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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

Na na na na na na na na na na na na naaaaah… Hovering Baaaat!

Nope.

Don’t sound the same.
Had a shreiking doormat like Jamie’s, but then some fat kid stepped on it and killed it. (sniff) If I can find a new mat, then I could use the old box, it’s hella-loud!

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 10/11/2004 5:23 PM

I actually STILL have one of those crappy half-assed costumes I bought in a Hallmark store in maybe 1990. It’s a little black beanie with googly-looking (silkscreened) eyes and bat wings. My Bat Hat. It makes an appearance evey Halloween since I teach in an elementary school and have an excuse to wear a costume (yayy).

On a sadder note, I also bought something called a Boo Beanie: white with a ghost face looking surprised. It had little hands that stuck out on either side. It’s lost. I still grieve.

Chestnuts roasted by rachi99 @ 10/11/2004 6:17 PM

Oh, and Matt –

Speaking of the dissolution of our society’s Halloween spirit, it should appall you to hear that at one of the schools where I work, the kids are not allowed to wear costumes of any kind. They still have parties on Halloween, but they are called "Fall Festival."

But why, you ask? Religious reasons? Violent imagery. Oh no. The reason is that the teachers say "it’s too much trouble." They refuse to help kids get in costumes, and it’s "A waste of an afternoon."

Makes me ashamed to be on the faculty. Since I travel to teach, I just go to another school where they do real parties with spider rings and costumes so complicated they have to start getting dressed after lunch.

Chestnuts roasted by rachi99 @ 10/11/2004 6:29 PM

I posted this on STU’s website (the guy in the t-shirt). He got a kick out of it, cause he never even saw the finished commercial. I’m shocked he didn’t leave a comment.

Chestnuts roasted by RP MacMurphy @ 10/11/2004 6:38 PM

there are four hallmark stores in my area. must be a northwest thing.

RewolfJ nice eegah (or mst3k) refrence

Chestnuts roasted by bogeyb @ 10/11/2004 6:52 PM

You would of course find the guy I called a doof. If he’s reading, it was in good fun and I swear I’m twice the doof.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 10/11/2004 7:45 PM

Ha HA HA Ha HA! Now the value of that shirt has gone up on eBay!

Chestnuts roasted by ddfgg @ 10/11/2004 9:13 PM

bogeyb: Thanks, also a subtle refference to the anti-drug PSA on the countdown (as well as another old article which I’m pretty sure debuted shortly after I became a regular reader).

Chestnuts roasted by RewolfJ @ 10/11/2004 9:22 PM

Oddly enough, considering South Jersey still has at least four or five Hallmarks, I really don’t remember this commercial. I don’t think Hallmark still does costumes, though it, as far as I know, continues to sell novelty items like the chattering skull and the "Scary Sounds" tape.

Actually, my parents bought a similar cassette years ago for Halloween. Their reasoning being we had so much Christmas music, we might as well branch out. Yeah, it’s cheezy (the version of "Thriller" on the tape is particuarly bad) but we still listen to it every year, and it still greets trick-or-treaters who come to my parents’ door.

Chestnuts roasted by starwenn @ 10/11/2004 9:26 PM

The guy in the Hallmark picture there in the orange shirt *kinda* reminds me of Slim Goodbody, except without the inside-out body.

Chestnuts roasted by Andy @ 10/11/2004 11:01 PM

You have known, that person of the shirt really is creepy. I him next the halloween way think that the fact that I go is desired. It makes that can have everyone, everything which I need is the exhaust change vessel of that surface, am that shirt and I the gold.

Chestnuts roasted by JingYa @ 10/11/2004 11:05 PM

Not really Halloween related, but I have found a new bit of Shrek crap the other day. Get ready for…Shrek and Donkey Chia Pets!

Ch Ch Ch Chia Shrek!

Chestnuts roasted by Luap @ 10/11/2004 11:41 PM

Just wanted to say I STILL have that tape. Or my dad does. In any case, I could take it from my house without incident.

Chestnuts roasted by New Guy @ 10/11/2004 11:50 PM

I am among those who are not married and have no degree. Just started working toward the degree though.

Speaking of bad Halloween music, anyone know who Screaming Lord Sutch is? My friend has the same problem Matt has, if something is marked at an incredibly low sale price he has to buy 50,000 of them. That’s what happened when Hastings had SLS’s cds for 33 cents. He gives them to various friends in packs of ten as gag gifts for birthdays and Christmas.

Chestnuts roasted by Mara @ 10/12/2004 1:00 AM

I had a few of those Halloween sound effects tapes. I loved those things and enjoyed playing them at inappropriate times like Christmas dinner or funerals. My favorite tape had a segment that lasted about 3 minutes that actually sounded like a woman being raped by Satan himself. It was really kinda scary.

Chestnuts roasted by Cousin Balki @ 10/12/2004 6:57 AM

Unmarried, uncolleged. Destined to die in a freak Jell-O/Pac-Man/Wiffle Ball accident on some backwater galactic outpost.

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 10/12/2004 12:02 PM

i have the skull pin.

if you want it, Matt, i’ll find it and send it to you. along with my soul.

Chestnuts roasted by zann @ 10/12/2004 12:21 PM

For the record -

Yes, I am married, but only recently.

As for degrees, I have three (yipe), and I am here to tell you that they have done me little to no good in the real world. Kept me OUT of the real world for a decent amount of time, though.

Chestnuts roasted by rachi99 @ 10/12/2004 12:38 PM

Married. No degree yet but working on it.

I used to have a vibrating ghost similar in principle to the bat. when you clapped mear it or screamed, it would start buzzing around like crazy. Good times.

Chestnuts roasted by Yzziefrog @ 10/12/2004 2:00 PM

hey matt, i have a chattering skull pin if your interested. its a classic.

Chestnuts roasted by mikey @ 10/12/2004 2:47 PM

I CANNOT believe I was right about it being Reptile Sherpico. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Chestnuts roasted by Jason @ 10/12/2004 2:57 PM

First Post for me!

My cousin Barry told me about this site! ITS AWESOME!

Lets see, to address everyone, yes-job. yes-married. Interestingly, my wife’s dad keeps the machine repaired and going that puts the glitter on hallmark cards (glitter, which hallmark calls flitter). you know how you wonder who runs the machine that does that– well, its my father-in-law. In Topeka, Kansas.

Actually that makes hallmark a totally american company! makes you feel bad for complaining about the $4 cards now, doesn’t it?

Funny article!

Chestnuts roasted by Dixon Deeper (Cousin of Barry J. Deeper) @ 10/12/2004 3:20 PM

A house on my street has one of those hovering bats on its porch. The first night it was up it actually fooled me until i got closer to it and saw the LED red eyes and heard the whir of the motor. And realized that bats do not typically fly in perfect continuous circles eight feet from the ground. I am ashamed.

Chestnuts roasted by Kyla @ 10/12/2004 5:11 PM

GG @ using "conducive"

Chestnuts roasted by Sargasm @ 10/13/2004 12:13 PM

Well now, someone got an utrom.

Chestnuts roasted by Cleetus @ 10/14/2004 11:46 PM

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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.