With the many many many cancelations of flea markets in my area, I have one saving grace left; thrift shops. While I would rather have focused on flea market finds in this segment, I'm going to share a few Halloween items that I found in several digs this year instead. Thrift shops are a bit of a step down from flea markets but also sometimes a small step up from say.... Dollar Tree? I don't know what it is about rummaging around in someone else's old possessions but it really has a hold on me. And plus, sometimes you find some really neat unused bullshit. Thrifting has almost the same vibe as a flea market; that anticipation of a hopefully good surprise find but without the smell of fresh kettle corn. On to the items!

MR. BONES LIGHT SET

For 99c and an original price tag of $3.99 I snagged up this beautiful 10 light set of skeleton lights dubbed "Mr. Bones." First of all, props to Goodwill for not being total dicks and charging more than the original price. I hadn't originally noticed that 1 of the 10 skeletons was missing but it still looks great as is and still works perfectly; almost as if it had never been used. I had a picture of it all put away but I deleted it and the strenuous task of putting all the skeletons back in the package for a quick photo opportunity was more than I really felt like doing so here it is in working condition dangled in front of some old spooky VHS tapes for your viewing pleasure.

24" JOINTED HALLOWEEN WITCH 1993

Next up we have this jointed paper cutout witch that looks straight out of your 3rd grade classroom. There's certainly a lot going on with this witch and one has to wonder.... why are her legs all beat up? Is there just some random dickhead going around punting spooky witches in the legs? Also, apparently she's a hard drinker with a nose like that. She's heavily ornamented with things including a half moon, a bat, a skull and a chain. She also has buckles on both her boots as well as her hat. She's like a mash up of an Acid Witch album cover but also sort of an Irish man. The best of both worlds.

ASSORTMENT OF COLORED FANGS AND BRACELETS

This one, as far as price, could go either way (win or lose). I think I paid a little over a dollar for it. I'm sure they are in the same range in both Dollar Tree and Dollar General for cheesy sets of fangs. But, do those sets come with sweet jelly bracelets like the kind you use to get from Hottopic back in the day like this one did? Abso-fucking-lutely not! I remember this one time I was wearing these bracelets to a doc visit and the foreign doctor made fun of me and told me only the women wear "Bangles." He got me good.

RANDOM MCDONALDS HALLOWEEN HAPPY MEAL TOYS

When it comes to what I typically look for when I dig through Halloween shit, McDonalds items are on the top of the list. It never fails, at least once every season I manage to find some form of McDonalds Halloween memorabilia. While the contents weren't all complete, I still see this as a huge win. It's not every day that you find Mcnugget Buddies in the wild, let alone half complete Mcnugget Buddies. I have a complete witch, and almost complete Frank and a few ghost shells from the "What Am I Going to be for Halloween?" Happy Meal set which would hold Grimace on the inside.

HALLOWEEN PAILS AND BUCKETS

Pails on pails on pails! Everything from McDonalds Boo Pails and Mars Candy jackolanterns to Bubble Yum Draculas. It's been an AWESOME year for McDonalds pails. I found 3 all in one location at a nearby Goodwill. Again, not always complete but ALWAYS appreciated! While I love McDonalds pails, I have to say that I'm very stoked on the Bubble Yum Dracula and the Milkyway jacko which still had the directions and string to make it your personal candy collecting pail for trick or treating.

HALLOWEEN SOUNDS AND MUSIC CASSETTES

Up next we have 2 cassette tapes; MC Hammers Addams Groove single and Spooky Sounds from Hallmark. I rarely use to check the cassette tapes but after spotting the Spooky Sounds tape in a random Goodwill wilderness I dug a little further and found the Addams Groove single. I'm wondering if maybe they both came from the same house. Regardless, you're dumb for getting rid of these masterpieces but also thank you because now they're mine. I remember one of my first years being too old to trick or treat but too young to know what the hell I was doing as far as decorating went, I got one of these old Spooky Sounds Hallmark tapes and popped that bad boy in. That was it. No decorating or lighting or anything else, just spooky ambience. Needless to say, I was surprised there weren't eggs all over my house the next day.

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN CANDLE SET

Next, I spotted this little orange box tempting me to stop everything I was doing to open it up. Inside this box housed three positively adorable little vintage Halloween candles too cute to burn! We have a witch with an orange gown and a black hat and broom who has invisible skin. Then, we have this pumpkin with a black top hat and what looks like a garbage bag for a body. Lastly, we have this typical white sheet style ghost carrying his jackolantern companion. These will never get burned and will sit until the end of time collecting dust next to other things that also collect dust.

VINTAGE TREAT BAGS 1995

I feel like I don't see many cool looking treat bags these days. When everything was once hand drawn and beautiful, we've reached a time where mass produced dull generic artwork reigns supreme. While these particular bags aren't the best example, they're certainly not the worst either. These packs come with 4 styles as you can plainly see on the front of the packaging including a cat and his pumpkin companion, a happy jackolantern, a stunning spider hanging from a web and a collage of jackolanterns with different expressions. Treat bags always made the treat that much more interesting; would it be a bunch of fun size Snickers, Milkyways and Reeses or will it be a couple quarters and some plastic bullshit spider ring?

and last but not least...

"HALLOWEEN FIGURE" BATTERY OPERATED WITCH 1988

The thing that caught my eye on this piece wasn't the piece at all; it was the packaging. This strange pail witch and her colorful bubbling cauldron, the random ghosts, bats and owl and that blood dripping lettering "HALLOWEEN FIGURE!" The fuck is even going on here? It has absolutely fuck all to do with the product other than the description on the front. I bought so many batteries for this damn thing only to get it wrong 3 times. Eventually, I got the proper batteries and if you bet that it makes that typical noise that every battery operated Halloween prop made back in the 80s, you'd be right because it totally does! It also has a setting where it moves without noise which is much appreciated in the long run.

And there you have it! Thanks for looking at pictures of all this useless junk that I have to find something to do with now. I invite you all to hunt for useless Halloween garbage in your home town as well. It can be a lot of fun and a great way to pass the time when there isn't much else going on. Thanks for reading!