'Everybody loves a skeleton': The origin story of Home Depot's giant decoration

They're hard to miss this time of year — and not just because they tower at 12 feet tall.

Skelly, the nickname given to the famous oversized skeleton Halloween decoration, has haunted neighborhoods since its debut at Home Depot in 2020. And Skelly's popularity has only grown since.

The skeleton's popularity and longevity was a surprise to its creators.

"People keep wanting us to bring them back. Originally, he was only going to come out for a year or two," Lance Allen, senior merchant of decorative holiday at Home Depot, told USA TODAY. He and his team helped create Skelly for the home-improvement chain. "It's one we review at the end of every season. He's come back for five seasons now, and he sold out every year."

Skele-tons of fun

Allen enjoys the holidays. Growing up, he loved going to haunted houses, he said. It's amusing for him to see what customers do with Skelly.

"People are going all out with these giant yard decorations, really creating the scene for their friends and family," Allen said.

Jenn Cordasco, 44, of Brick, New Jersey, said her family works together to create scenes each year, and it's a fun activity for everyone.

Many of the houses on the street where she has lived for the past 10 years often go all out for Halloween, with interactive displays, themed yards, haunted houses and even snack areas and a block party on the holiday, so it was hard to resist joining the festivities.

"We started small," Cordasco said. She bought Skelly a few years ago, grabbing it when she saw it one day in Home Depot, she said, because the skeleton was so hard to get.

Cordasco's daughter, 10-year-old Melanie Whitney, "loves anything scary" and chose this year's theme for their yard — skeletons — helping plan most of the decorating. And Skelly, who they've renamed Ozzy Osbones, is a focal point.

Planning out Halloween scenes with Skelly and decorating is special for her family, Cordasco said.

"All (Melanie's) friends, all my family, people from work, they all come here. This is the home base for them to go trick-or-treating and be on this street," Cordasco said.

The joy begins at the start of October, she said, when people walk or drive by their yard and see what they created. "It's what we look forward to the whole entire year."

Ali Spagnola, 39, of Los Angeles was also inspired by Skelly's popularity, she said. The artist and YouTuber purchased the giant skeleton last year — she named hers "Steve" — after seeing it everywhere and turned it into an enormous disco ball.

"He was so trendy," Spagnola said, but "I wanted to put my own spin on it."

It took her nearly 70 hours to paint it and cover the entire skeleton with disco tiles, she said. She documented the massive project on her YouTube channel, including taking it on a drive through town.

Skelly's origin story

Allen and his team at Home Depot wanted to "really do something different," he said, since many retailers were carrying similar items for the Halloween season.

Allen's team visited haunted houses, watched movies and went to trade shows for inspiration. The shows and events often used giant pieces, but the props were thousands of dollars and not something the average customer would be able to purchase.

The team decided to "make a giant piece that we can sell at Home Depot, but let's put it at a price that everybody can afford," Allen said.

But what to make?

"Everybody loves a skeleton," Allen said.

They started with a height of ten feet before deciding to, well, aim higher.

They settled on 12 feet so it would be "so big, the skeleton could be looking down on a basketball hoop," Allen said. The upper edge of an NBA basketball hoop is 10 feet above the ground. "That was the inspiration behind the concept."

The company stuck with 12 feet for a couple of reasons: so people can still fit it into most vehicles and to keep the cost as affordable as possible. The price for the original Skelly model is still $299, the same as when it was first introduced. They've added to the line, including accessories and a pet dog for Skelly this year.

More:Yes, we started our Halloween shopping earlier than ever this year. But we may spend less.

Skelly has become something of a "cultural phenomenon," Allen said, with people not only creating large scenes with the skeleton for Halloween, but also using it in other holiday decor throughout the year.

"When he came out, people were putting him up in September," Allen said. But now, "they're leaving him up and making so many different characters out of him. I've seen Skelly Pilgrims. Santa Claus. I've seen a Skelly Cupid. If you can think of it, people have done it with Skelly as far as decorating."

More:Your 12-foot skeleton is scaring neighborhood dogs, who don't know what Halloween is

Allen said it's surprising to see what people come up with, and he and his team look forward to what's next.

"It is just a joy seeing everybody out celebrating," he said.