Now, the problem is, where to start?

Easy Halloween crafts

We’re not talking start from scratch craft ideas here (we have those elsewhere on the site). Instead, there are some nice bits at Yellow Moon which allow your kids to be creative, but not have to get so deep into something that it never gets finished.

Here are just a few of the fun ideas that stood out for me…

Halloween gift bags and gift boxes

It’s always nice to receive a gift, so why should Halloween be any different? And if you want to give someone a special something (be it something genuinely nice, or a nasty surprise) you want it to be presented in the best possible way.

Here are two kits that would make the tackiest gifts look good.
With the gift boxes, each kit contains a coloured card craft box, pre-cut foam pieces and wiggle-eyes. There are 4 designs with a pumpkin, cat, bat and spider and they’re all pretty cute. They’re 6cm in diameter and would be perfect for say… and engagement ring or perhaps part of a severed finger… Or just some sweets I guess.

The bags are a similar deal with 4 designs again (witch, pumpkin, spider and bat) and the same kind of materials for the face parts. The bags themselves are paper and would make excellent party bags or of course trick or treating bags. The bags also offer a bit more freedom with the design as there are more bits to stick on.

They’re good value both coming in (at the time of writing) at around £3-£4 a pack.

Halloween 3D decorations and scratch art

If you’re looking for some nice Halloween crafts to decorate the place with, then a quick win would be the 3D shapes.
No doubt you’ll have seen this kind of thing before. In fact Asda are selling some similar 3D Halloween decorations right now. They’re pretty cheap, but are they HAND-MADE BY YOUR OWN CHILD? No, I didn’t think so. But these items from Yellow Moon could be.
Coming with 3 assorted designs, they come flat, and once opened up can be painted and decorated however you like. They come with the ribbon to hang them with and you can even buy suitable paints from the same site, which is convinient.

The scratch art stuff is cool. These black shapes look pretty spooky out of the packet, but when you scratch away the matt black surface, you reveal the colourful second layer. This allows for some really cool effects and makes for some nice colourful yet terrifying wall decorations.
Best of all, these ones are also magnetic, so you can stick them on your fridge with ease!
Oh, and you get a scratch tool to do the scratching with – essential!

 
Halloween window huggers and tattoos!

If you’re still in the mood for decorating (can you EVER have enough Halloween decorations?) how about trying some ‘make them yourself’ window huggers?
They’re made of card and the idea is that you colour them in, stick them together, then put them on the window using the suction hooks provided. Suction hooks are good because unlike the ‘sticky’ window hugging competition, they will be far more re-usable and so can come back out next year, and potentially many more after that.
Each pack makes 12 huggers which is pretty good for £3.

And when you’ve run out of space on the walls and windows, why not decorate yourselves with these cool Halloween tattoos. Don’t worry, they’re only the temporary ones, so you won’t have to regret the decision for years afterwards.
There are 12 designs in each pack ranging from the cute little ghost to the more rugged and intimidating skull and crossbones. Plus one pack contains 36, YES 36 tattoos!

Halloween finger puppets

Finally, why not entertain your guests with your Halloween crafts too?
Puppet shows always get a crowd going, so put your fingers to good use first making the puppets, then helping the puppets to walk about convincingly on stage!
The first set comes with 6 designs and includes all of your favourite Halloween characters. You can use felt-tipped pens to do the colouring, then it’s just down to you to provide the voices and motivation.
The puppets are a decent size too, at 11cm.

But if you’ve had enough of all the Halloween crafts stuff, why not opt for the ready made, glow in the dark finger puppets?
There are three cute characters to choose from and they would all look great in the dark, or even better, under a UV light. You could even go all out with some glow in the dark paint to create an especially spooky stage for them, but I’ll leave the rest of the creative thinking to you. That’s the point of Halloween crafts after all isn’t it?

This year there have been a few great new products to keep us happy, and what better way to sum them up than a video from one of our resident product testers – Professor Frankenwerter…

 
Full-size Fun

Of all the Asda Halloween 2011 products, Whilhemena the Witch has probably caused the most controversy.
She’s a great product, with great detailing – especially on her craggy, rubbery face. She also has lots of great witchy phrases to keep  you happy and your guests/trick or treaters coming back for more. There’s no doubt that she’s a great place to keep your treats.
However, many Asda Halloween fans were expecting something bigger, and little Whilhemena really isn’t nearly as teriffying as Wanda the Witch from last year’s collection.

As a result, many prop shoppers have been lured away from Asda by the Sainsbury’s butler who, it is argued, gives Whilhemena a good run for her money.

Inflatables

But Asda do have some big decorations. The inflatable products are definitely worth checking out. As you will have seen in our video, the 4ft ghost is very cool and can be used both indoors and out (in reasonable conditions). The 9ft ghost looks even better. Although we didn’t get to try it the idea of a 9ft menacing spectre in the garden will appeal to most, although it does come with a hefty price tag (£45).

Furry Fun

The floor crawlers offer real entertainment this year with the enchanted broom proving very popular with Asda Halloween shoppers. Triggered by a guest passing by, this life-sized gadget springs to life, spinning around and cackling. Similarly, the wandering ghost could cause a few squeals in your household. Although it is a little let down by its size, we were really impressed by the fact that it senses obsticles when floating about and changes direction to avoid them. They both make great additions to any Halloween party set-up and are competetively priced.

There were a few nice toys with the Ear Flapping Dog and Marty the Monkey singing and dancing their way into our Halloween hearts. They make great gifts as do the cuddly monsters and frankenstein’s monster dolls that are aimed at the younger shoppers.

We at Halloweenerrific loved the man in chains last year and were equally impressed with Convict Colin, a hanging skeleton that writhes about and groans when activated by a passer-by. The only slight let down would be Colin’s small size, but that is reflected in his competetive price-tag.

Grave Matters

The dancing skeleton gravestone was a surprise favourite this year, with lots of shoppers enjoying its moves and sounds. Most impressive were the cool lightning effect that comes on during the performance in time to the music. It’s one product that this Asda Halloween fan may still have to go back and purchase. In a similar vein, the gargoyle with blood pouring from its mouth looks to be another great product to add a little atmosphere to your Halloween gathering. Unfortunately the professor couldn’t get ours to work, so you’ll have to try that one out for yourselves.

 
Along with all that great stuff, Asda have again provided plenty of the usual treats, gifts and costumes that provide good quality at an affordable price.

Asda Halloween 2011 Summary

It would seem that the Asda Halloween 2011 products have been chosen with the economic climate in mind. Big, expensive, life-sized props have been replaced by smaller and cheaper alternatives that make things easier on our pockets and also help to ensure that Asda aren’t left with thousands of unsold Halloween products come November.

That said, many of us were still a little let down that there weren’t more bigger, fantastic decorations on offer.

There is still plenty to choose from though with inflatable ghosts, knee-high witches and roving gouls, so Asda is certainly still sitting atop the Halloween retailler pile this year.

We’re already looking forward to what Asda Halloween products lie in store for us next year!

Along with the usual costumes, decorations and tableware (at great low prices) this year’s Asda Halloween collection contains a fair amount of fun toys and props to keep party guests entertained. There are plenty of skulls, spiders, ghosts and ghouls to choose from.

Asda Halloween products for 2011

Gargoyle Fountain
First up is the Gargoyle Fountain. Similar to the ‘rolling eyeball skull fountain’ that we covered a couple of years back, this nasty looking fellow is battery operated and after filling him with water and blood red food colouring he comes alive when activated by movement or sound. The ‘blood’ pours from his mouth and into the bowl in his stony claws, giving any Halloween party a gothic feel and bloody water feature. Just hang him on the wall somewhere and he’s sure to impress. He comes in at a reasonable price too, just £15.

Fancy Witches Hat
Our next new Asda Halloween product is this funky looking witches hat. Rather fetching though it is, with orange and black stripes and a nice bell dangling on top, there is more to this enchanted head-piece.
Once on your head (or someone elses) simply press the discreet button and the hat plays a tune and twitches in time to the music – making it look as if you’ve got some kind of party going on in your head.

Enchanted Objects
Next up are two similar products that are equally entertaining.

The Enchanted Broom, once activated will prance and dance around the room as if by magic and all accompanied by a jolly Halloween tune. Similarly the Wandering Ghost will whirl around the place making sounds and generally causing a few jumps and giggles. Both are a reasonable height (2-3 feet high) and are easily assembled.
At £15 each, they offer a decent prop at reasonable value. Whether or not the music will prove too much for your Halloween party guests is yet to be seen.

Ear Flapping Dog
There’s always something a bit cute for the younger Halloweeners and this year is no exception. This cute little battery powered puppy is dressed in full witch attire and looks ready to accompany any kids on trick or treating tips. When a button his pressed it sings and moves with its little ears flapping eagerly to some festive music. His little bag can even be used to carry sweets.
You’d be barking mad not to want one! (sorry)

Zombie Baby
If you want something a little more disturbing how about a zombie baby to place in a dark corner somewhere? Although this little guy doesn’t do much, his evil glare and horrible green skin with give any unsuspecting party guest a fright. At just £5, he’s a great way to add a more menacing atmosphere to your Halloween gathering.

Giant Inflatable Pumpkin
If you’re not much good at carving pumpkins, then this inflatable one could be the perfect solution. Once inflated, this bright orange jack-o-lantern is an impressive 4ft tall. There’s a similar inflatable ghost (if inflatables are your thing) and both would make great outdoor decorations. However, the £25 price tag may put people off.

Whilhemina the Witch
Finally, do you remember Wanda the Witch last year? She was a life-sized animatronic spell caster that proved to be hugely popular causing scares a plenty.
Well this year there’s a new witch on the block (no doubt related in some way) Whilhemina the Witch to be precise. Although a lot smaller than last year’s offering, Whilhemina looks very impressive with her realistc latex skin, haunting eyes and knarled hands. Clasped tightly between her fingers is a large bowl that you can fill with treat and snacks. When a hungry reveller or trick or treater takes something from the bowl however, they’re likely to get a shock as the little witch cackles and chatters with her little crinkled chin wagging about.

Her smaller size also means a saving in cost – at £45 she’s around half the price of last year’s witch. This means that you don’t need to break the bank to have your own animated Asda Halloween hag at your party.

If that didn’t get your interest, why not check out these videos of some of this years Halloween products:

Yet more Asda Halloween stuff

There’s only so much that you can fit into one sneak preview post, so here’s some images of yet more Asda Halloween items you can expect to see on your shelves over the next couple of weeks.

Make sure you get down do your local Asda store to check them out, or if you don’t have one locally, why not shop from the comfort of your home?

We’ll be following up our Asda coverage with yet another entertaining video rating our favourite tried and tested Halloween products. So keep an eye on Halloweenerrific for yet more Asda Halloween news!

Back in the day when they still had a high street presence, the Woolworths Halloween stock was always worth checking out. It was one of the few retailers that took Halloween seriously back then and they always made efforts to sell plenty of costumes, toys and treats.
We were obviously shocked and dismayed when the chain went bust, but gave a sigh of relief when their web site remained. Today they look to be stocking some top products that may even give our other favourite Halloween retailers a run for their money.

Our Woolworths Halloween picks

There are too many to choose from, but here are a few products that caught our eye.

Woolworths Halloween decorations

Hanging Jason: This is one product that you probably wouldn’t have seen sold in the old Woolworths stores. It’s Jason Voorhees, of Friday the 13th fame and he’s coming at you with a big old knife! Well, that’s what your guests will think when confonted by him.
At just 46cm he’s not actually life-size (even minus his legs), but it cetainly is detailed and will be sure to cause a fright or two on the big night.
At just £7 it will make a good prop/decoration and present for any horror enthusiast.

Jason Goblet: Staying on the Friday the 13th theme (for some reason. Woolworths seem to be going mad for it this year!) we have this impressive looking goblet with that famous hockey mask decorating it.
Now we have a bunch of Halloween drinking vessels at our place BUT you have to admit, this one looks pretty good. It has a high level of detail and has a really dirty, gimey finish (let’s hope that is isn’t real dirt and grime). Again, a cool Halloween prop, but also a great collectors item. Not sure how easy it would be to drink out of…
At just £1.50 though, it’s pretty hard to beat!

Bloody drapes
This one may look weird initially – okay, it’s just some tatty looking fabic to hang from a wall. But this is just some of the cool smaller touches that you could invest in to make your place look even more authentic and creepy.
Woolworths are stocking a few different types of material that you could hang from walls, windows, doorways or staircases to add to the atmosphere. Best of all, they’re pretty cheap too with this display cloth in assorted colours costing as little as £3 a piece.

Spooky Lights
As you may know (if you’ve visited Halloweenerrific before) I go mad for Halloween lights and it’s nice to see that Woolworths has even delivered as far as festive illumination is concerned. Again, it’s hard to choose with lots on offer, but my two favourites are these white ghost lights which seem to be mains powered and come in at £11 (20 lights) and these really cool battery operated ‘neon’ (neon looking, not actually neon) skeletons – these bony guys are only £1.99 each!
Oh wait! And there are even ‘Musical eyeball lights’. Yes, musical!

Woolworths Halloween Games

Now for some games. If you’re looking for ideas on how to enterain the people (of all ages) at your party, there are plenty of things to choose from.
We particularly like the ‘Pin the smile on the skeleton’ which is a nice fun take on the donkey game (in fact, we’re even going to give you some more ideas on how to do a DIY version of this in a forthcoming post).
There’s also a great Frankenstein’s Monster pinata which will be great fun to bash to pieces. You can fill it with whatever treats you like!

More stuff?!
Phew, we really could go on forever showing more of the great stuff that Woolworths have on offer this year. We haven’t even touched on the vast array of costumes! In fact, you can check them out yourself by clicking on the following image

Woolworths Halloween Costumes

Summary
Woolworths have really set the bar high this year, so it’s definitely worth checking out their stuff. Don’t forget to get ordering soon though as you don’t want to leave it late and have things turn up after the big night.

The question is, how will Asda’s offerings compare to the Woolworths Halloween stock this year?

Okay, so it was never going to be as impressive as Asda (I mean, who could be) but for a small shop, they have really made an effort this year and I hope that it pays off for them.

I calmly walked along the highstreet on my way to buy some groceries, and was overjoyed to see paper bats adorning the windows of my usually quiet and conservatively decorated Co-Op store.
Inside were two (yes two) shelf ends dedicated to Halloween. One concentrating more on sweets and treats and the other with costumes, toys and decorations. More than enough to accomodate your standard Halloween celebration.

Some of the masks were particularly good with one silver skull mask looking particularly menacing. I also had great fun squeezing a squishy skull ball toy to make the eyes swell. I love those squishy toys.

I also loved the special Halloween ‘Lucky Bags’ that they had on sale. These brightly coloured bags of fun are the perfect for kids and I bought a bunch of them for our guests this year. At only £1 each, they’re great value and sure to go down well.

Make sure that you check out your local Co-Op for any bits and pieces that you might be after. You may be surprised!