You Too Can Be A Monster, Thanks To Mattel

In 1964, Mattel introduced its Fright Factory Thingmaker, to the delight of Monster Kids everywhere. Perfect for cooking up some eerie facial enhancements using Mattel's famous Plastigoop. All to help us Countdown to Halloween. 

Winnie the Pooh's 100th Anniversary (Plus Some Hundred Acre Wood Jump Scares)

2026 is the 100th anniversary of Winnie the Pooh...and this year is also the 60th anniversary of Walt Disney's Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), the first of the animated Pooh featurettes. To make Pooh Bear a part of our 2026 Countdown to Halloween blogathon, here are some scary (in a Pooh-ish manner, of course) sights from two Whitman activity books, in which both Pooh and (especially) Owl seem to take great Halloween delight in the fright they cause each other. Who knew the Hundred Acre Wood could be so scary? Only the Heffalumps and Woozles, I guess. 

Monsters By Way Of Jack Davis

The main attraction of this monstrously produced LP is the cover, which also is today’s official Countdown to Halloween entry. The 1964 art is by monster master Jack Davis (famed for his work in Mad Magazine and many other venues). Milton DeLugg was the NBC music man for many decades, providing music for everything from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast to (most infamously) The Gong Show, wherein host Chuck Barris always referred to him as "Milton DeLugg and the Band with a Thug."  All of your best-loved (and most feared) hits are here, including the themes of The Munsters, Bewitched, King Kong, and other favorites.

Halloween Time is UNICEF Time

Our Countdown to Halloween continues: For many, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has been a Halloween tradition—and still is! Since 1950, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has grown from kids collecting donations in those Halloween-colored orange boxes into the longest-running youth engagement campaign in the United States. For over 75 years, that spirit of generosity has raised nearly $200 million, helping UNICEF deliver safe water, vaccines, nutrition, education, and emergency relief to children around the world. UNICEF has often used celebrity spokespersons to spread the word about the campaign, everyone from Captain Kangaroo to Casper to Kermit the Frog. Kermit's involvement was celebrated in . Enjoy—and for more info about being part of the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF for 2026, please click here. Halloween Boo-nus: Check out the account of a Great Muppet Caper setting being a haunted mansion!

Danny Gets Into The Halloween Spirit

Danny, the little black lamb from Walt Disney's So Dear to My Heart, is featured on this Rexall drugstore promotional cover. As we celebrate this year’s Countdown to Halloween 2026, we look back to this incredible art by legendary Disney artist Hank Porter from October 1948. As the pumpkin balances on Danny’s head, I’m sure the crows above wonder how on earth he does it. After all, it’s what you do with whatcha got that counts! PS you can read the article I wrote about So Dear to My Heart for D23 here. 

Win Some, Lose Some With Winsome Wendy

As part of our Countdown to Halloween 2026, Wendy the Good Little Witch is up to loads of good deeds and misadventures in these Halloween-related comic book covers! Casper even joins her in a few because what would Halloween be without our favorite friendly ghost? Whether she is sailing across the stars or encountering spooky specters in a cauldron, you know Wendy will be careful to always make sure everyone has a good little time!

Watch Out For The Terror-Thon on TCM

Halloween is always a fun month on TCM. The classic movie channel (one of the best cable channels available, bar none) always has a fascinating slate of spooky films to unspool all month long, including the premiere of a new documentary about horror film kingpin Vincent Price, and of course, the annual 48-hour Halloween Terror-Thon, October 30th-31st. Check out this link for more info. It's all part of our Countdown to Halloween 2026. 

Archie And The Not So Lonesome Ghosts

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. 

55 Years Of Substitutiary Locomotion And Other Assorted Spells

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.  

 

Classic Hocus Pocus Poster

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.