Office Halloween 2008

 Way back in 2008, we took a vacation to Vegas at the end of October. I had a reputation at the place I worked for being the "Halloween guy" so I decided to have a little fun with being out of the office.

 

  

Every October, I'd have a traditional pumpkin pail on my desk loaded with fun size candy and assorted little toys like spider rings and plastic bugs. I also enjoyed decorating my cubicle with all kinds of stuff I brought from home.

  

And you wonder how I got to be known as the Halloween guy! I wish the photos were better quality so you'd be able to see them better but it was 2008. Pretty sure I took these with my digital camera because the phone I had didn't even have one. As I'm looking back at these, I'm realizing this was a year I went lighter on the decorations, believe it or not!

 

 Here's a better look at the shelf. There's some NECA Nightmare Before Christmas figures and accessories, a framed photo of the Addams Family, a red potion (made with Kool-Aid mix), and an assortment of books from my own library.

 

 Stars, Spells, Secrets and Sorcery
Zombie Survival Guide
Monster Hunter's Handbook
A Field Guide to Demons
A Field Guide to Monsters

 

I may need to dig out that first one and do a post on it. I've had it since middle school!

 

So what's all this got to do with going on vacation?

 

 I made a few "adjustments" to my cube when I left. The sign is in a ransom note, cut out letter font and reads "Ed has taken an involuntary leave of absence and may return on November 3rd."

 

 I made it look like someone tossed my cube, chair knocked over and other things thrown amiss. I also left a letter on the desk with a blood syringe pen on it.

 

 And that's the tale of how I went missing for week in October 2008. 

 

Hitch a ride with the ghostly gentleman to see the participating Countdown to Halloween blogs. 

 

Salem Haunted Happenings Parade 2026

 The first Thursday in October, unofficially kicks off the Halloween season (tourists start coming in early September!) in Salem with the 29th Annual Haunted Happenings Parade.And not only is it the parade's 29th but this year is also Salem's 400th anniversary!

 

As I do every year, I got there a little early to walk the staging area and get some "behind the scenes" photos of everyone getting ready. The theme this year was Old School Halloween and some of the costumes and floats certainly tuned into that.

 

 One of the high school marching bands went all in on Marvel. I think the trombone player in the green sweater is supposed to be Stan Lee with his gray hair.

  

The "Haunted Warren Museum" recently opened in downtown Salem and their float has this giant Megabelle version of the Annabelle doll.

 

 I don't know who the sponsor was for this one but they won the night for me. If you grew up in the Boston area in the 70s/80s, you probably spent Saturday afternoons watching channel 56's Creature Double Feature and it's definitely where I cut my teeth on classic horror. 

Halloween 2026 LEGO Minifigs

For the past couple years, I hit up Temu to look for not-quite-LEGO Halloween-ish sets for a new place for my minifigs to hang out but I didn't see anything that grabbed my attention this year, it was mostly the same stuff I found last year. So I just recycled a section of the set I got last year.

 

 If you're lucky enough to have a LEGO store nearby, you've probably passed by the build your own minifig station and every year they have some new Halloween ones to build. They tend to release the first week in September so if you're just finding out about them now, they may be hard to find.

 

First up is a girl werewolf trick or treater. When you build these, you get one accessory per figure and there are tons of things you can pick. I will usually look at the "official" photos and grab the accessory they show, even if it's kind of boring like this lantern.

 

There's some great detail on the torso with little tufts of fur and candy stuffed in the pockets. On the back, you can see the buttons of the costume.

 

 Next is a zombie woman. Unlike the other two, this one seems like it might be an actual zombie instead of a costume. But then, when was the last time you saw a zombie smile? The hair is pulled back into a ponytail that would probably look good if you were making a Mother minifig from Psycho.

 

 Rounding out the 2026 gang is Frankenkid. The lightning is a great accessory and not a piece you see a lot outside of the Emperor. His hair would be perfect for a Moe Howard minifig! It's hard to see with the black on black but the bottom of his legs are black to make it look like boots. Like the werewolf, he's got some candy stashed in his pocket.

 

 Trick or Treat!

 

I just had to show off these cool trick or treat sacks from Crazy Bricks again so more people can find them and see the other goodies Crazy Bricks makes. 

 

 Click the witch to see the list of participating Countdown blogs!