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The Hallmark Halloween Commercial, 1989.

EDIT: The Countdown entry for Monday is also up, featuring the fantastic Hovering Bat, a Halloween decoration that vibrates and makes its eyes light up whenever you clap at it. If you're just getting back after a weekend of whatever, don't forget to check the other entries recently posted. Or I'll choke you.

Big thanks to Randy for donating this one. I love it way too much. Here's a look at a Hallmark Halloween commercial from 1989, which may surprise some of you in its ability to remind us of what Halloweens were like back then. Not that they were anything too incredibly different, but at least for me, it's like pulling teeth to get anything more than surface interest from the media and retailers nowadays. We celebrate it because it's still on our calendars, but it just packs less and less spirit each year. Anyway, the commercial features some awesomely overexposed Halloween costumes from years past, not to mention a ripoff of Thing from The Addams Family. Get to it captain.

Posted by Matt on 10/10/2004. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 79 comments

Does Hallmark even have stores anymore?

Chestnuts roasted by Pat @ 10/10/2004 8:51 PM

There’s one in my town, so ya, they’re still around.

Chestnuts roasted by m_woolman @ 10/10/2004 8:52 PM

Third? Again? There’s still a Hallmark store at my local mall.

Chestnuts roasted by Meat Popsicle @ 10/10/2004 8:53 PM

there’s one in my town too. at least, I think there is

Chestnuts roasted by sam @ 10/10/2004 9:07 PM

I think I’ve seen a Hallmark store around here somewhere…

"usually late at night when I’m on drugs."

Watch out for snakes…

Chestnuts roasted by RewolfJ @ 10/10/2004 9:17 PM

CLASSIC

Chestnuts roasted by phunqsauce @ 10/10/2004 9:19 PM

We have a Hallmark around here, too. I’ve never been in it. I can’t see spending $4 on a card that someone is just going to chuck, esp when I can get an equally papery card at the Dollar Tree for $.50.

I had to laugh at the fact that Matt still remembers the one social glitch in the popular kid’s rein in school. "Yeah, he was popular, but he wore a "This IS My Costume" t-shirt in third grade. So there. Not so great." Heh.

Chestnuts roasted by trajeal @ 10/10/2004 9:19 PM

I’m wondering who would win in a fight between the dude wearing the orange shirt or Mark Linn Baker….it would probably be close….

Chestnuts roasted by phunqsauce @ 10/10/2004 9:20 PM

Damn Hallmark for creating extra "holidays" to waste money on stupid crap but you will still get nagged by your girlfriend if you don’t buy her anything. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Chestnuts roasted by phunqsauce @ 10/10/2004 9:23 PM

I am probably one of the last humans that still has the spooky sounds tape. I too was 10 in 1989 (do the math) and wanted to get this tape. I ended up getting a rubber spider (which I have seen as recently as 2002) and something else. I really just wanted the tape for the TWILIGHT ZONE theme. However, as Matt pointed out, it was so CASIOed and LONG that any intial resemblance to the original was lost. Plus, with no Rod Serling, what’s the point? The Spooky Sounds side is okay (I recently bought a new CD at TARGET for a buck), but both pale in comparison to the original LP record of the HAUNTED MANSION with spooky sounds on side B. THAT IS THE REAL THRILLER. Thanks for the free commercial. HAPPY HALLOWEEN and whatnot.

Chestnuts roasted by manimal789 @ 10/10/2004 10:03 PM

Coming here to find two new entries makes me a happy clam.

Chestnuts roasted by Glo @ 10/10/2004 10:15 PM

I have a Hallmark here as well. My wife visits quite often… at this point, I don’t mind since I just wander the Halloween gimmicks and gadgets. Ahhhh October…
As for the sound tape, I loved the Haunted Halloween album! BTW, I marked huge for the Mission Impossible yell comment. LOL
This year, I’m either going to wear a Mike Myers t-shirt or a Texas Chainsaw Massacre T at work. I was Hannibal Lecter last year. My students loved it.

Chestnuts roasted by Croww @ 10/10/2004 10:26 PM

Hmm, maybe it’s just me but the bat thing doesn’t cut it w/ me. I know bats are ugly as sin, but I just couldn’t garner up the necessary courage to hang that up and call it a "decoration." I guess since I live in a dorm room that really wouldn’t matter much anways, but w/e.

Chestnuts roasted by ANdrew @ 10/10/2004 10:27 PM

btw, i’ve been noticing a trend, am i the ONLY one here who isn’t married/not obtained a degree yet?

Chestnuts roasted by ANdrew @ 10/10/2004 10:28 PM

Nope.

:(

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 10/10/2004 10:29 PM

Matt,
I loved the last article on the flying bat. However, I think, for half the price, I’ll go with the bat that simply flies in a circle.
I know… I know… That bat will kill for not purchasing one of its kind!

Chestnuts roasted by Croww @ 10/10/2004 10:33 PM

The non-dancing Hovering Bat (not called that, but you’ll recognize him) is easier to find — check TRU.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 10/10/2004 10:35 PM

Thanks!

Chestnuts roasted by croww @ 10/10/2004 10:39 PM

My teacher had a pretty high class halloween sound tape thing that he would play in class, with licensed theme songs and everything.
Every day we’d get to listen to the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes cartoon theme.
It was either hell or heaven, and due to the time of year, I’m going to lean to hell.

Chestnuts roasted by Discharger @ 10/10/2004 10:49 PM

There are a few Hallmark stores in my area. Some of my family buys my cousin halloween cards for his b-day beacuse it’s on halloween.

Chestnuts roasted by pikachulover @ 10/11/2004 12:49 PM

ST Louis still has about 7500 halmark stores dotting the landscape,a couple of competing chains I believe. Personally, I’m always afraid of knocking over one of those glass shelf displays and sending approx thirty-seven thousand dollars worth of ceramic pigs and Jesus playing sports figurines to a smashing end. We had a couple of those sound effects tapes as kids, I don’t know if any of them were from halmark, but I do remember them sucking. Holding a slinkey up to your ear was scarier.

Chestnuts roasted by deus-ex-maria @ 10/11/2004 12:50 PM

That guy in the "This is my Costume" shirt is the geeky dude from friday the 13th part 2. Gimme some candy now?

Chestnuts roasted by garbage pail kid @ 10/11/2004 12:52 PM

At last count, we had 3 Hallmark stores right here in my little town, and two are at the very same mall.

I’m with ya, too, ANdrew. :(

Chestnuts roasted by Ryane @ 10/11/2004 12:54 PM

Nope. No degree here, but married and instantly had two kids.

Anyway, I remember listening to some Halloween album on my brother’s record player. My cousin and I turned off the lights and nearly shit our pants.

Semper Fi,
Erik Majorwitz

P.S. Hey Matt, haven’t heard from you about doing a Kinder Egg follow up. How’s about it?

Chestnuts roasted by EMajorwitz @ 10/11/2004 12:56 PM

I’m not married, but my degree is mere months away.

Whenever a picture is posted where there is a lot of junk in the background, I examine it to see just what I can find. He’s got both "Hey You Pikachu!" and the Radio Shack joystick for the TRS-80 computer. You rarely see those two things in the same room together, let alone in the same room with a pair of Hulk Hands.

Chestnuts roasted by Mars @ 10/11/2004 1:24 AM

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This entry was posted on Sunday, October 10th, 2004 at 8:36 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.