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!

Choosing the best Asda Halloween products

Yes, there have been plenty of products to choose from, and it’s hard to pick just three out of the whole lot, but based on the things that we found to be most entertaining ansd fun, we put together a little list. Then, very kindly, Asda provided us with the products to ‘test’ (or play with) and this helped us to make those critical final decisions.

What are you waiting for, check out the video…

Top 5 Asda Halloween products for 2010

If you can’t get to your Asda store, or you prefer the convinience of online shopping, there’s still time to buy these products online.
Here are the links to our top 5 Asda Halloween products on the Asda Direct site to save you searching around:

Asda Halloween quick links

Wanda the Witch

Crystal Ball Fogger

Door Knocker

Singing Witch

Oh, except for the hanging man in chains, we couldn’t find that on their site for some reason. There are LOADS in the shops though, so if you want one, just get along to your local Asda store.

General link to the Asda Halloween products

So that’s enough Asda coverage for one year. We’ve got LOADS of other stuff to cover over the next few days (yes, there’s only just over a week left now!)

Once again, the Asda Halloween products have come out on top!

After weeks of waiting, my local store finally filled its ‘seasonal’ area with the Halloween stock. It was a little less noticeable than last time around, maybe a result of the economy driven belt tightening. But there were still two isles stuffed with great spooky products, and lots of it new and exclusive to Asda.

There was lots to choose from. A whole set of shelves just for halloween costumes and a massive amount of halloween decorations and props to fill you home with. The only problem being deicing what to buy!

Good value

A majority of the products are resonably priced, with a majority of the stock being just £10 or under. There are also a few deals going on where you can get 3 products for £5 and so on. Along with plenty of small bits that would be great for a Halloween lucky dip (an idea that I have had for this year’s party).

Man in chains

The most immediately noticeable products were the ones that made noise. And the best of these (Wanda the Witch not included) was the man hanging in chains:

He’s excellent. Smaller than life size, but still pretty big for the £15 price tag (from what I remember). As you can see, his eyes flash and he has a bunch of phrases. All activated by a motion sensor.
As shoppers passed him by, he was moaning away, getting lots of smiles and the odd fright. He’s well built too. Although I didn’t buy one, he’s on the top of my list when I go back. The only problem being that he freaked out my three year old a bit. Going to have to find a good hiding place to store him after the big event is over!

Talking door knocker

If you’re expecting trick or treaters, this is a perfect feature for your front door.

Loved this too. Again, he had lots of phrases. Plus his eyes light up and move, which is all pretty impressive for such a small and reasonably priced prop.
The only slight problem that I have with this and other similar products is that they’re fine if you live in a nice area, but might not last too long if you live in an average UK town and intend to leave it on your front door.
Sorry, that’s a bit of a negative way to look at it, but it’s what has always put me off getting this sort of thing.

It’s still a fun product and could be put to good use inside the home as well as out. What better way to decorate your toilet door?

Singing Witch

Asda always have a few novelty singing halloween toys/decorations. This time round, the Singing Witch caught my eye.

She sings and rises up and down (on what is supposed to be a broomstick I’m guessing?). She has a few different phrases and throws in the odd cackle. What more can you ask for from a cute little witch? And cute she is, reminiscent of a mupped, I have never felt so much affection towards and elderly wicked woman.
It’s a nice novetly item, and one that the kids will love and not find too terrifying.
I was a little let down by how similar the song was to Bangin Bones DJ (featured here) from last year. But then, I’m guessing that a lot of people will be leaving last year’s gear in the wardrobe with all this new stuff about.

Familiar faces

A few items did look somewhat familiar. Locked-up Lenny is back on the shelves, which is pretty good as he ranked pretty highly out of last year’s stock. The Hanging Ghost is also available again, along with some similar looking spooky buddies. They make great low priced potential scarers.

Other favourite small items are back too, with the skull mugs and skeleton glasses available, along with some test tube shot glasses which look good fun.

I ended up buying one of the glittery skulls (pictured right). They will look excellent with the finger bone candles as a centre-piece on the dinner table.

Halloween costumes

Before I go on too long and bore you completely, I wanted to give a mention to the costumes. I don’t often pay them much attention myself, but a full vampire kit with cape and waistcoat for £10 was too good for me to turn down.
I also picked up a funny looking wig which was a steal at £3. If you want a fun costume which is of good quality but fits a tight budget, you’d be hard pressed to do better. AND you can buy a bunch of them online here: Asda costumes online

If you want a less conventional halloween costume, how about an inflatable hat? They have a nicer variety of designs from pumpkin to frankenstein and will no doubt cause lots of laughs. You can just about make out my skull hat in the photo of today’s Asda booty here:

That’s probably enough for now. Although I will soon be posting a review of the most talked about product this year – Wanda the Witch.

Other stores will have their items on display the week after.

But, best of all, there is a PR site that is listing the new Halloween items – Or at least they seem to be. I can’t confirm the accuracy 100%.

Here are some of the highlights:

Skeleton Prisoner
This little guy looks to be similar to Mr Bone Jangles that I got last year. I’m guessing that he will be motion/noise sensitive and will rattle around in his little gibbet when woken by unsuspecting victims.
I’ve got to be honest, he doesn’t look too exciting, but who knows. Given his pirate attire, maybe he’ll aslo sing a few sea shanties for you.

Dancing Skeleton
Again this guy looks similar to one of last years products, DJ Bangin Bones. Looks like he could be fun though, particularly if he dances. Not really sure how long the novelty will last though, as he’s not really designed to scare. Not that Halloween should be all about being petrified of course!

Crystal Ball Fogger
Now onto something that I really like,  a halloween prop that gives of fog! I’m always a sucker for these things, especially since getting the Skull fogger a couple of years back.
I have been toying with the idea of getting a full on smoke machine for a while now, but I’m a little concerned that a) I might lose things (people, drinks etc) and b) it could stain uphostery. That’s why these foggers are so cool, the only bi-product is water.
Anway, not too sure about whether the fog is just inside/outside or both with this one. Looks pretty nice though. If they keep it cheap, I could definitely be tempted!

Wanda Witch
I didn’t want to go too much into these items without first seeing them in person, but had to give a final mention to Wanda Witch.
Last year Asda gave us the life sized creepy butler with moving eyes. This time round it’s a life sized witch, which is much better in my opinion.
I’m sure that I have seen this on a site somewhere, but can’t find a link. You can expect some cackling and perhaps a bit of movement on her broomstick. On the downside, she’s likely to be expensive – the butler was just shy of £100 last year I believe.

Still, great to see the sort of things that we can expect.

And don’t forget, until your local Asda gets their Halloween stuff, you can still buy things online from the Asda website:

Update

You can now see my breakdown of what Asda have on offer here: Asda Halloween megapost 2010

To see the rest of the stuff, take a look at the Asda Halloween stock 2010