u/Lucky-Joe13

Jack-o-lantern I built from an old yoga mat that blows fog through the eyes and mouth

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A few years ago I made this jack-o-lantern using an old yoga mat as the base and built up the texture using yarn and fake moss sealed with Mod Podge. The yoga mat actually worked surprisingly well since it’s lightweight and easy to shape before adding texture.

I used J-B Weld KwikWood epoxy putty mainly for shaping the stem on top.

I also cut a hole in the back so I could connect a fog machine hose, which lets fog pour out through the eyes and mouth when it’s running. I added a red LED inside too, which really helps light up the fog at night.

It ended up being one of those props that I really enjoyed making and still like pulling out for the display each season.

Has anyone else experimented with yoga mats or foam for prop builds like this?

One lighting trick we’ve been using in our yard display for the past several years is adding a subtle “heartbeat” glow inside our skeleton ribcages.

We use small battery-powered LED tea lights placed inside the chest cavity. The ones we picked up allow color changes and have a pulse setting. We set ours to green and run the slow pulse mode so it looks like there’s still a faint heartbeat coming from inside the skeleton.

To mount them, we use double-sided Alien Tape and attach the lights to the inside of the ribcage. It keeps everything hidden while still giving an even glow through the chest, and they’re easy to remove after the season.

The skeleton climbing the tree ended up being my favorite use of the effect so far. The slow pulsing glow coming from the ribcage while it’s halfway up the trunk adds just enough motion to make people stop and look twice at night.

It’s a really simple upgrade but adds a lot of atmosphere for very little effort. We started doing this several years ago and now it’s something we include on multiple skeletons in the display each season.

Curious what others are using for internal skeleton lighting effects.

My wife spotted this 9-foot T-Rex animatronic online during one of the Halfway to Halloween sales and we couldn’t pass it up.

I knew it was going to be big, but seeing it set up in person is a completely different experience. It instantly turned into one of those centerpiece props that takes over whatever part of the yard you put it in.

Every year we try to add at least one major piece that changes the feel of the display, and this one definitely qualifies. Now I’m working on figuring out the best way to theme around him this season.

Anyone else score any fun props in the Halfway to Halloween drop this year?

Just wanted to share a quick update on Chester after the warm welcome everyone gave me this week when I shared my props and storage setup.

A few people here even checked out my contest entry and said some really encouraging things about the design, which honestly meant a lot.

Right now the first place entry is around 600 votes and Chester is sitting at about 45. I’m curious if it might actually be possible to make a push toward 600 before voting closes.

It would be really fun to see something like this from the community actually make it into production. If anyone wants to help bring him to life, here’s the vote link:

https://designprogram.halloweencostumes.com/designer/Lucky.joe13

It only takes one click of the vote button after signing in. Even just taking a look at the design means a lot.

Also if anyone else here is thinking about submitting a design, there’s still time before April 30. I’d love to check out what you’re working on.

Either way, I really appreciate how welcoming everyone here has been.

One year we decided to try something different for the yard display and ended up building this UFO abduction prop, which turned into one of our favorite home builds we’ve ever done.

The base frame actually came from our 15-foot Phantom that had stopped working. Instead of tossing it, we recycled the frame and used it as the support structure for the build.

My wife found an LED UFO light frame and added a silver backing behind it to help reflect the lighting. Then we added a couple aliens to the top to complete the look.

For the tractor beam effect, we reused green LED rope lighting from our Groundbreaker portal setup and wrapped it down the center so it looked like moving light coming from the ship.

Then we hung one of those skeleton cows underneath like it was being abducted.

To finish the effect, my wife found this green garden mesh material and stretched it into a cone shape for the beam. When we added black lights to it, the mesh lit up perfectly, and the motion from the rope lights made it look animated like the cow was actually being pulled up into the UFO.

The whole neighborhood loved it and it ended up being one of our favorite DIY builds we’ve done together.

Recently I’ve started designing a few original prop ideas too. One of them is called Chester the Tricking Tree and he’s currently in the HalloweenCostumes.com design program. If anyone is curious what Chester looks like, here’s the design page: https://designprogram.halloweencostumes.com/designer/Lucky.joe13

We picked him up in 2024 and he quickly became one of the standout characters in our Halloween yard display.

We call him Clifford the Big Dead Dog.

The only things we added were a collar, a custom name tag I 3D printed, and an oversized tennis ball. That was enough to turn him from a skeleton dog prop into a full character in the display.

Now he looks like he’s patiently waiting to go for the world’s most unfortunate walk.

He’s usually one of the first things trick-or-treaters notice when they come up the sidewalk, and people almost always stop to look at him.

It’s always fun when a simple prop crosses the line into having a personality of its own. Clifford definitely did that.

Does anyone else end up naming their yard props?

Back when I was in college, my wife and I were only dating at the time, we worked one Halloween season inside a local haunted house attraction that was set up in an old VFW banquet hall.

My job was running a hidden prop behind the wall in one of the scare rooms. Every time a group walked in, I’d trigger the prop at just the right moment and the group would jump and scream, and then our crew behind the scenes would laugh together. It was honestly one of the most fun Halloween experiences I’ve ever had.

The haunted house was raising money for the Ronald McDonald House, and they even had two celebrities signing autographs in another area of the building. We were pretty busy working our rooms most nights, so we didn’t really spend time over there.

One night while I was working my prop, an older guy walked over and started watching me work. After a couple groups came through, he asked if he could try running the prop himself.

I honestly almost said no.

But my boss walked over and quietly nodded yes, so I showed him exactly when to trigger it. The next group came through and he timed it perfectly. Everyone screamed and ran, we all laughed, and he patted me on the back and said he really enjoyed that.

He asked my name, told me it was nice meeting me, and then headed back out.

A few weeks later, after the final night of the haunted house, our boss told us we had a surprise. Since the attraction was closed for the season, we were allowed to go meet the celebrity guests who had been signing autographs during the event.

When I walked over to the table, I suddenly realized something.

The man who asked to run my prop that night was sitting there.

He smiled and said, “Hey, good to see you again.”

That’s when I realized he was the actor who played Michael Myers in Halloween II.

So I accidentally got to run a haunted house prop alongside Michael Myers.

Hey everyone,

I wanted to follow up after my last post and share a little more about who I am beyond just talking about Chester the Tricking Tree.

Halloween decorating has been a huge passion for my family and me for years. Over time we’ve built up a pretty large collection of animatronics and props, and every season we design a completely new themed display in our front yard. My wife handles a lot of the creative layout and lighting design, and together we run hundreds of floodlights, extension cords, support rigs, and custom setups to make everything come together safely.

At some point the hobby grew into something bigger than just our yard. We started helping decorate other neighbors’ yards too, just because we love seeing the whole neighborhood come alive for Halloween. We don’t charge anything. It’s just something we enjoy doing together as a family and with our community.

Each year we also run a fundraiser for Children’s Hospital during our display, and we pass out full-size candy bars on trick-or-treat night. Halloween has honestly become one of the biggest traditions in our household.

Along the way I started experimenting with building props myself. I do a lot of 3D printing and like making things for neighborhood kids. One year I made vintage-style space laser blasters that shoot Nerf Rival rounds along with alien targets for everyone to play with. Seeing people enjoy something I created has always been the best part of the hobby for me.

That’s really where the idea for Chester came from. I thought it would be incredible to design something that could exist outside my yard and become part of other people’s Halloween displays too. I definitely got a little too excited promoting him here, and I appreciate everyone’s patience with me.

Mostly I just wanted to say thanks for being part of such a creative community. I really enjoy seeing what everyone builds and shares here. I’ll post a few photos of some of our past setups here. If anyone has questions about Chester or any of the builds I’ve worked on, I’m always happy to share more.

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