It's artist week for Halloween Web interviews!
Our first one may be someone you recognize...
Thanks for coming by, please tell the folks about yourself.
Hey! I’m Nikki aka
@change_the_color_toys on Instagram. I’ve dabbled in many creative avenues over the years - graphic design,
gallery work, illustration - but currently becoming increasing obsessed with
custom toys. A year ago, I dove headfirst into the toy collecting community
and it’s starting to intertwine with my artsy background. I’m currently
writing and illustrating a series of children’s books, which I hope to
accompany with toys of the characters, much like Wuzzles back in the
day.
How was Halloween for you growing up?
Halloween in Bucks County PA, a suburb about an hour from Philly, was
incredible and much like that in the movies. Our development flowed into three
or four other large developments of single homes spaced out just enough you
could conquer 100 homes or more running lawn to lawn. Only a few houses were
“black-outs” unlike today where it seems that’s more popular where we are now.
Booooo! (thumbs down boo, not scary boo). The neighborhood crawled with kids
of all ages for hours. There was always the Raisin House, although my favorite
was the Soda House! By the time we got around to the swankier neighborhood,
the homes were larger and the lawns became wider to cross. You get pretty
thirsty sprinting from house to house for a few hours, so a lukewarm Acme soda
was just the best thing ever.
Do you have any special Halloween memories?
I was lucky enough to have a whole crew of girlfriends my age all within 2-5
houses from mine but when I was about 4 (the new kid on the block), I hadn’t
gathered a trick-or-treatin crew. It was just me and my dad. Our own street
was long and by the time we’d gotten to the top, we reached the house on the
cross street that had set up a few dummies during the month of October.
Obviously we passed the house coming and going and I knew the dummy scarecrow
and clown or whatever it was that was set up. So I went up to the door while
my dad waited at the street...but it was the ole bait-and-switch. I reached
for the candy and one of the damn dummies came alive and scared the crap outta
me. I’m pretty sure that was the last house for the night but I had a full
bucket anyway, so all good. Now that I’m a “growns-up”, I copied that idea and
set myself up as a dummy on our driveway alongside a few real stuffed ones. As
a kid, this is cruel, but as an adult it is such a freaking delight to scare
munchkins (and some wussy teenagers).
What about favorite costumes?
I was costumed from less than a year old til a few years after college but as
an adult, haven’t dressed up much. I still was dressing up even in High
School. Out of our class of about 700 kids, I was one of three dorks who still
participated. I don’t think it was even made clear if we were allowed or not.
I was Lisa Simpson senior year, of course. My mom stitched almost all our
costumes but E.T. as an 8 month old was pretty dope.
How do you celebrate Halloween today?
Our fam decorates the house and we take my daughter trick-or-treating. Nothing
crazy compared to the days of bar-hopping in costumes down Main Street in
Manayunk back in the day… Nowadays, I usually dress up as a skeleton and stay
home to give out candy. My husband takes my daughter around. Did you know you
can hang out with your neighbors and drink beer and give out candy while
scaring little kids?! And I thought Halloween was great when I was young!
Do you have any must watch movies or specials for the season?
Movies - yes! Obsessed with Hocus Pocus. My daughter is 7 and even though
she’s outgrown Curious George, I still make her watch the Halloween special
every year. #guiltypleasure
What is it about Halloween that makes it special?
For a lot of us, I think it is the nostalgia of the magic that is Halloween
night (and possibly Mischief Night as well) as a child. Ever go back visit an
old school? One of your reactions is probably ‘this is much smaller than I
remember!’ As a child, experiences seem more intense and epic so all the fun
and terror and thrill during the Halloween season is exponentially
penetrating. It’s a visceral holiday as well. Itchy hayrides, sweaty costumes,
candy bellyaches. For me, the thrill of running around town with friends in
the dark, anonymously, whew - can’t beat it! I mean, I guess this could have
been any other night if I wasn’t a nerd.
Inside the Spookster's Studio
The worst thing to get while trick or treating was
Laffy taffy.
My favorite thing to get was 100
Grand
My favorite monster cereal is uh,
cereal is my jam but never had any monster cereals! Does Lucky Charms count…?
Leprechauns are creepy…
A monster-sized thanks to Nikki for chatting with us today.
Click the image below to see all the participating Countdown bloggers!
