It was another scorching hot day in Egg Harbor Township on Friday, August 2, but if you had passed by Spirit Halloween’s flagship store on Black Horse Pike, you could’ve mistaken it for October 31st. Celebrating year 41 of business, Spirit Halloween was hosting its annual grand opening event, boasting refreshments, games, and prizes in the form of a spooky carnival (or as they had dubbed, “Carn-evil”), and by the time I had arrived at 8:30am, thousands of guests had already descended upon the store clamoring to be the first ones in when it opened at 10am.
Similar to last year, I was given an opportunity to come tour the store and get a sneak peak at Spirit’s new offerings this year before they would be snatched off the shelves by the eager guests waiting outside. Before I entered, I had a chance to walk around the carnival a bit and chat with some folks – I wasn’t surprised to hear that a sizable amount of people had traveled far and wide and had been waiting at the store since the day before to secure spots closest to the front of the line. I figured it was not only because the first 200 people in line would get an exclusive merch bag, but because the merch (specifically, the animatronics) would be selling out extremely quickly.
Upon entering the store for the tour, I was excited to be greeted by Scream’s Ghostface. A Spirit Halloween spokesperson had told me the animatronics tend to be the star of the show/store, and I knew Ghostface would be a hit–they even got the voice of the original Ghostface, Roger L. Jackson for the animatronic! A little further in, I ran into Terrifier’s Art the Clown–when the store later opened at 10am, he was one of the main animatronics I saw folks running towards to grab first.
As far as iconic horror IP this time around, Spirit delivered: Chucky, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and even Huggy Wuggy (if you aren’t familiar, he’s a terrifying video game character that younger generations have really taken to) are just a handful of recognizable faces I saw in both merch and costumes. Beetlejuice was also having a big moment in merch and costumes given the upcoming film, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a wide range of Coraline themed merch (which will also briefly be in theaters again soon).
And, obviously I have a bias, but official Bloody Disgusting merch is also present in Spirit Halloween this year that’s worth taking a look at! I actually really wanted to buy a Bloody Disgusting T-shirt right then and there but alas, I was there on business (and it wouldn’t be fair to the thousands of people who were lined up there before me!).
Something that stuck out to me this year was the IP themed clothing that’s not only designed really well, but also genuinely feel comfortable. A spokesperson had let me know that there was a lot of intention behind making ready-to-wear that’s not just recognizable and could be worn at a Halloween party, but comfortable and practical to wear all year. Once again I found myself wishing I could buy a Ghostface themed hooded fleece right then and there!
There’s also a slew of fun new knick-knacks this time around that I could see folks picking up as gifts for the horror fanatics in their lives. An end-cap of spooky themed soap dispensers caught my eye in addition to more bathroom-centric novelties. I also noticed an end-cap full of stainless steel, Stanley cup-esque tumblers–there’s a really fun bedazzled one that stood out to me.
Taking a step back from the classic horror IP, I really loved walking around and interacting with the new original Spirit characters that were created to fit into the Carn-evil theme. There seemed to be a really colorful and flashy motif with the merch this year; in addition to the colorful carnival creatures, there’s also a lot of merch featuring sparkles and bedazzles, usually with some sort of bloody or creepy twist.
But there was also plenty of merch for kids and folks who are more horror-lite geared–I loved a nostalgic section of Scooby-Doo costumes and accessories, and there was also undoubtedly some Taylor Swift inspiration with shimmering cowboy hats and bodysuits. Chatting with another Spirit representative, I got the impression that the motif this year was inspired by cultural moments where people celebrate and come together for fun, which makes sense in the context of a creepy carnival theme.
Upon finishing my tour, the store officially opened shortly afterwards promptly at 10am; by 10:05, the store was packed and folks were already in the checkout lane. Before I departed, I managed to catch up with Spirit Halloween CEO Steven Silverstein again–despite him running around the store rallying employees and greeting guests, he was eager to stop and chat with me about Spirit of Children, the charity that Spirit Halloween has spearheaded since 2007.
So far, they’ve partnered with over 150 hospitals across the United States and Canada, raising over $127 million and providing children with Halloween costumes, parties and fun. “We call it the heart of Spirit Halloween. We do a lot of business and we’re here for a lot of reasons,” says Silverstein. “But Spirit of Children really is the icing on the cake.”
Spirit Halloween stores are opening up nationwide in the coming weeks!
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