Welcome back to another Disney Stuff.
’Tis the season to be scary and spooky! A far as holidays in America are concerned, Halloween is second only to Christmas in terms of consumer spending. Each year the parties get bigger and the decorations get more elaborate as more and more people jump on the creepy All Hallows Eve bandwagon. As I write this, there are pumpkins, skeletons, black cats and ghosts strewn across my front lawn and faux spider-webs on my front porch. A simple stroll down the block will find more and more of the same. Halloween is definitely here to stay as a major American holiday.
Looking ahead a few months to the aforementioned number one holiday, Christmas; let’s try to put a commercial “face” on each holiday. The obvious choices with December 25th are, of course, Santa Claus, with maybe Rudolph or Frosty the Snowman as close seconds. But just whom would you call the face of Halloween? Is it a ghost? A ghoul? Jason? Freddy Krueger? What about that creepy Scream mask? I’d have to say that the one face that has emerged as the most popular Halloween character, at least in my eyes, is Jack Skellington.
It could be argued that Tim Burton’s brilliant The Nightmare Before Christmas is actually a Christmas movie. After all, Jack spends a sizable portion of the film discovering the wonders and extolling the virtues of Christmas, as opposed to Halloween. Regardless of what the film is really about, Jack has become synonymous with this time of year. His likeness can be found on just about anything and everything out there. The Gothic culture readily embraces Mr. Skellington and he is a popular feature on clothing, jewelry, backpacks, sneakers…you name it…he’s on it.
I’m not a Jack fanatic, like many out there, but I am quite fond of the film and therefore, also quite fond of the Pumpkin King himself. With that in mind, I thought I’d spend some time celebrating Halloween this year by taking a look at some of the Jack Skellington Stuff that I’ve managed to accumulate over the years.
I can start small with this Jack from the Disney Collector Pack series. This was a part of series 10:
Jack Skellington form the Disney Parks Collector Packs Series 10. Photo by Chris Barry.
Jack was one of the last figures to be released for the original Disney Infinity videogame.
The Pumpkin King goes to Infinity. Photo by Chris Barry.
We pre-ordered him from GameStop and received this free poster for being one of the first 50 people to pick up our pre-order. The image of Jack is raised slightly off of the paper, as are most of the circles and lines in the background. It's a nice effect.
I'm so glad we made it to the store in time for this free poster. Photo by Chris Barry.
The Pumpkin King is a popular subject in the Disney pin-trading universe. Here’s a pair from my pin board:
The happy couple on my pin board. Photo by Chris Barry.
I was fortunate to receive this personalized Jack Skellington watch for Father’s Day from my daughter Samantha several years ago:
This is one of my all-time favorite watches. Photo by Chris Barry.
I’ve got Jack on some clothing as well. Here’s a simple Nightmare Before Christmas T-shirt…
A nice, worn-in t-shirt from the Disney Store. Photo by Chris Barry.
…a super comfy pair of flannel pajama pants from the Disney Store…
A pair of Disney Store Jack Skellington flannel pajama pants. Photo by Chris Barry.
…and an equally soft and comfy Jack thermal.
A super warm and super comfortable Jack thermal shirt. Photo by Chris Barry.
These collectible dolls have become part of our Halloween decorating…
A set of Jack and Sally figures. Photo by Chris Barry.
…along with this cool Jack candy dish…
Right now, this dish is full of candy. Photo by Chris Barry.
…and this awesome light-up pumpkin.
This pumpkin is on my back porch right now. Photo by Chris Barry.
I’ve always loved this set of Nightmare Before Christmas candles, although I can’t ever imagine getting them anywhere near a lit match!
A set of Nightmare Before Christmas candles. Photo by Chris Barry.
They came in this slick looking coffin box that I keep them in to this day.
The box for the candles is its own collectible. Photo by Chris Barry.
One year for trick-or-treating, my wife and I went as Jack and Sally! And no…you don’t get to see that photo, but we still have the costumes up in the attic somewhere!
As I wrote this article, it became obvious that I have a bit more Jack Skellington stuff than I realized. But my collection doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what’s out there. A few weeks ago at New York Comic-Con, I spent some quality time perusing through one booth that was essentially nothing but Jack Skellington merchandise and collectibles. This dealer/fan had watches, pins, figures, trading cards, pens, clothing, and belt buckles, coffee mugs, drinking glasses, bookends and so much more. It was a veritable treasure trove of Skellington Stuff and I’m quite sure there’s much, much more where that came from. It certainly is a good time to be a Jack Skellington collector.
He’s become an icon; not just of Halloween, not just for the black clothes-wearing Gothic crowd, but for everyone. It’s hard to find someone that doesn’t like this movie or at the very least appreciates its unique artistry. But what is it about Jack Skellington himself that has turned him into such a successful merchandise juggernaut? He’s an uncommon hero for sure and I think that’s part of his appeal. He’s the epitome of creepiness, yet underneath he has a heart.
I think his iconic design is at the crux of his popularity as well. Take a look at Jack. It’s a very simple design. His expression can turn from terrifying to happy with just a slight twinge and he does that throughout the film. In that sense, he represents that kind of twisted joy that we all get out of horror movies. It’s the same uneasy happiness that we get from being scared. For a generation of fans, and probably for many more to come, that twisted sense of joy, that uneasy happiness has made Jack Skellington the modern face of Halloween. I think it’s going to be a long, long time before we see another character take away Jack’s rightful place as the Pumpkin King of Halloween.
Would you agree? Does Jack represent Halloween to you? How about all of this Jack Skellington Stuff? As always, I’d like to hear what you have to say. Click on the link below and let me hear your thoughts. Have a happy and spooky Halloween and I’ll see you next time with more of that great Disney Stuff.
