Archie Andrews is an annual favorite here at Tulgey Wood's Countdown to Halloween? Why? Because way before the twisted supernatural happenings of the CW TV series Riverdale, Archie and his high school friends met up with a surprising number of monsters. Below is an example from 1962, Pep issue no 158, where Archie is oblivious to some very peppy poltergeists.
As we continue our Countdown to Halloween 2026: Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) premiered 55 years ago today at a special charity benefit in London. In celebration of the anniversary, I had the great privilege and honor of offering a presentation on the Hyperion Stage at the D23 Ultimate Fan Event on August 16th. Below are some photos from the Event celebrating this bewitching musical fantasy. And to discover more about this Oscar-winner, please click here to read the article I wrote for the D23 website.
The eye-catching poster for Disney's Hocus Pocus (1993) was illustrated by the legendary Drew Struzan. Though not a huge hit on its original release, this witchy comedy has become a cult classic, especially at Halloween. To discover more about the frightful favorite, click here to read the article I wrote for D23.com. It’s all part of our Countdown to Halloween 2026.
The Munsters are a favorite at our annual Countdown to Halloween. Why? Because they fit in so well with Tulgey Wood’s more lighthearted outlook on the spooky season. This frightful but fun clan features caricatures of the famous movie monsters filtered through a feel-good 1960s sitcom. (The producers came from Leave It to Beaver. Need I say more?) Adding authenticity to the silly spookiness: The Munsters is a Universal TV series, meaning the show could use the studio’s trademarked Frankenstein monster design—think the flat head and neck electrode bolts—instead of a generic design. The Munsters inspired some fun merchandise, including these Whitman paper dolls, which help this monstrously funny family haunt Tulgey Wood each Halloween.
A beast’s cursed castle seems like the ideal place for a late autumn ball, as can plainly be seen on this classic Disney Catalog cover from 2002. The Beast waltzes with Belle, as Cogsworth gives it a reluctant whirl with the Wardrobe and Lumière enthusiastically dances up a Halloween storm with the Feather Duster. All these classic characters from Beauty and the Beast (1991) are bemasked, befitting a one-of-a-kind Halloween masquerade ball. This eerily evocative but delightful art is part of the Countdown to Halloween 2026.
Mickey is so busy trying to crack the case of the seven ghosts that he doesn’t even notice one of them hovering behind him. But Goofy definitely notices...and so does Donald! This artful cover by the great Daan Jippes from Mickey Mouse no. 220 illustrates the classic comic strip narrative by the legendary Floyd Gottfredson that ran in newspapers in 1937. “The Seven Ghosts” was inspired by the theatrically released animated short Lonesome Ghost (1937), an all-time classic. Why did Gottfredson choose seven ghosts instead of the three spirits that materialize in the cartoon? Could it be because a certain movie about a princess and her seven benefactors was in production and released that same year? Come back here to Tulgey Wood all through October for some serious spooky fun in our Countdown to Halloween 2026! #countdowntohalloween
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It's October 2nd, and the early days of the month bring to mind calendars. For our Countdown to Halloween 2026, here's a video from my YouTube channel spotlighting some spooky calendars for this month of Halloween. In this YouTube Short you'll see Garfield, Spider-Man, and Linus from Peanuts among others, all celebrating these October days. To watch the video, please click here—and while you're at my channel, check out the other Halloween-themed videos. And be sure to check back here all through October for more Halloween fun. #CountdownToHalloween2026
Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween, awaken the spirits with this View-Master scene! Could it be that the 2026 Countdown to Halloween blogathon is upon us? Here begins 31 days of fascinating but frightful fun that will lead us straight to the spookiest day of the year! As October 1st is the anniversary of the opening of Walt Disney World, it’s a Tulgey Wood tradition to begin with a truly boo-titful Opening Day attraction. And how much more so for the 55th anniversary of Walt Disney World (never "Disney World," always Walt Disney World)? This haunting view of the Haunted Mansion is from a View-Master set celebrating the Liberty Square area of Magic Kingdom Park, which opened this day 55 years ago! Come on back tomorrow (and all through October) for more Halloween merriment. And be sure to visit all the "Cryptkeepers" that are also counting down. There’s no turning back now! #CountdowntoHalloween2026
Bugs Bunny is back in Tulgey Wood for his annual appointment as the auspicious September 30th herald of the spooky season. In this typically cute and clever cover art by Ralph Heimdahl for Looney Tunes no. 180 (October 1956). Bugs joins Porky and Petunia to bob up and down for some fun-filled treats—especially the ones that will be part of our 2026 Countdown to Halloween blogathon starting tomorrow. Be sure to come back for some Halloween fun all through October. It all begins on October 1—how about them apples (or carrots!)? #CountdowntoHalloween2026
Today is the 65th anniversary of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. To celebrate, here are some (ironically black-and-white) TV Guide ads, giving a sense of the scope of this classic chromatically-centric TV series.
