody articles and fan videos.[1]
Development[edit]
The lawn decoration was created in Home Depot's research and development department by Lance Allen and Rachel Little. After developing hundreds of skeletons, as a secret project, they set out to create a large skeleton. They did not think that 10 feet would be grand enough, and increased its height to 12 feet, that of a basketball hoop. At that height, they took anatomical liberties to make Skelly appear realistic, such as shortening the neck from appearing too long. Other constraints included a reasonable price and ease of transport home for setup. Allen described their team as being impressed when Skelly was unveiled in a conference room. The skeleton was first released in 2020 and continued to sell through 2023, where it was sold out for the holiday.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Diaz, Ana (October 31, 2023). "Home Depot made hundreds of skeletons before perfecting its 12-foot star, Skelly". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- ^ Henschel, Haley (August 18, 2023). "Home Depot's beloved 12-foot skeleton is officially sold out online for 2023". Mashable. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
Further reading[edit]
- Debter, Lauren (October 30, 2023). "The Market For 12-Foot Halloween Skeletons Isn't What It Used To Be". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- Henschel, Haley (October 31, 2022). "Live, laugh, LifeEyes™️: How the 12-foot Home Depot skeleton became a perennial hit". Mashable. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- Greenthal (September 12, 2023). "It's Almost Swiftober: Celebrate with a Swiftie-Themed 12-Foot Home Depot Skelly". Better Homes & Gardens. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- Kurzius, Rachel (October 4, 2023). "Home Depot just can't top Skelly, the 12-foot king of Halloween". Washington Post.
- Liebergall, Molly; Merritt, Matty (October 27, 2023). "The Home Depot 12-foot-tall skeleton's nemesis: HOAs". Morning Brew. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- Spears, Hunter (October 9, 2023). "Halloween Bone-Anza: These Giant Skeletons Are Haunting Yards Around DC". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- Willingham, A. J. (October 5, 2022). "How a 12-foot skeleton became the hottest Halloween decoration around". CNN. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- Witsil, Frank (October 26, 2023). "Giant 12-foot skeletons often linger on lawns past Halloween". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.