Ever since Home Depot launched its 12-foot Skelly at the height of the pandemic, there’s been an arms race to make the most ridiculous, spookiest, and scariest Halloween decorations. While Lowe’s was a bit slower to catch the trend, it too now has a graveyard’s worth of animatronic and inflatable decor for your yard. Its newest display piece is a 20-foot inflatable Skeleton, designed to dominate your neighborhood.
Of course, Home Depot never stops iterating on its massive 12-foot skeleton; this year’s version has LCD eyes, which can move around, blink, and have eight eye effects.
But if you have a limited budget (or limited space on your front lawn), which super-sized skeleton should you go with? I tested both on my lawn to see which you should get for your Halloween display.
Price
Lowe’s 20-foot inflatable skeleton normally costs $269, but as of this writing, it's available for $199. In comparison, Home Depot’s Skelly costs $299.
Winner: Lowes. Even before the discount, it was $40 cheaper than Home Depot.
Setup
The hip bone connects to the leg bone…the leg bone connects to the…thigh bone.. Putting the Home Depot skeleton together is a crash course in anatomy. The skelly is held up by a metal framework, which you must assemble on the ground, and then lift the whole thing up into the air.
Home Depot recommends you have more than one person help, and I can see why. I did it mostly on my own, and it took a good 45 minutes or so to figure everything out. You’ll definitely want some assistance. I can also see why people leave it up year-round; it’s going to be a real pain taking this apart come November.
Lowe’s inflatable takes a little work, but was far easier. You take it out of the box, stake it to the ground, and attach some guide wires to keep it from blowing over in the breeze. Then, plug it in and watch it blow up!
Winner: Lowe’s
Spookiness
Have you ever been afraid of a balloon? Maybe if it’s coming out of a sewer, "It"-like, but other than that, they’re kind of non-threatening. And, in the case of Lowe’s 20-foot inflatable — which is smiling and waving — you’re unlikely to be scared of it, unless you think it might fall on you.
In contrast, Home Depot upped the scariness of its 12-foot Skelly by adding what it calls LCD LifeEyes that blink, stare, and just give you the heebie-jeebies.
Winner: Home Depot
Absurdity
When the 12-foot Home Depot Skelly first appeared, it was wonderfully ridiculous for its size. Well, what’s even more absurd? A 20-foot inflatable skeleton. As I watched the Lowes version inflate, I couldn’t help but laugh at how monstrously large it was.
To get a sense of how big it is, I can look out my second-story bedroom window, and the 20-footer’s head goes even higher. Now, the 12-foot Skelly is certainly impressive on its own, but this is simply a matter of size.
Winner: Lowes
Storage
When the spooky season is over, you’ve got to find a place to store everything, although I have seen more than one house that keeps their 12-foot skeleton up year-round. Just stick a Santa hat on top, and you’re good for another few months!
Still, for those who prefer to keep their seasons separate, Lowe’s inflatable skeleton has the definite advantage, as it condenses down into a box about a foot and a half on each side.
Home Depot’s skeleton came in a box so big that it didn’t fit in my Honda CR-V. I had to remove all the pieces and leave the box at the store in order to bring Skelly home.
Winner: Lowes
Overall winner
I admit, when I started this faceoff, I was certain that Home Depot’s classic 12-foot skelly would win this Halloween showdown. But to my surprise, the 20-foot Lowe’s inflatable took the prize. Not only is it less expensive, but it’s also far easier to set up and store, and its size makes it stand literally head and shoulders above every other decoration.
To be fair, Home Depot’s 12-foot Skelly with its glowing eyes definitely wins for spookiness — an important consideration for any Halloween display — so it’s the better pick for those who want to up the fright factor.
Which would you pick for your Halloween display? What’s your favorite piece of decoration? Let me know in the comments below.
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